Closing his eyes, John focused on the heartbeats around him. His eyes had told him he was alone, but he knew he couldn't trust them completely.
All around he heard people having a fun time but none of them were in the vicinity.
Boco Bay was the name of both the city and the bay. The bay itself was large, and was nearly completely encompassed by the surrounding land that cradled the body of water protectively. Far out in the bay there was a gap where ships could enter the bay from the ocean beyond. To either side of the bay's mouth, the land shot upwards. John judged it to be a good four hundred feet up, and at the very top he caught the telltale signs of a man made barricade rigged to close off the entrance in the event of an attack.
Directly across from the bay's mouth sat Boco Bay, the city. Five enormous piers jutted out from it like large teeth, with ships docked at almost every port. Even this late at night, people walked along the piers, loading and unloading the ships. The boardwalk, which ran along the bay in a three mile stretch, was intersected by countless streets that slowly rose away from the bay in low rolling hills. The steady slope made the rooftops jag upwards like large stairsteps. And every street from the water to where John stood was filled with all walks of life.
Like the Slayers, the city never slept. All shops, inns, pleasure houses, taverns, and eateries stayed open at all hours. And it wasn't just the Slayers that kept the city going, but also the slaves, servants, merchants, mages, visiting dignitaries and emissaries that came to support Tekal.
Hearing heartbeats many streets over but not around him, John took a steadying breath and tried to psych himself up for what was to come next.
[It's just three stories, John. You survived a lot bigger drop just a few hours ago.]
With one last inhale, he slipped over the edge of the building and dropped to the alleyway below him.
Landing on cat like feet, he bolted down the alley and ducked into a side alley. Pausing just inside the alleyway, he sat and waited.
He knew it was all probably a waste of time, but Celia's paranoia taunted him like an incessant mosquito.
When he heard no one following him, he stepped back out into the alleyway and walked to the very end. Peering around the corner, he didn't see a soul but he heard people talking and laughing a building over.
Walking across to the other side, he descended down the steps hidden to even John's sharp eyes. You had to know what you were looking for. At the bottom of the steps was a door with an ornate mask nailed to where a knocker should have been. He knocked twice.
A section of the door pulled back and a set of green eyes passed over him. John pulled back his heavy cloak and flashed his novice uniform. Wordlessly, the doorman closed the peephole and opened the door. Inside, John found what Celia had described to him earlier.
Giant thick blood red curtains fell from a vaulted ceiling and encircled the room, making the room smaller than what it really was.
The door closed behind him and John turned out of reflex but found only red. It was a clever optical illusion. Turning back, he ignored the two empty couches to either side of him and focused on the person who stood behind the lone table in front of him.
Madam Victoria.
[Well, at least there isn't anyone else here waiting. That's a good start.]
It had been the primary reason why Celia had insisted he come in her stead. She had a reputation to uphold, and apparently John didn't have any such reputations. While Madam Victoria prided herself and her employees on discretion, it didn't stop her clients from bumping into themselves at the entrance. Celia had described the Madam of the establishment as regal in stature and nationless, thanks to the ornate mask that covered her face. Even her eyes were hidden, preventing anyone from piecing together her nationality. It was done intentionally, of course, so her clients could feel more at ease.
"Welcome to Hidden Pleasures, my Lord. I'm Madam Victoria. How may I serve you this evening?"
John closed the distance between them and produced a bag of coins.
"I'm here to see Sasha," he said, setting the bag down on the table.
Victoria bowed her head.
"I'm afraid she is taken for the night, my Lord. Might I interest you in another Ghourdian?"
He smiled politely. "That won't be necessary. Sasha's earlier appointment couldn't make it and had suggest that I come in their place."
John reached into his back pocket and produced Celia's coin.
The coin was a unique marker regulars of Hidden Pleasures were given. It came with additional perks. As to what perks, Celia wouldn't say.
Victoria raised her head, as if in surprise, and then bowed again.
"My apologies if I offended you, my Lord. Venessa will lead you to her."
Motioning to the right, a blonde Kalian woman in scantily clad clothing appeared.
The blonde pulled back a section of the curtain and stepped into a hidden hallway. Nodding at Victoria, John followed after the Kalian.
Doors lined the hallway, but they were reinforced with the same sound damping material as Tekal. Ignoring the doors, Venessa led him to the very end where a suspended staircase rose upward. John wordlessly followed her up to the third floor where another corridor ran the length of the floor. Stopping at a random door, she slowly knocked three times before opening it.
Bowing her head, she stepped away from the door and he walked in.
The door closed behind him the moment he crossed the threshold but his attention was already robbed by the room. A soft red haze filled his vision, and it took John a second to realize the red haze came from hundreds of thin red stripes of cloth hanging from the ceiling in random intervals, filtering the light coming from the center of the room in red. As he took a step towards the source of light, two strands of cloth brushed against his cheeks and its softness surprised him. The closer he stepped towards the center of the room, the clearer his vision became. There was a thick rug, a large bed, and an army of plush pillows scattered throughout. Off to the side of the bed was a small table, burdened by two wine bottles and a hefty portion of fruits and cheeses. As he neared, he caught a ring of candles recessed into the ceiling.
Taking a step onto the soft rug, he surveyed the room within the room.
Sasha was nowhere to be seen.
Instinctively he reached for his slider, but he stayed his hand before his fingertips reached its grip.
[Easy, John. This isn't some elaborate trap.]
He forced his shoulders to relax and he reached out with his ears, searching for any sign of life.
Off to the right, he immediately picked up someone breathing. Turning, he looked right at the person who was hidden behind the countless strands of soft red fabric.
"You aren't the man I was expecting," a woman drawled lazily.
A distorted silhouette shifted.
Celia had warned him not to speak until he heard her challenge word. His manically prepared mentor had planned for this very scenario. There was already an agreed upon way of authenticating her messenger.
John silently watched her shadow weave through the sea of red.
"Tell me, what is your darkest fantasy?"
At last, the red cloth parted to reveal the living embodiment of sex in heels.
John swallowed the lump in his throat.
The black haired beauty stepped into the ring of light, her loosely bound robe flashing bits of flesh teasingly.
The "entertainer" advanced a step closer to him before she turned to the left, shifting around the table.
"No, wait," she said with an amused glint to her eye. "Let me guess. You like to be dominated?"
Her slow waltz toward him sent her around a stack of pillows. Wordlessly John's eyes tracked her suspiciously.
"I have quite the collection of toys we can try," she purred. "Pain and pleasure are two sacred lovers in this room."
Her sashaying hips drew closer to him, before she turned her advance to the left again, slowly circling him.
John caught her pursing her lips in a small smile and John knew right then that she knew he was waiting for the secret challenge.
"No…" she said, her smile showing. "You definitely look like the dominating type."
He glared at her impatiently.
Her slow and deliberate steps finally brought her close enough that she reached out and touched his shoulder, her fingers trailing along his collarbone.
Leaning in close, she breathed into his ear, "You'd have me left breathlessly, wantoning for release."
John couldn't help it, he rolled his eyes.
Seeing her teasing was losing its effect, her eyes narrowed. And then her mirth appeared again.
"Don't tell me you'd rather take a stable boy to bed over me."
John glared at her.
Any sentence with the word 'bed' in it was the challenge. And his answer had to be 'absolutely'.
Seeing his anger and hesitation, she arched a knowing eyebrow. Smug as could be.
"Absolutely," he said behind gritted teeth.
She patted his arm affectionately and gave a throaty laugh. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Have a seat."
When he didn't take the seat she motioned to, she took the seat instead. As her robe shifted, John lifted his eyes up to hers. There was a dangerous glint in her eye. Like the cat that had caught the canary.
Celia had warned him to be careful. Sasha was an information broker, and she used her...assets… to glean most of her information out of people. If she knew who Celia and John really worked for, she'd sell them out faster than he could blink. Which was why Celia primarily used her as a cut-out. As an intermediary person, she was given information that was useless to her but valuable to the person on the other end.
John dropped another, larger, bag full of coins onto the table next to her.
"Number 923," John said.
"What, no foreplay?" she pouted.
He gave her a small friendly smile. "Maybe next time."
Sasha snaked a bare foot up along his thigh.
"Are you sure? It'd be on the house," she said with a sudden sly smile. "You know, you're colleague usually stays for at least a quickie."
That made him pause.
Sensing his hesitation, she rose up and closed the short distance between them. Leaning in, she whispered into his ear, "Does it turn you on knowing that I took her here, right where you're standing, the last time she came for me?"
The double entendre wasn't lost to John.
He didn't even get a chance for multiplication tables.
Her eyes widened a bit as she shamelessly felt him up.
"Oh my."
John grabbed her hands and pulled them away gently but firmly.
"Enough. Repeat back the message to me."
She gave him another pout before saying, "Number 923".
"Good, then I'll take my leave. Which floor?"
Sighing, she pulled her hands out of his grip and waved him off.
"You're no fun. One floor up."
"So I've been told. Pleasure meeting you. I'll take my leave now," he said, before walking towards the wall directly opposite to the one he'd entered from.
Beyond the soft strands of red cloth, he went out the back door which led to a stairwell. Taking the stairs, he went up a floor until he found another doorway. This door entered the building adjacent to Hidden Pleasures, and was the method in which they ensured clients didn't run into anyone on their way out.
Opening the door, he found a large man guarding it. Seeing John, the guard wordlessly handed him a full face mask and stepped aside. John put the mask on and discovered he was standing in a large empty ballroom. Off to the right, he saw a doorway and heard the distant sounds of music.
Following the sounds, John walked deeper into the building, down two different sets of stairs, before spilling out into another large ballroom filled with people.
It was quite the party.
There were at least a hundred people in the room, all wearing masks similar to John. Off to the side there was a band playing, and everywhere he looked he saw people laughing, drinking, and more than a few of them getting intimate.
Directly across from him he spotted a door in the midst of closing. Before it closed, he spied the street outside and immediately felt relief.
Feeling claustrophobic, he went straight for the exit.
It took him a while to thread himself through the mass of people, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed by everyone's bliss. It was irrational, he knew, but it was there nonetheless.
Outside, he sucked in the cool night air.
Taking the mask off, he tossed it into the trash next to the door and started heading uphill. Following Celia's instructions, he took an immediate left and made his way to the end of the street. Seeing the fountain, he took a right at the meat shop, and then another right at a tavern called the Baying Pig. He kept his pace slow and steady. Anyone who saw him thought he was taking a leisure walk. However, on the inside, he was a nervous wreck.
Having nearly walked the length of the street that ran in parallel to the street Hidden Pleasures stood, he swung a left at a flower stand. When he didn't see Celia there talking to the owner of the stand, he let out a sigh of relief. If he'd seen her there, then he would have been followed.
Following her instructions, he made another similar double-back against a different street. When he didn't see her again at the allotted food stand, the tension in his shoulders lessened further. After making a number of zigzag turns, he stepped into an alley and hid inside one of the recesses.
He counting down a full five minutes before he stepped back out into the street and walked a block over where he sat down and waited for Celia.
She appeared ten minutes later, long enough for him to finish half his bitter drink.
Glancing at his drink, she smiled. "Coffee this late at night?"
"Reminds me of home," he said with a shrug.
Her eyes alighted in approval. The Empire didn't have coffee and John now knew why. The Kalian's were crazy to think the drink tasted good, even if it did relieve fatigue.
He handed her the cloth she'd given him just before he'd left. It had her member coin to Hidden Pleasures in it, and was his signal to her that it was done without any problems.
"Thank you," she said with a nod, before frowning. "You didn't…?"
"What's next?" John said, feeling like he should keep the mystery. Besides, he wasn't one to kiss and tell.
Her forehead pinched, but she didn't press him. Pointing to a water clock a few stores down, she said, "It's a few minutes passed midnight. Officially it's your free day. I'll see you in 24 hours."
With that, she stood and left.
Sighing to himself, he finished off the bitter tasting drink and dropped the last few coppers Celia had given him as spending money on the table. He waved at the lady who ran the establishment farewell and made his way back to Tekal.
Another lonely night.