When we met up with Hector later, we end up in a less populated area with more upscale houses for the area. He makes sure I have the money and then we are introduced to the upper management so to speak, Farel (FAR-al) a troll.
He was only five feet tall, had a stocky muscular build, a grey and blue tinged skin, with black and grey hair that was slicked back into a ponytail. His tell tale completely black eyes popped out in contrast to his skin color and his wide jaw was set in an eternal frown with his canines just peeking past his thick lips.
When Hector introduced us, Farels voice was deep, gruff, but not unpleasant sounding.
"¿Hablas mejor inglés o español?"(You speak English or Spanish better?) Farels asked.
"I prefer English." I said, I knew enough Spanish to get by, but hey if I get a choice.
"Si, mi hermosa, she speaks english better." Rivera says with an arm around my waist, keeping me close to him.
Farel lifts up his arm and sticks out a hand which is longer in thinner in size than a humans. We both shake his hand and introduce ourselves.
His grip is strong and firm and those long fingers practically envelope me hand as I shake it. "I'm Maria."
"Maria, Juan. Follow me so we can conclude this transaction. Now you're going to meet my partner, just so you know he's rude and an ass. But he means what he says and he doesn't go back on his word once spoken. Just don't say nothing smart ass to him." Farel gives us a heads up and leads us into an alley way and through a locked gate with armed guys on the other side.
They size us up real quick but don't say anything and continue standing guard. Hector sees someone walking around the yard and tells us good luck and takes off to go talk to them.
Farel mumbles something under his breath and continues going to the house. We go in and see a nice kitchen being used by about 20 redcaps. They're only as tall as the counters but they have long arms that double up when they're by their sides. They use these to push them selves up on to the counters as they are cooking.
I take a whiff and it smells delicious what ever they are making.
One stops seeing me sniffing the air. "What's the matter, mija? You hungry?"
Farel practically barks at them, "Later! They're meeting Alex. They have business."
The redcap looks at us nods to me, "You ask for Lar later mija, I'll feed you!" He smiles and a flash of sharp, white teeth can be seen filling his mouth. I smile and nod as we continue to follow Farel.
"Damn little caps, they always feeding people. Alex pays for the food and they go feed the hungry in the slums and the homeless. Great cooks too, just make sure you stop back by and ask for him. Otherwise you'll offend him and they keep grudges for life. I can tell it's your first time seeing one." He looks at me and chuckles.
"What gave it away?"
"When he smiled, your eyes turned into headlights." He laughed again.
He took us upstairs past other people there either guarding or hanging out who would stop and all size us up before going back to what they were doing. Its like a wave of silence would hit the area we walked into only for the noise to return just as it left. The house was huge and as we finally stopped to enter in a set of double, hand carved, thick wooden doors Farel held up a hand.
"Alex likes to party so sorry about what you're about to see, Maria. I don't think you're naive to the ways of men, but I don't agree that this is how you handle business transactions. But this is Alex's department not mine." Farel presses a button on the door and they start to open.
We are immediately hit by the wave of loud club music and peoples laughter when none could be heard prior. There's a bunch of guys in there that look like a mix from all walks of life from thugs to business men in suits. There's also women some dressed classy and sophisticated, and others are obviously there for entertainment purposes.
These women are barely clothed in lacy, stringy, barely there outfits and tall spiked heels. They're dancing for the guys and even some of the women, pouring drinks, talking, smiling, caressing. The ones who glance our way smile and one of the girls wink at me, making me blush awkwardly.
One would think I just walked into a strip joint. Farel leads us over to a giant leather high backed lounge chair that could easily fit 8 people on it. On it sits a stocky long, curly, black haired Man who's smiling and laughing having a good time with the three chicks rubbing, massaging, and dancing on him.
Farel stops us and walks forward and talks to him for a minute. Alex shoo's the girls away and waves for us to join him. We walk on over and he motions for us to sit. He turns the music down to where we can hear him better but the others around us would not.
"I'm Alex. You're the ones stateside that hector was telling me about. So first things first, what are your names?" He seems to get serious but has a laid back smile on his face.
"Juan, this is my lady, Maria." Rivera introduces us.
"Juan y Maria....." He looks us over really pausing on my curves and assets he can tell are under my clothes. Rivera pulls me close to him, territoriality, and Alex chuckles.
"No worries, Ese, just appreciating a fine piece of art you got. Any ways lets do business first, we'll see how things go from there. So you got the money?"
I look at Rivera and pull out the seven thousand cash in u.s. bills and hand them over. He takes them and fans through it quickly before handing it to Farel.
"Hey primo, get that counted, por favor, and if it's good bring their goods." Alex nods and Farel walks off. Alex motions to one of the girls to come over.
"Get my guests something to drink, we don't want to be rude." The girl leaves and comes back with several drinks on a tray along with lines of coke and a straw and offers us to pick.
Rivera grabs the beer, I grab what I hope is whisky. "Gracias."
"No hay problema linda chica." (No problem cute girl) She winks at me and gives me a warm smile and I am blushing....again.
Alex start laughing, "Hey hombre, better watch out I think your lady might get snatched up by one of the girls."
Now I'm embarrassed and throw back the drink, it's whisky, thank goodness. Alex looks at me down the drink like water and motions for her to get me another.
The same tray comes back with the lines but now just a few glasses of whisky are all that's there. I take the glass and nod. She sets the tray down in front of me and Alex motions at the tray to us.
"Are you going to sample the product, how would you know the quality otherwise?" He's still smiling and I lean over to get the straw. Rivera grabs my arm and shakes his head.
Alex starts to look offended and leans forward, "What's the matter Ese? You guys cops?"
I scoff, "Fuck that shit, no he's just worried about me, I went overboard a few weeks back when I was drinking." I shrug his arm off and snort the line closest to me and hand the straw to Rivera. "Here babe, I'll be fine." I say still sucking the line back and taking a drink to help with the taste in my mouth. I hate this part of the job.
Rivera takes one up each nose like he's been doing it for years. We both know it comes with the job, but damn do we hate it. The high kicks in just a minute after our noses go numb.
Alex sits back and shrugs, "So is it up to par?"
"That's some good shit there", I say taking a drink of whisky, so I don't gag on the taste. How do people do this crap?
Farel comes back and taps Rivera on the shoulder, "Come with me hombre, you can go over and check your product before we deliver it to your place in the states." Rivera gives me a look and Alex waves him off.
"No worries hombre, we're amigos. You're lady will be fine. I'll keep her safe from the hungry gatas." (cats) He chuckles and I nod to Rivera and he walks off with Farel.
"Come sit by me, hyna. I won't bite you. This couch is big enough for more then just two." He motions for me to come sit and I do hesitantly.
"So Alex, what's up with the redcaps in the kitchen, like how did that even happen?" I said keeping space between us but not so much that I didn't seem open to his advancements if he made them.
He smiled at me and scooted just a tad bit closer, "Well I grew up in the slums with mi madre, until she passed from one of her pedazo de mierda novios (piece of shit boyfriends) beat her to death. Mi primo, Farel found me and took me in when I had no where to go, the redcaps helped raise me, fed this right here." He pats his stomach which I wouldn't call fat, even though he's thick it doesn't look bad.
"So they're practically familia. Cool, cool. Oh yeah down in the kitchen, um what did he say, oh Lar wants to feed me before we go. Farel said I better let him or he'll be offended." I tell Alex.
"No worries." He waves over one of the dancers, "Tell mi primo Lar in la cocina para subir aquí, (the kitchen to get up here) he needs to feed our guest, Maria." He purred out my name like he was tasting the sound of it off his tongue.
I was not sure how to take they way he said my name..... just watched as the girl walked off. I grabbed another glass of whisky from in front of me and laid back slightly as if to lounge like I was completely comfortable.
Alex leans over like he's relaxing right there next to me. He lowers his voice like it'll seduce me,
~__~
"Mujer hermosa, you look like you are of a higher quality then your vato, if you ever decide that you want different company, mi casa es su casa." He rubs the back of his hand on my arm. "I know I could give you better company then him."
"Mmmm hmmm....." I mull over his words taking another drink and I size him up with my eyes, "I'll keep it in mind, but mi amor y yo estamos bien. (my love and I are doing fine.) Besides you got plenty of chicas keeping you busy. I'm not one to put up with putas who sleep with a taken man." I sit up and set the empty glass down and grab the last one.
Alex sits back up as well and says, "What the hired help? They're entertainment, masseuses, waitresses, they may flirt, but every one of them has never been used for sex unless they wanted it first. Y tu and your love are good, bien. Por ahora (for now). But, now you know where to find me, even if you ever want to party, hell even if both of you want to party, come over. No problemas. I like to enjoy life, tú entiendes. (you understand.)"
"Si, I feel you." I look at him an eyebrow cocked giving another look over when Lar the redcap from the kitchen shows up.
"Hola chiquita, Lar will feed you. Qué deseas? ( what do you want?)" He smiles again with that intimidating canine filled mouth and I can't help but flinch slightly.
Alex chuckles, "Lar, you gonna scare her. Smiling like you gonna cook her."
"No, I just have never met a.... one of you before in person. I didn't realize you had so many teeth." I'm blushing from embarrassment. "I'm sorry that was rude of me."
Lar smiles again,"You're a funny chica, ella me gusta. (i like her)" he points at me and Alex holds up his hand.
"No Lar, I le ofrecí mi casa. (offered my home.) " Alex acted like that made me marked property.
Lar laughed, "Hahahaha, cállate hombre,(shut up man) I'm just making her food. So mija, what can Lar get for you?" He ignores Alex and looks to me.
"Um.. What ever was cooking earlier smelled delicious."
"I think that was lengua? Oh, si, it was lengua, I'll bring you some lengua and tortillas y salsa picante, mija." He pats my leg like an old auntie would and takes off to the kitchen.
"Man oh man, Careful, don't let him feed you too much. If you only want one plate you better say so when he gets back with the first one." Alex laughs and scoots a little closer. "So looks like mi primo Lar has taken a liking to you too, they're a very good judge of character, redcaps. Makes me want to know about you some more." He starts to lean closer and thank goodness Rivera and Farel show up.
"Hey babe, que paso?" Rivera see's I've moved and plays his role and gives me a look like, 'what the fuck is this shit?'.
"Mi amor, no se preocupe. (My love, do not fret) I get up and wrap my arms around his waist. "We were just talking, Lar from in the kitchen earlier is bringing me some tongue tacos. Remember how good they smelled?" I give him a deep meaningful look.
"Just talking?" He seems put off still, to make it seem convincing, we must keep up our charade.
"Si, you know mi corazon belongs only to you." I get my lips close to his as I say this, teasing his lips.
He cracks a smile and I give him a quick kiss against that smile.
"You know primo, I think she has a thing for lengua." Lar who's arrived with two plates full of tongue tacos leans over to say to Alex. He whispers softly only for Alex to hear, "Y no es de él." (and it's not his.) He grins mischievously.
"Hmmmm, interesting." Alex smiles into his drink.