by J M Guillen
“You just described every guy in here,” Schoolgirl interjected.
“Maybe you should forget him,” Tatiana suggested again.
“I still have to save the free world.” I put my hand on her waist. “Tell you what. Let me get settled in and do a bunch of sexy secret agent stuff. Afterward, I’ll give you some attention.”
“That seems fair.” Tatiana smiled. “But remember, we’re supposed to give you the attention.” She bit her lip playfully.
“That sounds nice. For now, can you bring me some bourbon?”
“I can.” She nodded, her lips quirking into a smile. “But don’t think you’re getting off the hook so easily, Dr. Moneycock.”
“Understood.” I gave her one last smile.
On the center stage, a young woman undulated beneath lights that flashed blue and purple in strobing array. The shorts she wore had once been blue jeans but had been cut so high she might as well not wear them at all. A tied off flannel shirt scarcely covered her chest, completing the look of young country girl gone wrong.
Over the speakers, “Friends in Low Places” blared, which she mouthed along to in perfect timing as she swung her hips. The chorus began, and the men at the stage sang with her, shouting the last word.
“I’m not big on social graces—
Think I’ll slip on down to the O-O-A-SIS!”
In front of the stage, a college kid stood, agape. He held a cluster of bills loosely in his left hand.
Even over the music, I heard the dancer say, “Want me to show you where you can put those?”
Another group of young guys, drunk beyond all sense, hooted from a table behind him.
The poor guy didn’t even know what to say. He just nodded dumbly as the performer took his hand to show him where his money belonged.
Guthrie, seriously. I glanced around the room but didn’t see him. I made certain to include a bit of irritation in my link. We’ve got to get to work.
Wyatt Guthrie is currently unavailable, the Adjunct replied.
“Thirteen-fifty.” Rave-chick had slipped up beside me. She held not one but two tumblers of bourbon. She handed one to me, which I took.
“What?” I stared at her, taken aback by the price. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.” She gave me a winsome smile. “That’s how much two drinks cost.” Without another word she took a sip of the second one.
“I wasn’t aware I was buying one for each of us.”
“If you brought your A-game, I wouldn’t need a drink.” She gestured at my shirt. “Think of it as a companion tax.”
“Isn’t this whole place a companion tax?” I gestured around us but couldn’t help smiling just a bit. The girl had cheek.
I liked that.
“Where are we sitting?” She gestured around at the tables in front of us. “If we sit close, I’ll be able to tip the dancers for you.”
“I’m not here to tip the dancers; I told you I’m looking for my friend.”
“I’m not asking you to tip the dancers,” she retorted. “I’m pointing out you might like watching me do it.” She gave me a wicked little smile.
“I won’t be here long; I’m not opening a tab.” I handed her my card. “Why don’t you take this to the bar, so you can pay for these two drinks?”
“Take this to the bar,” she repeated as she took the card, her eyes holding mine. “Don’t open a tab. Go ahead and pay for four drinks.”
“Damn.” I couldn’t help but shake my head. “I bet you make a killing here.”
“I’ll be back.” She gave me a small little wave as she stepped away. “Why don’t you take a seat, right there?”
I did take a seat, craning my head and peering all around the club. Even though the time of day hadn’t crept much beyond breakfast, the little place hopped. I counted eight young ladies working the stages and the bar, yet even this didn’t seem to be enough for the two dozen or so men strewn around the floor.
Only a few of us were stalwart enough to drink liquor at this time of day, which seemed like a shame to me. Then again, not everyone had nanotechnology to scrub their bloodstream free of toxins.
“Where the hell are you, Guthrie?” I took a sip from my tumbler, enjoying the best watered-down bourbon the county had to offer.
I didn’t see the bear of a man anywhere.
Anya, are we certain about that latent signal?
Confirmed, Michael. She paused. I take it you have yet to encounter Asset 423?
I’m working diligently on the task. I turned toward the far wall, wondering if he might be in the men’s room. I’ll let you know if I need help.
Designate Ling has the capability to override his Crown settings, she reminded me. If you require, I will link the request.
Not yet. I popped the knuckles on my left hand. I’ll keep you apprised.
Understood.
I felt Anya’s presence slip from my Crown and considered her offer. Because I’d been sync’d with Designate Ling, I could also easily contact her. It wouldn’t be anything at all to request an override for Wyatt’s Crown.
Except… I didn’t really want to. He had turned on his privacy settings. If I could honor that, I would.
Facility Assets lived with a level of connectivity baseline humans couldn’t possibly comprehend. If the Designates wished, they could pull our sensory data from our Crowns without a moment’s notice. They had the ability to download the dialogues of our very thoughts, thankfully a rare necessity.
All of this meant Assets didn’t exactly possess a measure of true privacy. Protocols existed to ensure these initiatives didn’t take place, but this offered little comfort, especially to a paranoid man like Wyatt Guthrie.
“Okay.” Tatiana slipped up next to me and sat down. “Right after this set, Lilith will be dancing.”
“Lilith?” I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”
“Lilith.” She stared at me as if I might be crazy. “My friend. The one you met when you first came in?”
“Oh.” I smiled. “The schoolgirl.”
“I know.” She put a hand on my arm. “The other girls are absolutely forgettable compared to me.”
“Oh my God.” I chuckled. “No, it’s just that she didn’t tell me her name.”
“Anyway, she has the next set.” Tatiana leaned close so I could hear. “If you give me some bills, you can watch me tip her.”
“You said that before. But I’m telling you, I’m not here to tip or watch the dancers. I’m looking for my friend.”
“You don’t understand,” she explained. “It’s one thing when one of our gentlemen guests tips a dancer. There are rules. There are places you can and cannot touch.”
“Okay?” I didn’t follow her.
“Those rules don’t apply to me,” she said with a sunny smile. “And Lilith is my friend. I can touch her however—” she poked her finger into my chest. “—You. Want.”
“That sounds…” I let my words drift off as I gazed into Tatiana’s mischievous eyes. “…wonderful.”
She smirked. “It is wonderful, Archibald. I can promise you that.”
“I…” I shook my head. “I can’t. I’m here on business.”
“So you can’t have any fun?” She shook her head as if disappointed. “You strike me as the kind of guy who likes to have fun.”
“I told you, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance.” I stopped peering about the room and turned to her. “I do like having fun. Just now, however, I need to find my friend.”
“Well,” she replied holding one hand out, gesturing at the room, “where is he?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I mean, I know he’s here, in the building. But I don’t see him.”
“You think he’s in the men’s room?”
“I wondered that. Maybe I should step over there and wait for him to come out.”
“Unless you think he’s the kind of guy to spend time in the private room?” She tilted her head.
&nbs
p; “The private room?” I repeated, certainty settling into my bones. I had to admit that sounded an awful lot like a feature Guthrie might enjoy.
“It’s where we offer our platinum-tier services.”
“You mentioned that before,” I mused. “Back behind the far side of the bar?”
“The bouncer would have to let us in.” She gave me a sunny smile and arched her back just a bit. “I mean, if you were going to pay for a private experience.”
“What?” I shook my head. “Seriously, Tatiana, I appreciate what you’re offering—” I made a general gesture in her direction “—but I’m dead serious. I didn’t come here to enjoy myself.”
“I don’t even know why you’re talking to me then,” she teased. “I’m very enjoyable.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Taking another drink, I shook my head at her sheer gall.
“If my friend is in the private room, I need you to get him for me. It’s a little bit of an emergency.”
“So you said.” She took a sip of her bourbon. “Fate of the free world.”
“Right.” I pointed at her. “You’d be doing me a favor if you went back there to get him. I’d tip you for it.”
“Here’s the thing,” she said with a wry little quirk of her lips. “The ladies who work here are quite competitive. In your eyes, you leave me a tip and I do you a favor. However, whatever entertainer your friend is currently with will perceive me as someone distracting her current client.”
“And that causes problems?” I took another sip.
“Have you ever met a woman?” She chuckled earthily. “People around here hold grudges for a very long time. Let’s just say you’d have to give me one hell of a tip to step back into the private areas and interfere with someone else’s income.”
“How much are we talking?” I narrowed my eyes.
“That’s tough,” she admitted. “You might be asking me to have problems with a coworker for months, maybe years. People get catty about that kind of thing.”
“That definitely doesn’t sound as if you are angling for more money.” I gave her a wink.
“Only a little bit,” she admitted. “I do have a better idea.”
“I’d love to hear it.”
“Let’s step over there and talk to Stu.” She pointed at the bouncer standing at the doorway to the private rooms. “Tell him you want to take the prettiest girl here back into the privates.”
“I thought you said Lilith was going to be on stage?”
“Hey!” She gave me a punch in the shoulder.
“Oof.” I made a show of rubbing my arm.
“Take me into the back as if you have procured my services. Paying for that will be a lot cheaper than trying to bribe me into pissing off one of my coworkers.”
“Okay.”
“Once we’re back there, if you see your friend, you can be the one to interrupt his personal party.” She shrugged one smooth shoulder. “I won’t have anything to do with it.”
“That’s actually a brilliant idea f—”
“For a stripper? Please tell me that’s not where you were going.”
“No!” I held up both hands in mock fear. “I’ve been beaten enough.”
“Good.” She took the final sip of her drink and gave me a sweet smile. “Now let me go get that second pair of drinks you paid for, and then we’ll make our way into the back.”
“Seems reasonable.” I took the final sip of my own drink and shook my head ruefully.
On the stage in front of me, Lilith began her set. I sat attentively, thinking about all the things I had to say to one Mr. Wyatt Guthrie.
2
“That’s an even $150.00.” Stu stared at me with a firm, expectant expression.
“You kidding me?” I turned to gape at Tatiana. “For that much money you’d better be the best dancer in Nevada!”
“It’s not just for the dancing,” she informed me flirtatiously. “That’s the door fee for our platinum-level services.”
“Do you have, like, bronze-level services?” I raised one eyebrow. “Copper?”
“Other girls might.” She crossed her arms. “Pay the man, Archibald. Or you can sit out here and wait for your pal.”
“Fine.” I handed Stu my card, wondering how often the Facility paid for strippers. “But I expect platinum service from here on out.”
“You got it, big guy.” She wrapped herself around my arm, and Stu let us inside.
The back area easily took up as much room as the rest of the club, including the small casino in the foyer. Darkness and velvet curtains draped around us, and the place seemed positively labyrinthine with small, secluded booths.
“There’s one mainstage in the middle, but they won’t open that until this evening,” Tatiana informed me. “For now there’s just a lot of comfortable little nooks where our guests are treated to platinum services.”
“I’m not certain if I want to watch my friend receive platinum services.”
“What we’ll do is walk around.” Tatiana ignored me. “A lot of the girls don’t completely close the curtains, it makes them feel safer. That way they know when Stu walks through, he’ll notice if they’re in trouble.”
“Smart.” I nodded.
“Keep an eye out for your friend. If anybody stops us, we’re just headed to your favorite little booth.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed. “Let’s do this.”
I needed a moment to get accustomed to the soft light in the private room, but once I did, I found it quite soothing. The deep bass of a bluesy groove resounded through the room in a low, earthy beat. In more than one of the alcoves, I heard muttering, giggling, and other, more intimate noises.
“I just love peeping in on these people,” I muttered.
“You’re the one who doesn’t like fun,” Tatiana responded.
I had nothing to say to that.
“Let’s step back this way,” she whispered. “The inner row of alcoves is popular. Stu checks those every ten minutes or so.”
I nodded and followed her through the shadows.
We rounded a corner then took a few more steps. In one of the alcoves, I could just make out the large form of Wyatt Guthrie, sitting on one of the plush seats. On his lap, a young Asian woman giggled, writhing suggestively.
I felt fairly certain she wasn’t wearing a top.
“Oh God.” I froze for just a moment and then continued walking.
“You found your friend?”
“Yeah, but…” I shook my head. “I guess I didn’t exactly think through what he might be doing when I found him.”
“Our platinum-tier services are popular,” she teased.
“Apparently.”
“You’re going to have to do something here, Archibald,” she informed me. “I don’t think Stu would like it if we just walked around peeping.”
“Okay,” I said, coming to a conclusion. “Okay, let’s go in here.” As I spoke, I drew back the curtain of the alcove across from Wyatt.
“Good.” Tatiana tittered, giving me that sunny smile. “I hoped you might be up for some fun after all.”
“Just hold on.” My situation had become intolerable. It seemed as if no matter what I did, I’d have to invade Wyatt’s privacy.
That being the case, I had a preferred method.
Adjunct, activate my sync with Designate Ling.
Will comply, 108.
Just above and behind my left eye, I felt a subtle click, and a scarlet dataglyph pulsed briefly over my visual array.
The Designate flowed into my mind, like a mountain stream.
“If we’re going to be in here we need to make it look good.” Tatiana put her hand in the center of my chest, pushing me back into the seat. “I have a job to do.”
“You do not have a job to do!” I hissed. “Just hold on.”
108, do you require assistance? Designate Ling synced into my Crown, perceiving everything from my sensory nodes in real time.
Even as Tatiana began
to remove her shirt.
“Stop it.” I frowned at her. “I’ll only take a moment.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She winked.
Designate, I need to rendezvous with Asset 423, I linked, scrambling to send the entire thought before Tatiana began removing more clothing. He is indulging himself just outside Las Vegas and currently has his Crown communications blocked.
Understood. I felt the Designate’s confusion. Asset… what are you doing?
This question came as Tatiana snuggled her way onto my lap, wiggling impishly.
I had to pay to get inside this place, Designate. I made certain to convey world-weariness in my link. If you glance back through my mnemonic trace, you’ll see I’ve been attempting the rendezvous but found it impossible while Asset Guthrie’s lock is active.
I see. I didn’t know if it was my imagination that her link felt chillier than it had. You require an override for his Crown.
Please. I frowned at Tatiana and shook my head just a bit. Then I can move on.
“Look, Archibald.” She gave a frown in return, mocking me. “You’re either here to get your friend or not. If you’re not going to pick up your buddy, I have a job to do.” She jerked her chin at the corner of the room. “There are cameras. Management is real picky over what people get to do back here.”
“Give me just a minute,” I hissed.
“Fine. You take your minute, and I’ll cover for you.” Slowly, sinuously, Tatiana began to dance on my lap.
Override approved. The Designate felt distant, even though she spoke within my own mind. Tracking code 657-986. The lock on Asset Guthrie’s Crown has been removed.
Thank you, Designate. I made certain she felt my relief. I will requisition Asset Guthrie immediately, and we will move forward.
See that you do. She still felt distant. Time is of the essence, and the dossier did not account for… dalliances.
Understood.
She vanished then, drifting out of my mind like an autumn wind. Briefly, I hoped she had, in fact, peeked at my mnemonic trace, so she knew I hadn’t come in here just to mess around.
“Come on, Archibald.” Tatiana snuggled closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You found your buddy. Surely the free world can wait a minute or two, right?”