Bellicose, page 19
Suddenly there were three sets of very wide eyes staring at him.
"If there's anything else, or if you need anything, you know how to get in touch. I'll come by Friday, and we'll plan everything out. I don't think all three of you will have to be there at the same time, especially not if my sisters are helping. There'll be six guests, and probably six bodyguards. I may set someone on the bodyguards, but we'll just have to see."
He took a moment to give each of them a hug and a nice, long kiss. He enjoyed their feelings for him; it was a combination of lust, love, and the typical feelings a lot of dark elf fems had for the lord of the house—he'd sussed that one out after a while.
Leaving the room, he closed the door behind him and took a moment to figure out where he was heading next, when he heard it.
"That Tamerin is such a lucky bitch!" one of the three mumbled.
"Are you sure you want to go down that path?" one of the others said with a short laugh.
"Maybe…"
Smirking, he headed off to the showers. After he got clean, unless Raelyn, Bree, Erin, or Brianna cornered him, he'd head home.
Opening Day
Anthony looked around the room he found himself in after he'd gotten out of the djinn's bottle. It was clean and well-appointed, with benches and a couple of comfortable-looking chairs. There were also four well-armed guards, two of whom were definitely not human, plus the two goblins who'd greeted him, and then politely asked him, his bodyguard, Guillermo, and his bodyguard to please have a seat while they decanted the others.
Watching them uncork the other two bottles was an interesting experience. He had no idea how they'd gotten the bottles here—apparently that was a closely guarded secret. Riding in the bottle, he had to admit, was both comfortable as well as enjoyable. The djinn in charge was a pretty, young-looking woman. They'd all been warned that if anything happened to her, they'd all die instantly. While he and those with him hadn't needed that warning, he didn't doubt there'd be others who might.
As the last of his five compatriots and their bodyguards were decanted, another goblin came down the stairs from whatever was above and addressed them.
"Welcome to Bartertown; my name is Biggs. As you may have surmised, I work for Sawyer, and he has put me in charge of this operation. A few warnings: do not wander around the town unescorted. This is by no means a safe, human city."
Anthony heard a couple of snorts, but Biggs continued.
"I suggest you go armed whenever you are outside of the hotel, but understand that many of the creatures here will not be stopped by your weapons. Do comply with the orders of the guards on the streets if you should encounter any. No matter how big and bad you may believe yourself to be, they are bigger and badder. Last of all, do not, under any circumstances, go outside the Bartertown wall."
"Why not?" George Wesn asked.
"Because you will die. Painfully. I would also suggest being careful if you decide to check out the eastern side of Bartertown. Lord Michael has only bothered securing the western parts of the town and the areas around the town squares, and in the latter cases, only during the daylight hours. Go anywhere else, and you're on your own."
"Lord Michael?" Leon Aguillard asked.
"Bartertown is ruled by an incubus lord. Lord Michael."
"Oh? And what do the demons have to say about that?"
"Yes, sir, whatever you say, sir, please don't kill me, sir," Biggs said with a grin. "Now, it's a short walk to your accommodations from here."
"Gentlemen," one of the guards said, "if you would be so kind as to follow me?"
"What about our luggage?" asked Dick Anderson, Thomas Jeffries' bodyguard.
"You may either carry it, or we'll have it delivered."
Anthony smiled as Dick grabbed the two bags; one was his boss', the other was his own. Anthony had warned them all to pack light. Most of the bodyguards were wearing backpacks; Anthony's own luggage had wheels. He didn't wish to make Nick, his own bodyguard, work so hard that he couldn't handle his primary job, namely protecting him. So Anthony didn't hesitate to grab his own bag.
He noticed both George and Leon had followed his lead.
The stairway wasn't a long one; they came out into a hallway that led out through a small coffee shop. The shop wasn't yet open for the day, and honestly, it was so generic that it reminded Anthony of hundreds of others he'd seen over the years.
When they went out the front door onto the street, he noticed there was a wall on the other side of it. The guard turned to the right and led them along the street that followed the wall.
"Is that the outside wall?" he asked the guard leading them. The other guards had also followed along.
"Nope, that's Mohini Labs. They're the ones that originally built all this. Or at least that's what I've been told."
"I see," Anthony replied. He knew about Mohini Labs, he knew who owned them, and that they'd built all of what was now known as Bartertown. But what had happened after that? There wasn't much information about that. He knew Dr. Ruxton—knew him personally, as they'd done business more than once in the past. When he'd asked, Ruxton had told him two things: first was that it was safe, and the people involved were trustworthy. Second was that the man who now ran Bartertown, Michael, was a close, personal friend, and an incredibly powerful Earth demon.
The walk to the hotel wasn't a long one, maybe a couple hundred meters. The buildings on the right hand side of the street were all concrete, though a surprising amount of paint and other decorations had been added to them to make them look more homey or lived in. Apparently, demons and the other such creatures that lived here weren't fans of bland, gray concrete, either.
The coffee shop adjacent to the hotel, he saw, was a rather large one. It was also open, and fairly busy.
"The place any good?" he asked the guard again while nodding towards it.
"Actually, yeah, it is. Just make sure you read the menu before you order anything, and if your waitress tells you not to get something, don't."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Some of the stuff they serve is specifically made for the different demons or other supernaturals who live here. Stuff like that can mess a human up."
"What about you?"
"Good guess," the guard said with a laugh. "We have contests for how long we can hold it down before we puke our guts out!"
Anthony smiled at that and winked at Nick, who he noticed was paying attention. Leon and Thomas were also having conversations with some of the guards, and everyone was looking around, taking in the scenery, as well as getting a good understanding of where they were.
Entering the hotel, he was impressed. The lobby was part of the lounge, and there was a bar on the far side of it. There was a large man with the head of a goat wearing some very serious-looking weapons keeping an eye on things.
"Morning, Kurt!" the lead guard said and waved to the man with the goat head, who waved back.
"James," Kurt replied in a voice that was a fair bit deeper than Anthony had expected.
"Fomorian," James, the guard, told Anthony. "Their leader is on the town council, and a friend of Michael's. Make sure your friends all know not to mess with 'em. They're all hard cases when it comes to fighting, but they're not the most patient people in the world."
"Welcome to Hotel Pax; my name is Destiny. I have keys here for Misters Anthony, Guillermo, Eduardo, Thomas, George, and Leon. Will your bodyguards be staying with you? If not, we have two group rooms that sleep four each, and we can put them in one of those."
Anthony and the others stopped and looked at the young woman behind the front desk. She was strikingly beautiful, with an olive complexion, and long, dark hair.
"Kacey, would you show Mr. Leotti to his room?"
Anthony turned to see another, equally beautiful young woman, dressed a lot less conservatively come around the counter and approach him with a key in her hand.
"This way please, Mr. Leotti?"
"Oh!" Destiny interrupted. "Will your man be staying with you? Or with the others?"
"With the others," Anthony said, unable to take his eyes off the lovely young thing smiling up at him.
"This way, Mr. Leotti," Kacey said again, and he followed her to the staircase that led to his room. He was looking forward to watching that tight, young ass in that very short skirt going up the wide stairway in front of him.
When they got to the room, she opened the door with the key and led him inside.
"The bathroom is through that door, the bedroom is through that one, and yes, the bedroom has a much nicer bathroom, with both a tub and a shower."
Anthony had to admit, the room was as nice as any he'd ever seen. The woman standing before him and giving him a shy smile was, however, up there with the best of them.
"Is there anything else, Mr. Leotti?"
"Call me Anthony, please. Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?" he asked with a smile.
Kacey blushed rather fetchingly.
"Anthony, I would be more than happy to spend some time with you; however, my time is a separate expense from what you've already paid."
"That would be fine, Kacey," Anthony said, closing the door behind him.
Destiny smiled as each of the guests were escorted to their rooms, leaving their bodyguards standing in the lobby and looking a little bit bemused. Biggs and Michael had decided that things would go easier if they made sure to separate them right at the beginning. The girls on staff liked the idea, because they were getting a thousand dollars an hour from the guests, and she was positive that none of them would be seen again until dinner, eight hours from now, if then.
"So, gentlemen," she said, looking over at the bodyguards, the group of which reminded her very much of those players of the sport Americans called football. "We have two rooms set up for four each. How would you prefer to be split up?"
"You only have two rooms?" asked Nick Buoniconti, who was Mr. Leotti's bodyguard.
"Yes, I'm sorry, but when the hotel was originally designed, we never expected more than eight rooms being used at any one time. None of us considered that they'd be bringing their own personal security staff.
"The rooms are, however, quite nice."
"Jack, Norm, want to room with me?"
"Sure, why not?" Jack said.
"Hey, can you find us dates, too?" Norm asked with a smile.
"There is a house of companionship just around the corner," Destiny suggested with a thoughtful look, "or you could try the coffee shop next door. However, remember that there are a lot fewer humans here than you might realize."
"So what race would you be, then?" Norm asked, still smiling.
"I am a djinn."
Norm's eyes got just a hair wider. "In that case, I think I need to check my bank balance. I've heard about djinn."
"Oh? And what have you heard?"
"That you're worth every penny a man has, and then some!" Norm said with a wink.
Destiny blushed; perhaps she might find a little time for that one. She looked over the rest of the group. "And you three?"
Manny, Dick, and Bill all nodded.
"Yeah, I guess we'll take the other room," Bill Stanfill said. "Then I think I'm gonna hit the coffee house. I could definitely use some caffeine."
"Well, come with me, then, and I'll show you to your rooms." Picking up two sets of three keys, she led them down to the rooms that had been set aside for them. Both rooms were on the first floor, and neither of them were as fancy as the suites upstairs—or even the other doubles on the first floor—because of the changes that had needed to be made to get the four beds in.
They all trooped into their respective rooms, but she'd given Norm Evans a bit of a tug on his shirt, getting him to step aside and look at her.
"Yes?"
"I get off at seven. If you'd like to get to know me better, meet me at the front desk."
"Is this going to cost me?"
"Of course," she said, grinning back at him, "but do a good enough job, and maybe I'll comp you for the rest of it!"
Norm smiled back at her and watched as she turned and strutted down the hallway.
"In trouble already, I see," Nick said, sticking his head out of the room.
"Ah, you're just jealous she isn't hitting on you."
"Make sure to find out if she's got any friends," Nick said with a laugh. "You joining us for coffee?"
"Might as well."
Bill looked around the coffee house as he sat there drinking with a couple of the others. Nick was there, of course, and so was Dick Anderson—he worked for Thomas Jeffries, who owned a large shipping company. Jack Scott, who worked for George Wesn, was there as well. Wesn handled their North American distribution networks and had contacts on both sides of the market, legal and illegal.
"Can you believe Norm?" Dick asked, chuckling. "Talk about balls!"
"Yeah, well, all of our bosses are gettin' laid, so I guess he figured he might as well, too," Jack grumbled.
"Oh, I'm sure our bosses are paying for it," Nick said with a snort, "and this is pretty damn good coffee."
"Think the food back at the hotel will be any good?"
Nick shrugged. "I don't know, probably. With the money Mr. Leotti told me they were chargin' him, I'm sure they got somebody talented. I mean, look at those women, right?"
"They're not women, they're demons," Bill replied.
Nick snorted at him. "Djinn ain't demons. Now that goat-headed guy? Yeah, he's a demon. And if the stories of succubi living here are true as well? They're demons, too."
"How do you know so much about all this?" Dick asked.
"Workin' for Mr. Leotti, you learn a lot about the world in general. Ever since all those lycans, magic users, and other creatures got exposed during the war, he's made a point of learnin' whatever he can about 'em. He's a shrewd businessman, and he's always looking for new opportunities to exploit. That's how he found this place."
"So you know about all the demons that live here?"
Nick shook his head as he took another sip of his coffee. "Just a few. But this place has a pretty nasty black market. Word is, you can get anything you want there."
"Anything?" Jack asked.
"Well, anything but women. Apparently they used to sell 'em here, all different races of 'em too. But the new owner put an end to that."
"Why'd he do such a thing?"
"He's supposed to be an incubus. Guess he wanted them all for himself," Nick said with a chuckle.
"Doesn't George have any contacts in here?" Bill asked, turning to look at Jack.
Jack shook his head. "He doesn't think there's any kind of market in here. Plus, the goblins got things sewn up tight on that score. Like the guard said, this isn't a human city, and a lot of the things that live here aren't interested in our wares."
"Still, I'd think he'd want to know what's going on in his territory."
"Hey, your boss is in the State Department, I'd think that'd be more his job!" Jack replied with a snicker.
"Yeah, well, I was thinking about taking a walk around town," Bill said, lowering his voice.
"I'd suggest you find a local guide first," Nick said between sips. "You know, like they warned us?"
"Oh, please, like this place is any worse than DC? Or New York?"
"Just sayin'," Nick said with a shrug.
"Anyone want to come along?"
"Not tonight, I want to get a better feel for the place first. Maybe check out that whorehouse they mentioned."
"Dick?"
Dick Anderson shook his head. "I'm gonna hit the sack early tonight. I'm still pretty jet-lagged. Plus, I don't feel like getting lost in the middle of the night, in winter."
"I got a map."
"Oh? How'd you get that?"
"Simple, Guillermo got some of the guys over at the CIA to take some pictures when one of their birds flew overhead. Nothing hides from those guys."
"Well, leave me a copy before you head out. In case you don't come back," Dick said with a grin.
"Say, how many of the people in here do you think are human?" Jack asked. "Other than us, that is?"
"I suspect the Indian-looking ones are; they probably work at Mohini Labs," Nick said, nodding towards a trio of women sitting at one of the tables, having some sort of pastry dish with their drinks as they chatted.
"That's it? There's got to be at least another twenty in here, not counting the guards or the wait staff!"
"Holy shit! Look at what just walked in!" Dick exclaimed.
Bill turned and looked along with the three others. It was a woman, sort of. Her skin was the darkest he'd ever seen, as black as ink, to be honest. Her short hair was a very dark shade of blue, and he suspected it was all natural, because she was dressed in sheer blue panties that didn't do much to hide the patch of darker blue contained within, a bra, garter, stockings, and high-heels that matched the color of the rest of her outfit.
She was without a doubt one of the sexiest women any of them had ever seen, far sexier than the ones their bosses had just retired to their rooms with. She seemed to exude sex appeal, and he noticed that every male in the room, including the obvious monsters and demons, were taking a moment to look her over.
He was wondering how such a hot little package had managed to walk here on her own without something bad happening to her when he noticed the bat-like wings. Blinking a moment, he wondered how he'd even missed those!
"Wow, I guess that's a succubus," Dick said in a surprised voice.
"Wish me luck, boys, I'm goin' in!" Nick said with a laugh, and sliding off of his chair, he made a beeline towards the blue-haired succubus.
"Guess we won't be seeing him again," Bill said with a snort. Obviously, Nick hadn't been strong enough to resist her blatant sex appeal.
"Jealous much?" Jack said and snickered. "I wonder if she's got any sisters?"
"Yeah, maybe we should ask Nick to put in a word for the rest of us!" Dick said with a laugh.
"You're both a bunch of fools, you know that?" Bill hissed. "She's a demon, a sex demon, what do you think she's going to do to him?"
