VESPER Ch. 02

The van stopped somewhere in the suburbs, pulled into the driveway of a gigantic mansion. Peering out the window, Vesper couldn't see another house for miles. Just damp fields getting muddy in the rain. The goons dragged her through a side door into what looked like an empty parking garage.

The two girls from the car were waiting there, arms crossed over their chests, looking bored.

The goons left Vesper in the room and stomped out. The door closed with a decisive slam. Vesper stared at the girls.

"Hey," she said. "The name's Vesper. Nice ribbons."

They ignored her. One of them was holding a pair of scissors. She walked up to Vesper and starting cutting off her undershirt.

"Hey, fuck off!" Vesper snapped, kneeing her in the chest. The girl stumbled back and glared at her.

"I'll call in the boys if you do that again," she said.

"Finally, someone goddamn talks to me," said Vesper. "What's going on?"

"We are making you presentable so you can go into the main house. Mr Blight is very particular about what goes on in his house."

"I guess I am a little messy," said Vesper. "Fine. But just take off the fucking handcuffs and let me deal with my own underwear. No need to cut it up."

The girl shrugged. "Okay," she said, walking up behind her and removing the cuffs. Vesper spent a second running things over in her mind. These ladies were clearly not fighters. She could overpower them in seconds. Back through the door. Then what? Fight off two massive brutes unarmed? Run down the road in her underwear for ten miles? Nothing came to mind. Better to just go with it for now.

She obligingly removed her underwear. The girls led her out of the garage and into an adjacent bathroom. It was the most luxurious bathroom Vesper had ever seen, and she was pretty sure it was bigger than her entire apartment.

"Are you going to tell me your names?" she asked as they fiddled around in the cupboards.

"I am Nicole One," said the first girl, "and this is Nicole Seven."

"There are seven Nicoles here?"

"We are all named Nicole."

Vesper raised her eyebrows. "Does Blight only hire Nicoles? Is that some kind of policy or something?"

"That is the name he gives us," said Nicole One. "Easier to remember. Here, dry yourself off."

Vesper accepted the silk towel and rubbed herself down. The towel was warm, like it had just come out of the dryer. It felt great.

"Now stand still," said Nicole One, and starting rubbing Vesper down with some kind of scented perfume. Nicole Seven attacked her hair with a brush and a blow dryer. When that was done she produced another pink ribbon and tied it into Vesper's hair. Nicole One started dabbing makeup on her face.

"There," she said at last, stepping back and admiring her work. "Just one more thing."

She reached under the counter and produced another dog collar.

"Um," said Vesper. "I'm not wearing that."

Nicole One rolled her eyes. "Please don't make this difficult."

"Okay. But I'm not wearing that."

"You're going to wear it."

"Make me."

"I'll call the boys in. I swear. I will call them in right now."

"Okay, fine, I get it," said Vesper. "Follow the fucking dress code. At least get me a dress or something."

Nicole One put the collar on her neck and tightened it. "No dress."

"Some fucking pants then."

"You're ready. Let's go."

"I'm naked!"

Nicole One grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door. "Okay, come on," she said. "I'm starting to regret letting you take the handcuffs off."

Vesper gave in and followed her down a carpeted hallway, through a parlour decorated with paintings of fruit, and into a sprawling ballroom with a grand piano and a massive stone fireplace. John Blight was in an armchair near the fire, drinking something out of a china saucer. A naked girl stood on either side of him. Vesper rolled her eyes.

"Ah, what a pleasure," said Blight. "You mentioned coffee?"

He snapped his fingers. One of the girls poured another cup and brought it to Vesper. She took a sip. It tasted expensive.

"Right," said Vesper. "So question one, when do I get to put on some fucking clothes? Question two, was your first girlfriend named Nicole or something? Question three, I am damn serious about those clothes. Get them on me right now."

Blight smiled. "Charming as ever, Vesper," he said. "Shall we talk business?"

"It's Miss Carter, please," said Vesper.

"If I came to your house," said Blight, "you might have certain expectations - that I take my shoes off at the door, for example, so as not to track mud on your fine carpet. I simply have my own standards, and while you are in my house, you will follow them. Understood?"

"I'm not exactly a voluntary guest," said Vesper. "You kidnapped me. You bastard."

Blight shook his head. "You try my patience," he said. "Whenever you're finished ranting, maybe we can get to the matter at hand. Go ahead and sit down."

Vesper looked around for a chair. There were none. "Good joke."

"As you wish. Now, about the murder last night."

"What about it?"

"An act like that has repercussions," said Blight. "They will be felt by Mr Adam Carter's friends and enemies alike. Most groups have not had time to react. I like to be a little ahead of everyone, as you know, which is why I arranged this meeting. So here's the situation. When you killed Adam Carter, you started a war. You and I are both a part of this war, whether we like it or not. Every party will be looking out for their own interests. What is important to me is that your interests are aligned with my own."

"Hard to say," said Vesper. "I don't feel very good about you right now."

"A fair reaction," said Blight. "But consider this. Your father, and the group he represents, are not directly involved in this conflict. But they have felt the sting of Adam's death. They want revenge against his killer. They would be delighted were I to turn you over to them, right now. If I discovered that our interests were not aligned, to turn you over would likely be my first response. You follow?"

"You're threatening me."

"Exactly. This is a threat. I threat, I hope, that will soon blossom into a beautiful friendship."

"So what happens in the long run?"

"You work for me. You are obviously a capable and intelligent operative. Hong is incompetent and uninteresting. The choice is obvious."

"Will I have to change my name to Nicole?"

He laughed. "That's just my little joke," he said. "You will not be working in that capacity. Here is what I propose. You rendezvous with Hong, as you have likely planned. You keep a low profile for the time being. You observe as alliances are formed and enemies are made among the factions. Once battle lines are drawn, you will spring into action."

"Action?"

"As an assassin. I will communicate with you directly. You will receive the benefit of my protection, and, of course, significant financial remuneration. What do you say?"

Vesper shrugged.

"Not much of a choice," she said. "I accept. Can I have some clothes now?"

"When do you rendezvous with Hong?" said Blight.

"Tonight. Seven. Sharp."

"You will be there. Do not tell him we spoke. Remember, just because you are out of my hands does not mean you are out of my sight."

Hong opened the door the instant he heard the knock.

"You're late," he informed Vesper. Then he did a double take. "Where were you hiding, the Playboy Mansion?"

"Fuck off," said Vesper, stepping into the apartment. "Just get me some clothes."

"Fine," he said. "Get in here. Get Colleen. She's about your size, right?"

"Colleen!" Vesper hollered. "I need a goddamn T-shirt!"

Colleen stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes. "Vesper," she said. "Wait, why are you naked?"

"Nice ribbon," said Hong. "Spent the day on the town or something? You were supposed to keep a low profile, Vesper."

"Yeah, well, things got complicated. Get out of my way."

Ten minutes later she was sitting on Hong's mouldy couch in a pair of sweatpants and one of Colleen's baggy sweaters, sipping lukewarm tea from a chipped porcelain cup.

"Adam's in the news already," said Hong, switching on the TV. "The factions are gearing up. This is a big deal, Vesper. You did good."

"Thanks," said Vesper. "It felt good."

"You don't sound happy about it."

"I dunno," said Vesper. "It wasn't quite like I expected. But that's not important. We have to talk about what happened next."

"We have to talk about why you showed up at the door start naked with a ribbon in your hair," said Hong. "What the hell was that?"

"I just forgot about the ribbon," said Vesper. "That's not important either. I'll tell you about it later, if I have to."

"Did anyone find you?"

"No, it was all low key."

"Being naked was low -"

"Will you shut up about the nudity already!" Vesper almost spat out her tea. "Have the Skulls put out a warrant for my head yet?"

"Nobody knows it was you," said Hong. "Who saw you do it?"

"Basically everyone at the party," said Vesper.

"But who recognized you?"

"Mark. Madeleine. Probably Rick."

"And they haven't told anybody. For the time being, that's good. Keeps you out of the hot water. We can plan around that."

"Yeah, about that."

Somebody rang the doorbell. Vesper stiffened.

"Colleen, see who that is," said Hong quietly.

A moment later Colleen came back with a lanky young man in a baseball cap.

"Calvin," said Hong. "What is it?"

Calvin shook his head. "Just thought you should know, man," he said. "Kim didn't get home last night."

Hong wrinkled his forehead. "What? Where was she?"

"Carter's party."

"Fuck."

Hong jumped to his feet. "Goddammit, Calvin, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Just found out now," said Calvin. "Thought I should tell you in person."

"Yeah, okay. Vesper, you need to check on this."

"Check on what? Your little sister?" said Vesper. "I'm not a babysitter."

"Fuck you, Vesper, this is important! Somebody probably thought she was involved with me! Mark knows she's my fucking sister!"

"So what? She's got nothing to do with this."

"Mark doesn't know that! You've got to look for her, Vesper."

"I have to keep a low profile. Send someone else."

"There's no one else I trust enough!"

"Well, I'm not doing it. It's too dangerous."

Hong punched the wall. Colleen touched his arm.

"Calm down," she said. "I'm sure Kim is fine. Maybe she was just shaken up by the murder and left town."

Hong took a deep breath and stared at the floor.

"I'll call her phone," he said. "Maybe she'll answer her phone."

When she heard the phone, Madeleine was kneeling naked on the floor, her face buried in Mark's crotch, stroking his cock with her tongue. It all felt the same as the first time she'd done it, two years ago, right after they'd been introduced.

Adam had gone out for some reason she couldn't remember, and the two of them had been left alone together. She'd never met a man as powerful as Mark before. He was richer than God, and probably owned more companies, too. He'd taken a liking to her right away. She couldn't remember quite how it had started, but before an hour had passed she was stripped out of her clothes and getting down in front of him.

His cock had tasted of piss and sweat. She licked the shaft with the tip of her tongue, buried her face in his scrotum and kissed his balls, until he finally grabbed the back of her head and pushed the tip right down the back of her throat. Her nose was buried in his mess of pubic hair. It felt like forever, staring up at his ecstatic face, waiting for the salty globs of semen to drop down her throat, for him to pull out so she could breathe.

After that it happened regularly. Even now that Adam was dead, it just felt natural.

"What's that goddamn ringing?" Mark grunted, taking his hand out of her hair. She kept sucking. He stood up awkwardly, holding his pants with one hand and feeling around on the coffee table.

"Hey," he said, "it's that bitch's purse. Must be her phone. Hey, stop it for a second. I want to get this."

He sat down on the couch. She released his penis and settled back on her haunches.

"Yeah, this is Mark Carter," he said, stroking her cheek. "Who the fuck are you? Oh yeah! Oh yeah. Well, listen up, chum. You want your sister back? I'll cut you a fucking deal. You give me my daughter. Yeah, that's right. I want her trussed up like a turkey on my doorstep. I'm going to make her wish she was never born. Yeah, you go ahead and threaten me, kiddo! I've been playing the game since you were learning to shit in diapers. I want that little bitch trussed up on my doorstep tomorrow, you got it? Or things are going to get real nasty with your little sister over here. Yeah, I love you too."

He tossed the phone on the table and grinned.

"Now we're getting somewhere," he said. "Go on, let's get back in business. What do you think you're doing?"