Book 3 Chapter 1: A Drink on the House? Maybe a Whore?
Dantes leaned on the railing of the private upper floor booth of his club, Viridian Vixen, and listened to the singing coming from below. It was a slow, sultry number, Alessa’s vocals were smooth, and he found his heart rising and falling along with the notes she hit. He sipped slowly from his wine glass as he watched her. She’d put on a bit of weight, but it suited her. Honestly it was strange that she was so thin for an orc to begin with.
The club was busy. The area directly in front of Alessa’s stage was full of admirers, a few even from Uptown. The other tables were busy as well, with people eating, drinking, or gambling at the card tables in the back. Zak and his bouncers were keeping an eye on things from the bottom and top floors. Zilly and her staff were handling the busy crowd gracefully, with wine and food making their way quickly and efficiently to anyone who requested it.
Vera’s girls walked the floors or manned the bars. He saw Sera sitting in the lap of a large well dressed man giggling, Tieara smoking at the bar in a low cut dress, and Priss slow dancing with a halfling man that looked so nervous he might faint. He didn’t recognize the other girls, most of them weren’t veterans of the old Vivacious Vixen, but they were good too, Dantes knew that from personal experience. Vera had a good eye for talent.
He allowed his focus to flip through the various vermin he had watching the club, and noticed a group of five guards led by Dulles, Pacha’s right hand man, heading toward it from across the street. He sighed and finished his wine as he began to head downstairs to meet them. He didn’t need to signal anyone, those safeguards were already in place for those times when he was otherwise occupied. He shook a few hands on the way down, flashed a few smiles, and even shot a wink to a young noblewoman out ‘slumming it up’ even though the club was nicer than most of those that existed in Uptown.
He placed his glass on the edge of the bar for Zilly who took it wordlessly, and then moved over to the front door.
The bouncer at the front door pushed it open and held it for the guards who all looked at Dantes with surprise on their faces as he smiled at them.
The guards all wore the breastplate and shortsword that acted as their symbols of office, though Dulles also had a pistol on his waist and one of the men had a spear handy instead of a sword.
“Good evening. You gentlemen here for a drink? Hard day of cracking skulls?”
That drew a few snickers from those nearby.