Business with a Vampire II

Cire slowly stepped out of the marble bathroom of his luxury suite surrounded by a cloud of steam, slowly toweling his damp hair. His emerald eyes flickered up as Soren approached him, scowling at the interruption. He had just arrived to Paris and he was hoping for at least this one quiet first night.

"Please excuse the intrusion" Soren nodded as he strided up to stand in front of Cire. "It seems you've been left a gift. Someone wants a meeting with you. I've read the note and it traces to a certain vampire woman. The one Amanita encountered before."
"Gift?" Cire asked, as he continued to towel his hair while wondering what this was all about.
Soren tilted his head toward the doorway of Cire's suite and barked "bring him."

Two guards carried in a naked young man, his eyes blindfolded, his mouth gagged and his arms tied in front of him. He wore a collar around his neck with a dangling ribbon. He trembled as the guards gently set him down and stood on either side of him, each one firmly holding one of his shoulders in their hands. Soren held the paper out to Cire that had previously been attached to the boy via the ribbon.
"He's been searched. We found nothing. There was..." Soren paused and turned his head towards the door of Cire's suite while frowning. "Another. He's being held outside for security reasons."
"I see," Cire said, instantly forgetting about his hair and dropping the towel to the floor while concentrating on the paper as he took it from Soren's hands. Before reading it he glanced at the boy in front of him. Dropping the message on the floor, he suddenly grabbed the boy's chin in his hand.
As he pulled off his gag and blindfold, he slid his hand down the boy's chin to his throat.
"Who do you work for?" he hissed, easily estalishing a choke hold on the boy's throat with his long fingers.

The boy looked up at Cire with a look of puzzled excitement which quickly faded to a submissive acceptance.
"I... I work for Madam Lisette Beaumanoir, I am a bartender, but I am here as a gift, to warm your stay in our beautiful city... my master." he finished in eloquent French, averting his eyes downwards and stealing a quick look at Cire's naked form before staring at the floor.
"Master?" Cire asked in an amused tone.
"Yes master, I am yours for your stay in Paris. Madam Beaumanoir wishes to pay her respects." the boy spoke, averting his eyes.
Cire's hand lashed out, his knuckles lashing across the boys face with a loud slap.
"Look at me when I speak to you boy, who else is here?" Cire hissed at him with contempt.
"Y-y-yes Master, the one with me is my master also, Master Rainier, we are here for your pleasure." he sputtered, his eyes meeting Cire's obediently.

Pushing the boy up against the wall by his neck Cire turned to Soren. "Bring the other one in... carefully" he spoke, motioning Soren away as he turned his attention back to the boy.
Slowly Cire ran his free hand across the boys body, across his slender chest and thighs, regarding him like a piece of meat before taking the boys nipple between his fingers and squeezing it hard, causing the boy to cry out in a mix of pleasure and pain.
Cire stuck his finger into the boys mouth, turning his jaw up roughly to get a better look at the long fangs protuding from his top lip, he ran his thumb over them, feeling their length and sharpness.
"Hmm, vampires, intriguing." he pondered to himself, more than aware that the boy must have possessed a strength which could get him out of this situation if he so desired.

Soren re-entered the room then with the other gift, a tall muscular man with broad shoulders, naked from the waist up and covered in intricate tattoos. His skin was oiled and smooth and his tight leather pants were studded with metal and zippers, capped off with heavy black boots.
Soren held the man's hands behind his back, stopping him just inside the door way and bringing his heel down hard on the man's thigh, causing him to grunt as he fell to his knees in front of Cire.
Cire smiled, regarding the man cautiously as he pushed the boy away violently, the gift sputtering as he fell into the corner and watched them from the corner of his eye.

"Master Rainier I presume?" Cire spat contemptuously at the man as Soren took hold of his head and wrenched it back, pulling his face up and exposing his neck to Cire.
"I am he." Rainier replied calmly, unwilling to meet the elf's eyes.
"The boy tells me you are a gift to me from a vampire woman, you are a vampire too I assume?" Cire spoke down to the man, regarding him quizzically.
"I am, and we are Monsieur. Madam Beaumanoir offers us as entertainment for your stay in her city. She was unsure what your preference would be, so we are here for whatever your desires may be, I trust my slave is to your liking?" Rainier asked.

Cire lashed out again, his fist roughly backhanding the kneeling vampire, Rainier reeled in obvious displeasure, his fangs flashing quickly before he regained his composure and submitted again to Soren's grasp.
"Do not think to tell me what is to my liking vampire. I will decide what pleases me." Cire grinned before digging his heel into the vampire's shoulder, pushing him back towards the door.
"You may take this one away for now." he nodded to Soren.
"Wait Monsieur, there is more, the bag, it is for you too, use it as you please." Rainier added as Soren dragged him to his feet by his throat.
Cire looked at Soren expectantly.
"It is safe, it is full of... toys." Soren explained, picking up the large case from outside and presenting it to Cire. He smiled wryly.
"Very well, leave me for now. I have some presents to unwrap." Cire chucked, dismissing Soren and the subdued vampire.

As soon as the door closed, Cire slowly padded across the room to his bed, setting the case down. Smiling to himself, he slowly opened the case, already knowing what would be inside. He pulled out a pair of wrist restraints and slowly trailed his fingers over the hard leather and buckles.
Dropping the restraints, his smile faded. Gifts like these did not come without a high price attached, he knew that better than anybody. Sighing, he wondered what it was that this Madame Beaumanoir was after. In his main business base of Hong Kong he had a few minor business dealings with vampires, mainly providing protection to their clubs. While he had many business dealings in France, he generally kept quite a low profile here compared to Hong Kong, where everyone knew him and either respected him or feared him as the leader of one of the strongest Triad groups. He was at a loss to explain what interest a French vampire would have in him.
He glanced back at the case and smirked at it. Specially one who seemed to know his particular tastes. This just made it all the more tantilizing to him.

He walked over to his wardrobe and selected a business suit from the dozen or so that hung there. He took his time to dress as he usually did, making sure everything was fitted just perfectly so. He picked out his favorite tie and slowly looped and tightened the silk around his neck. Checking in the mirror one last time to make certain everything looked perfect, he headed out the door into the lounge room of his suite.

Across the room, the two gifts were seated next to one another on one of the sitting couches, surrounded by a half dozen of his men and Soren, who stood behind Rainier and held him tightly by the neck, scowling down at him. Soren clearly found him to still be a potential threat, which Cire carefully noted.
"You. Slave boy. Leave us now." Cire growled.
The boy quickly stole a glance at Rainier who made an imperceptible nod back at him before he stood and quickly strode to the door, half expecting to be pulled back at the last minute and more than disapointed when he was not.
As the boy let himself out of the room, Cire strode across the room to stand directly in from of Rainier, whose gaze was locked on the floor.

"Your mistress, what business would she have of me?" Cire glared at him.
Rainier averted his eyes from the floor upwards. Although he had been told to submit to this one and please him at all costs, he found he couldn't help his instincts kicking in and he locked a commanding and defiant gaze with Cire.
Thinking back to the wrist restraints, this sent a delicious shiver down Cire's spine. This one was dangerous, yes, but not in the way Soren had assessed.
"She requires your... assistance." Rainier simply said without breaking his gaze, quite intrigued by the curious look in the elf's eyes.
Noting the unspoken exchange, Soren tightened his grip on Rainier's neck and pulled his head violently backward.
"Soren. Enough." Cire said softly.
Soren gently loosened his grip on Rainier's neck, still scowling down at him.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket and holding it out to him, he stared at Rainier with an emotionless expression on his face.
"Call your mistress." Cire demanded.
Rainier took the phone and dialed a number. After announcing who he was, he said "I am with Cire." Cire took the phone from him. Without waiting for a response, he said "10 Place De La Concorde. The bar in the lobby. 30 minutes." Then dropped the connection.
"You may go." he said to Rainier, both men locking eyes again. Rainier stood up to leave, finding himself hoping that he would get the challenge of dominating this one.
"Let's go" Cire barked at his underlings, before turning to Soren.
"Get me everything you can on this Madame Beaumanoir in the next 15 minutes." Cire said, before dialing the lobby and requesting a car and driver.

When Cire got to the bar the vampire was already there, he had only just entered but he could pick her out immediately, a solitary woman with long black and blue hair sat on her own on a couch by the fireplace sipping at a tall glass of red wine. She wore an elegant blue dress that split high at her thigh, her long legs clad in black stockings and clearly showing as she sat with one leg crossing the other, silently facing the door.

Cire nodded to her with a grin as he entered and she raised her glass in return, beckoning him over with a pleased grin of her own. His eyes scanned the bar before moving towards her, the gifts he had sent away minutes ago sitting at the back of the bar, now fully clothed, but carefully watching their mistress while she paid them no attention. The other patrons did not seem interested at all, sitting on their stools or talking amongst themselves, nothing seemed out of place.



Soren strode in first, taking a seat at an armchair beside the woman, nodding silently as he got settled. Cire followed him, positioning himself on the couch directly opposite Madame Beaumanoir and taking time to straighten his cuffs before he spoke.

"Madame Beaumanoir I presume? I hear we have some kind of business to discuss?" he spoke in cold eloquent French.

The vampire smiled, putting down her wine before responding in a soft breathy voice.

"Please Cire, you may call me Lisette, we are all friends here, your men at the bar have certainly been checking me out for long enough that everyone should be familiar." She grinned with a subtle nod towards a well dressed man who blushed visibly and turned quickly back to his newspaper.



Cire let a small smirk play across his features, raising his hand with a little wave as the bartender quickly brought over a tray, placing a neat whiskey on the table in front of him before scurrying away.

"Your place?" Lisette asked, already knowing the answer.

"One of a few I own in Paris." Cire nodded, taking a small sip from his glass before returning it to the table. A sly smile played across Lisette's face and she stifled a chuckle. "I know where I have heard your voice, you were the man on the phone to the naughty little kitten, no?" she grinned, raising her eyebrow slightly.

Cire smiled despite himself. "Yes, you were entertaining my Amanita recently weren't you? I was the one on the phone, very perceptive."



Lisette nodded in appreciation. "I trust you enjoyed my little gifts, you made quite the impression on Rainier in fact." She chuckled.

"Very gracious of you Madame, did Amanita fill you in on my tastes?" he asked carefully.

"Not at all, simply a good guess I assure you." Lisette smiled before continuing.

"They are yours for as long as you stay in Paris, there was no deception there, regardless of how this meeting turns out they are yours to do as you wish." She finished, running her finger slowly around the rim of her wine glass.

Cire smiled, darting his eyes towards the two men for a brief moment and allowing himself a moment to ponder the possibilities.



"Let us get to business then. Why exactly are we here?" Cire interjected briskly.

"Of course, as you may have guessed, I have a proposition for you. Something which requires your unique position and something I believe which will benefit us both greatly." Lisette responded.

"Go on." Cire replied sharply, sipping from his drink as he watched her.

"As you no doubt have found out by now, I run a nightclub here in Paris called Maison des Nocturne. A vampire club if you will, I suspect you are familiar with the concept." She continued.

Cire nodded.

"What you may not know is that I also own many clubs and hotels across Europe under various less direct ties, including a building I have most recently acquired in the very heart of Hong Kong." She sipped at her wine, letting that sink in for a moment.
Cire shot a quick look at Soren who apologised silently for not having found this in the 15 minutes he had been given before the meeting.

"What I would like to do is expand my little venture into new territory... but I want to reconsider my model, cater more fully to the unique needs of the vampire clientele." She added quietly.



"And where do I come in to this?" Cire asked impatiently.

"I am getting to it, don't you worry your cute little ears." Lisette chuckled, placing her glass down and leaning forward to speak.

"You are involved in the hotel business in Hong Kong of course, but I know of your other less publicised interests in host clubs and what some would consider prostitution. I am looking to turn my club into a more full service endeavour, the new sister club in Hong Kong would be a 5 star hotel for vampires, the first of its kind, safe, anonymous accommodation, willing donors and total privacy." She explained.

Cire grinned. "And what would you need from me?" he asked.

"Of course the most important part of this club would be its secrecy and its services. I would provide experienced staff to ensure it functions both as a high profit human establishment as well as a VIP spa for rich and influential vampires. What I need from you are the connections to keep it that way, you have the knowledge and set up to put all this in place without a single question being asked." She explained carefully.



"And of course all this happens in my territory, far from your businesses so if it goes to hell none of it blows back on you, hmm?" Cire noted astutely.

Lisette chuckled. "Of course, I must test the waters for this venture before I put my established club at risk, but if all goes well, and I assure you with your assistance it will, we will be looking at an expanding network of pioneer establishments within the next few years." She added slyly.

"If I take an active role in this venture then I want a partner's share of the profits, my connections and my resources will be vital to the success of this project." Cire stated firmly.

"I accept that, and let me assure you the profits will be great, vampires do not get far without wealth, and you just know they'll flock to spread it around for this kind of luxury." Lisette chuckled, raising her glass to Cire to toast their understanding.



Cire studied her silently for a moment, and then raised his own glass to meet hers.

"Send the details over to the hotel and I will look at them before deciding, but I am certainly interested." He grinned, his glass clinking gently against hers.

"Oh, one more thing before you consider." Lisette added with a smile.

"Hmm?" Cire cocked his head.

"For the purposes of our venture, I wish to deal largely with your naughty little kitten... she intrigues me." Lisette smirked before continuing. "Of course we alone will be business partners, but consider her involvement a gift to me, one which I would gratefully reciprocate." She finished, nodding her head towards Rainier and his slave to clarify her offer, a gesture which made Soren fidget in discomfort.


Cire smirked and knocked his drink back, wishing he had asked for ice so he could crunch on something. So this was what this little business was all about. He quickly mulled several thoughts over in his head at once before deciding on a game plan. He was amused and pleased that this one would go to such lengths for his Amanita.
He smiled and stood up and slowly crossed the gap between the two of them before sitting down on the sofa next to Lisette. Putting his arm gently around her waist as the two sat side by side, he tilted his head and whispered directly into her ear, almost nuzzling it.

"But she is not in a position to deal with such business, as her strengths and training lie elsewhere."
Lisette turned to him, about to say something.
Before she could say anything, Cire held up a finger in front of her mouth and narrowed his eyes while tilting his head in the direction of Rainier.
"Would you trust him with such business? I think not. You will deal directly with me or we will not deal at all, ma cherie."
As Lisette and Cire exchanged looks, Cire smiled a deep and sincere smile. He held a hotel key card out in front of her.

As she reached to grasp it he held on to it for a minute.
"She is very precious to me, our Amanita. I think of her as a sister to me. So I know she'll be in good care in your hands."


"Oh, I will take very good care of her Monsieur." Liz replied with a little smirk creasing the corners of her lips.
Cire nodded and looked at Soren which was all the indication the man needed to rise to his feet and prepare to leave.
"I trust we will speak in the morning about the proposal then?" Liz added as she took the key from him and wrapped it tightly in her fingers, watching the elf get up and a line of men finish their drinks and mass around him to follow him out.
"Of course Mademoiselle Beaumanoir, until tomorrow." he nodded with a little chuckle.
"Bonne nuit, Monsieur Cire." she smiled, and without a second glance, they were both gone.