Broker -CH11-

Alex wandered into the large banquet hall with attached private rooms.

It was perfect for the ball they were hosting for him. This time around they’d invited a number of other bachelors to draw in more women.

After all, if you were already interviewing for one man, why not several?

Alex had no doubt he was the top selling ticket here, but who knew, maybe someone would show up who he didn’t expect.

On top of that, tonight was a new set of women to go on their first interviews. That and the three who made it to their second interview.

They’d even managed to make this a masquerade ball as well. It was a last minute change that Walter had come up with. They’d been doing an audit on the local warehouses they owned and discovered several crates full of unused masks.

Something to be said for being anonymous.

Remind me to thank Walter for this idea. I might be able to get more information from the new girls before they interview with me.

I wonder if I could talk to Eugenia, Holly, or Anna with this on? Keep myself unknown?

Ha, doubt it.

He and Carla were dressed much like everyone else. Carla’s weapon had been dolled up to look more akin to a can.

At a glance, one would never think it was a steel shod club.

Carla pulled at the tunic she was wearing, more than likely frowning beneath her frog mask.

“Little tight,” she said.

“That’s what you get for being decently filled out. You’re the one that wanted to wear a men’s tunic, remember?” Alex said, leaning up against the table next to her.

Men and women were moving around, talking, chatting, flirting.

Alex had no desire to do any of that right now, and was mostly concerned with watching everyone else.

“Shut your mouth, Master,” Carla muttered, pulling down on her tunic.

“What, can’t take a compliment?” Alex asked. He reached up to adjust his mask, a badger, and sighed. “Is it almost time yet? This is pointless.”

“Eh… five minutes more I think. Want to go in early?” Carla asked, her head turning towards a large clock set on the back wall of the hall.

“Could we?”

“Why the hell not? They’ll know who you are after the interview anyways. It’s not like you’ll be secret after that.

“Besides, the first three are the second pass interviews.”

“That’s… a good point. Alright, yeah. Grab whatever you want from the table and let’s go.”

“I don’t want anything from here,” Carla said, annoyance in her voice.

I wonder what she’s mad about.

“Problem?” he asked, turning towards the meeting room he’d been assigned.

“Huh? Oh… uh… I’m not… well- the food we eat is really… fatty.”

And she’s not working out in the same she used to. Heh. She’s worried about putting on weight?

“I see. Well, I know there’s a training room in the mansion if that’d help,” Alex said, making sure to make no mention about gaining weight.

“Haven’t had any days off yet. No time. But I will as soon as my day off gets here. I already planned out what I want to do.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I didn’t notice a change in you. I don’t even believe there is one. Same sleek and sexy Two that I met on the road,” Alex said, opening the door for her. “Dangerous, slightly evil, and just what I want.”

Her turned as she entered before him. Her eyes were visibly angry through the eyeholes in the mask.

“Kill you, Master. I’ve killed many more for much less.”

“I know you have. It’s why I hired you.”

The room was simple and given to a very common decoration. It was truly meant for meetings, and that was it.

Alex sat down in the chair positioned behind the desk. The only other chair was in front of it.

“Does the door lock?” Alex asked, pulling his satchel off his shoulder and setting it down. He leaned down and pulled out his fresh stack of interview sheets.

“It does,” Carla said from the door. “Gonna try to fuck one?”

“If I can. We’ll see.”

Setting the sheets up in an orderly pile, he pulled the top one over and started reading through it.

“Where in the world did you figure this shit out,” Carla said, staring over his shoulder. “Never seen the like.”

“Huh, this? It’s fairly normal for stuff like this.”

“What’s it say?” she asked, gesturing vaguely at the paper.

She can’t read. I might be able to broker that later.

“Just basic information. Like, this is her name. Eugenia,” Alex said, pointing to her name. “I could teach you sometime, if you like.”

“For a deal,” Carla said.

“For a deal. Though I think I could be generous on that one. You being able to read would be beneficial to me.”

The door opened, and a woman wearing a blue fox mask walked in. She closed the door behind her, peeling the mask off.

It was Eugenia of course. She gave him a smile and walked over to the table.

“Count Brit, it’s a pleasure to see you. I was surprised that you invited me back to another interview. I wasn’t sure you liked me.”

“I liked you just fine, Eugenia,” Alex said, not pulling his mask off. With her, mystery went further than knowing. “I think the bigger problem was you might not be willing to swear such an oath of secrecy.”

“I… I wasn’t. Not at first at least. I am now though. I think it’d be worth it,” she said.

“Oh? Alright. Let’s start with that then. You swear to keep my secrets safe, to not betray me to anyone, and to not reveal any of my private life you learn about me to anyone else. On pain of death and loss of your soul, on Leah’s name,” Alex said.

He’d checked his crystal this morning before coming. He’d gauged it as being about eighty percent full. Holly had counted for quite a bit.

For someone so tied up in figuring this out, this might count for a bit for Eugenia.

“I… yes. I do so swear, on Leah’s name,” Eugenia said after a deep breath. “Now what is it you want to keep secret?”

Laughing to himself, Alex realized why she came.

He was interesting, and a puzzle. The moment she had him figured out, she’d bail.

“Now where’s the fun in telling you? You’ll just have to marry me to find out. Suffice it to say, it’s nothing that would impact, or impair, my ability to be your husband, and care for you and yours.”

“Really? No budging on that one?” she asked, leaning forward over the desk and giving him a good view of her cleavage.

“I guess I could. But I think you’d have to crawl under my desk and show me how devoted you are to learning those secrets early. I’d hate to share my mysteries with a woman who wasn’t involved in learning them.”

Eugenia blinked at that, the request snapping through her brain like a lightning bolt.

“Did… you just tell me to… perform fellatio on you?” Eugenia asked, her voice going up an octave.

“I did. That’d be the price to learn my secrets at this juncture.”

“Fellatio?” Carla asked.

“I told her to blow me,” Alex said, turning to Carla.

“Huh? Oh. Oh. Huh. Never heard that word before.”

“I never…” Eugenia said, looking rather angered at the affront she apparently received.

“Your call. We can continue with the interview, or you can get to work,” Alex said. He’d wanted to know where she fell, and if she balked that hard now, he doubted he could use her later.

Her pride and stubborn nature might be too much

“Or I could leave,” she said as she stood up. “I will consider your words, and I’ll let you know if I would like to be considered for the final interview. Though I sincerely doubt it.”

“Alright, there’s the door,” Alex said, pointing. “Be sure to send in the next one.”

Eugenia walked through it without another word, putting her mask back into position as she went.

He wasn’t concerned. He’d already mostly decided on Holly. She seemed malleable to his desires.

Someone would have to really stand out in their first interview to win him over.

Looking to his master list, the next interviewee should actually be Holly. Which meant he could be done with this whole process in the next hour if she won him over.

The door opened and closed again, with a petite woman in a burgundy dress in a cat mask standing in front of the door.

“My lord,” said Holly from behind the mask.

“Hello Holly, thank you for coming. Please, come join me and have a seat,” Alex said. Pulling off his mask, he set it to one side, and gave her a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you.”

Holly paused in front of the desk, and then reached up and slowly pulled of her mask.

She was as uniquely different as he remembered. In fact, she might be growing on him, because he found her rather pretty today.

Adjusting her dress, she sat down gently in the chair and laid her mask down next to his.

“It’s good to see you again, Count Brit,” she said, her eyes coming up to meet his and remaining.

“Did you bring what I asked you for? Or at least, memorized it so we can discuss it?” he asked, pulling out a blank sheet of paper.

“Yes. Though I worry over why you wish to know this information. It’s my family’s business.”

“If I marry you, it’d be my business. Though I can swear you an easy oath with no return from you,” Alex said. He wanted her at ease to a degree.

“I promise to keep everything you tell me in regards to your family in this room in complete confidentiality. I also swear to not use the information to jeopardize, harm, or in any way, gain, or leverage it, against your family and it’s business. On Leah’s name.”

Though I make no promise not to use it against you, my dear Holly.

“Ah… thank you, Count Brit. I appreciate that. Then yes, I can share it.”

“From our last discussion, I gather there is some serious problems going on?”

Holly hesitated before she gave him a broken smile.

“Was I that desperate?”

“A little. But that’s ok. Let’s go with the easy route. What would you expect from me as your husband in regards to your family. Rather than telling me everything, let’s focus on the part that falls into my sphere on a venn diagram.”

“Who’s diagram?” she asked.

“Nevermind. Just… what would you want from me, if I was your husband?”

“That is… ah… financial assistance, would be a primary one.”

“Ok, that’s not unexpected considering you have no dowry. Could I ask the specifics?”

“My family invested in new technology for our fields,” Holly said, her hands in her lap. Her eyes left his and went on an adventure around the room. “The increase was significant, but the sale of the excess was not enough to cover the debt. The interest is slowly killing my father. We’re able to make payments now, but it is clear that eventually we will be unable to ever resolve the debt.

“We’re not paying it off faster than the interest is collecting.”

Alex nodded at that. He’d seen it before a number of time in smaller businesses that he’d taken over and acquired.

Over promised and under delivered on an investment.

“And what’s the current payable amount?” Alex said, scratching some quick notes down onto the paper.

“I don’t know… father won’t tell me.”

That’s not chump change, then.

“And the principal of the investment?”

“The what?”

“What was the original amount borrowed.”

“Eighty-thousand. I believe we paid off forty-thousand but we’re not making the payments in full anymore. Father defaulted and had to sign a new contract, and the interest went higher, but now there’s no minimum to pay.

“We’re falling behind further each time even now. We make the current payment, but it isn’t high enough to exceed the amount of interest.

“Each payment due is more than the last. I know that if we miss several more, the contract will change again.”

“Right. And the interest?”

“That… my father… ah…” Holly trailed off, her eyes locked to the table.

“Holly?”

“Thirty percent on the total owed. Is what father said.”

That’s hefty. Alright. If we wed her, we’ll need to make a massive outlay to drop it down to a reasonable amount. Something they can make payments on.

We’ll need the exacts afterward to make it work.

That’s going to wipe out a decent chunk of our reserve.

Suppose that’s better than having his highness dictate my marriage.

Price of freedom and all that.

“-y lord Alex. I know it’s excessive but I believe… no, I know, I’m worth it,” Holly said. He missed the first part of it, but guessing from what he did catch, it really didn’t matter.

“And how are you worth it?” Alex asked, looking up to her.

Should we push?

“I… I already… demonstrated what I’m willing to do for you. I’d be your loyal wife in all ways.

“But… but I won’t do anything further until you wed me. I believe I demonstrated my willingness already,” Holly said, meeting his gaze firmly with her own.

Huh. Alright. That’s good though. If she has a bit of spine, that’ll serve my purposes later.

“Anything else that you’d need from me for your family?”

“Ah, I think father would want to send my niece to learn from you. She is only a year younger than I. My oldest brother’s daughter. She would be in line for succession of our titles.”

“Agreeable. Anything else? Best tell me now, because if it isn’t in the contract, it won’t happen.”

“Uhm… no, nothing else for my family.”

“And for yourself? Anything?”

Holly shook her head.

“No, my lord Brit. No limits on me. I would be bartering myself for my family. Just… please don’t give me to anyone else.”

“That I can agree to, but I may have you service other women who I’m attempting to subvert to my own desires. I can promise it will not happen frequently, and would be willing to settle on a firm monthly number if it appeased you.”

“I think that’d be… acceptable, yes,” Holly said, giving him a small smile.

“Wonderful. That’s all I had, Holly. Please send in the next candidate.”

“Yes. Of course. Thank you, lord Brit,” Holly said, bowing her head and scooping up her mask.

Before the door could even close, behind Holly, Anna bounced in.

It was obvious it was her from the impressive display of flesh, and her expensive looking dress.

She was wearing an Owl mask, which she promptly pulled off and skipped over to him. Her face wore a warm and wide smile as she came bouncing over to him.

“Husband!” she gushed, leaning over and planting a kiss on his lips. “It’s so good to see you. Do you think we’ll be done with all of this after this?”

She promptly sat down at the desk, then looked to Carla and waved a small finely manicured hand at her.

“Hello! Did he fill you up again? Did he at least clean you up this time?”

“Ah… kind of,” Carla said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Clearly unsure what to say to her.

“That’s good! I’ll make sure he takes better care of you once I’m your mistress,” Anna said, nodding her head. Then she turned back to Alex again and unleashed that blazing smile on him.

“Hello Anna,” Alex said, unable to keep himself from smiling back at her. “How are you?”

“I’m good! Thank you for asking. I’m excited to be married. Mother said it was the best thing in her life.

“Daddy said he was glad you accepted me, though was confused that I didn’t have a contract yet. He thinks I misunderstood, but I think he just doesn’t understand our connection.”

“To be fair Anna, I haven’t said I’d marry you,” Alex said amicably. She was hard to be mean to, but he didn’t want to mislead her.

Which was a new feeling for him.

“I know, but it’s only a matter of time. You need someone to talk to if only to talk your thoughts out. I’m a great listener,” Anna said, folding her hands in front of herself.

“And if I told you I had one of the other interviewee’s eat Two out,” Alex said indicating Carla. “Just to get to the next stage of the interview?”

Carla ignored him, her face was looking towards the door.

“Which means shes one of your conquests, and not your wife. There’s nothing to conquer with me, because I’ll give it all to you because I want to. I’ll be your wife.

“Though I must say, your obsession with deals, especially with Leah, does make me wonder. Especially with the way you word them.

“Daddy does something similar when he’s trying to get the best deal from clients, and changes his personality accordingly. It’s almost as if you were-”

“Anna!” Alex hissed. He’d been holding up his hands this entire time, trying in vain to shush Anna.

Glancing up, he found the Carla was still focused on the door.

“Yes, husband?” Anna asked, smiling at him. Her eyes were innocent, her demeanor unchanged.

“I think perhaps talking about my secrets might be a betrayal of my trust, no?”

“But it’s only you and me silly. Unless she doesn’t know everything?” Anna asked glancing at Carla.

“She does not.”

Saw right fucking through me.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have someone to confide in. To-

A screech from the main hall cut through his thoughts. It was a shriek of pain, really.

Then it was followed by shouts and screams.

Putting on his mask, Alex stood up from his seat.

“Put your mask on Anna, quick.”

Anna got her mask on and stood up, immediately moving behind him.

Carla was already at the door, peeking through a gap.

“Armed men with masks over their heads. They… I don’t know what they’re doing, but they’re rounding everyone up. If I were on that crew, it’d be rob, rape, kidnap, ransom, and murder. In that order.

“We should escape, or move into the group of others. We really shouldn’t be identified if we can avoid it,” Carla said, looking back to him for direction.

Alex shook his head.

No, this wasn’t a normal bandit group. Attacking a hall like this, in the city, means that people got bribed.

Someone paid for this.

Carla’s right though. Need to escape or get into the group, an be anonymous.

“Husband, I think it’d be best to go stay with the group. We can pretend to be a merchant husband and wife. They’ll believe me,” Anna said, grabbing his arm and smashing her breasts into it. “Everyone always does.”

“Seems like a decent plan,” Alex said, not really having a better idea.

Escaping wasn’t going to happen. He imagined the exits were all guarded. More so to the point that if the guard wasn’t coming, they might actually be helping route traffic.

The lengths coin travels.

Lets hope Rudolph saw this go down and is already arranging a rescue.

Rather than dead in an alley.