"Good evening."
Ding studied her from head to toe for a few seconds and resumed to pour his glass. The lady crossed the table and sat beside Ding her hand on his thigh.
"May I join you?" she asked a customer smile on her lips.
Ding did not respond to this and slowly drank from his glass. The lady however, did not seem surprised by how Ding was ignoring her since she had had her fair share of experience with such clients and she knew exactly how to grab their attention. Not breaking eye contact, she traced a finger up Ding's thigh and sat on his lap. She then grabbed his face and tilted it up giving him no other option but to look at her. Before he could say anything, Lian cleared his throat making the two to turn to him.
"Master, did you order any drinks for me?" he asked scooting closer to the two.
"Yes. The cocktail over there is yours," he said pointing to the coloured drink.
"Really?" he asked and leaned forward to grab the glass from the table.
After taking a careful sip, he immediately winced and held the glass to Ding with a pitiful look on his face.
"Master. It's too sour," he said and stuck his tongue out to emphasise his point.
"Hmm."
Ding took a sip from the glass and turned to Lian.
"What do you mean sour? It tastes just fine."
"But..."
"So what kind of job do you do?" the lady asked interrupting Lian showing undeniable interest in Ding and Lian could tell she was not pleased with him interrupting her.
She placed her hand on his chest and Lian, feeling a tight constriction around his chest and a surging force of anger, immediately grabbed Ding's forearm.
"Master, can I get something less sour?" he asked hoping Ding would pay him some attention.
"The drink isn't sour. Stop being so childish," he said and looked at him.
Oh, I see what's going on here. But just to be certain...
Wanting to confirm his assumptions, Ding wrapped his hand around the lady causing her to let out a surprised gasp as he pulled her closer to him. As he was doing this, his eyes never left Lian's and he didn't fail to notice how his body twitched in surprise.
Hah~ I can't believe this. Is he actually jealous? Hmm.. now I want to see his reaction when I do something intense.
With his gaze still fixed on Lian, he slowly began to trace his hand up the lady's back and she shuddered and ached her back in response to his touch. Not wanting to watch them any longer, Lian abruptly stood up and walked out slamming the door shut behind him.
"You're not going to do anything to me?" she asked and Ding withdrew his hand from her back and raised his glass.
The lady raised the bottle and refilled his glass. She got down from Ding's lap and sat a few feet from him.
"Forgive my rudeness."
"Any leads?" he asked his tone suddenly serious.
"Yes sir. Tonight there will be an auction."
"An auction?"
"Yes. Some pretty goods were shipped here."
"Hmm... then I'll have to wait and see if those trouble makers will show up."
"One more thing sir, some of the notorious gangs are here."
"That's a given. The are like hungry rats. You can go keep an eye on things and make sure to keep an eye out without drawing attention."
"Yes sir. Excuse me then."
Ding twirled the drink in his glass as the door softly closed behind her figure. He leaned against the chair and looked at the ceiling his thoughts on Lian's behaviours. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at how expressive his face was.
"As I thought he's way too honest... ," he covered his mouth and mumbled inaudibly," ... like a kid."
Lian walked towards a machine and watched as the men and women played in an attempt to distract himself.
What's wrong with me? Why am I so angry that Ding was being touchy with that lady?
He shook his head dismissing these thoughts and turned his full attention to the game. Surveying the gathered players, he could see a mix of excited and tense expressions on their faces. The constant hum of conversation; clinking of chips and glasses was vibrant all around him.
"Yes! I got it!"
Shouts of joy and frustration from winners and losers rang across the air and Lian who was not familiar with the games, or rather anything in the entire place, walked away to find something he was at least familiar with. The upbeat background music grew louder as he made his way to the front. A mix of cigarette smoke and perfumes hit his nose and he coughed and gagged at the improper mixture of the two smells.
This smell is disgusting! And it's so damn strong, I feel like puking!
After making his way to the front, he saw the lady from before seated between two bulky men, her hands working their way on his body as she did her job entertaining the man. As he was watching her, a waiter walked close to him and pat him on the shoulder. He let out a silent scream and jumped back surprised.
"Sir?"
"S-sorry... you surprised me."
"Apologies but you are..."
"Our esteemed customers, the auction will start soon. If you find anything to your liking or taste, don't let it go to someone else. Claim it as YOURS!"
Curious murmurs began arising among the customers, some agreeing to this and others resuming what it was they were doing and the auctioneer began describing the items that would be on display. He also stated that the item's value was strictly assessed so as not to lower their worth and that the interested participants should register to bid.
"I heard that tonight's goods are priceless."
"Really?"
"Well that's to be expected, the goods sold here are worth the price."
Lian curious about what was happening decided to just watch from the sidelines.The crowd pushed past him as they headed to sign up for the auction. As he was scanning the area, a waiter walked next to him and he took a glass from his tray. He took a sip from the red liquid and smirked.
"Mmh... not bad."
"Are you new here?"
He turned around and saw a man who was in his early twenties next to him.
Whoa! When did he get here?
"Are you alone?" he asked and Lian took another sip from his glass before turning to the young man.
"Yes."
"Then.. would you like to join me?"