Page 5 of Crushed
CHAPTER 2
Cormac
I tipped back the highball glass, the amber liquid sloshing around. The sounds of young women laughing and men talking trickled over the sound of instrumental music coming from hidden speakers.
It had been a few months since I had been to the Dahlia District, and yet I still wondered why I bothered coming in the first place. A long time ago, Violet, my late wife, and I had frequented here and were one of the few couples that had a membership, but after she died, it seemed false. The search to find what I wanted was a never-ending problem. I hadn’t found it in the years I had been paying for a membership.
Yet I always came back. As if I could find remnants of my late wife here. It helped that paying for a server’s time was easy. Easier than dates. More straightforward than courting a woman who wanted more than what I was willing to give. My career and personal life required far too much of my time to add romance to it too.
But I had needs. All dominants did.
I turned around on the barstool, leaning back on the counter. A new server was on the stage. Honey-colored hair rested in a low bun at the nape of her neck. A lean, athletic frame. Dark brown eyes. Bright red lips. She looked younger than most of the servers, but perhaps it wasn’t her age, but the fact that this was clearly her first experience performing in front of people. She was confident, but hesitant, a jerky edge to what should have been flowing movements. Dahlia, the owner of the club, stood at the railing. Years ago, my late wife had convinced me to negotiate a deal with Dahlia, in which I would gain co-ownership so that perhaps we could help free some of the servers from their indentured servitude here.
But once Violet died, the negotiation died too. Dahlia wasn’t interested, and my business prospects shifted to more important opportunities, ones that would help me gain control of the medical industry.
Dahlia pointed in different directions, barking orders at the new server. The new server adjusted as she was told.
It was early in the evening; the club had just opened for business. This was the first time I had seen Dahlia coaching a server. This new server wasn’t simply new. She wasfresh. She must not have been groomed for this type of work like most of the other indebted servers here were.
Sometimes, I hated being here. I hated knowing that I was one of those despicable rats who found himself here when the club opened. But it was also one of the only places I could get away from the trouble of my daily life. It was easier to ignore here.
But not completely. My phone vibrated.Wardenflashed on the preview. I swiped open the screen and read his text:You’re serious about this, aren’t you?
Purchasing Warden’s company, Technology and Science Pharma, wouldn’t be the biggest acquisition I had made, but it would be the most promising. We had met for a short meeting recently, and I had broached the topic of buying his company after learning about their latest research. Yes, I was serious. I was settling him into a deal. It would work well for him…
If he accepted my offer.
The new experimental treatment in high-risk patients for the disease is intriguing, I sent back.My hope is that by combining forces with my other companies, TSP will surge towards a breakthrough and make progress for those affected by it.
Would TSP be a subsidiary company of Stone Laboratories, then?Warden asked.
Yes, I replied.
I built her from the ground up. TSP is my baby, he responded.
What a name for a pet project. I didn’t care if it was his baby. I wanted control over the research.
I glanced up from my phone and saw flames flickering on the stage. Dahlia stood nearby with a wet towel. The fire was secured in a small ball at the end of a long chain, and the new server swung it around, in a hypnotizing rhythm. The embers burned in her eyes like tiny gems.
My phone buzzed. Warden again.I like the offer. Really, I do, he sent,But I need to get to know the potential new owner first. Make sure I can trust you with my baby.
Businessmen were like this. They needed confirmation that they could trust what happened to their projects once they were gone, the confidence that their legacies would be kept intact. I could play that game. I could give him a sense of heightened security if that’s what he needed.
Come to the Dahlia District, I sent.We can discuss matters further here.
Tonight?he responded.
Questioning every damn thing I sent already.Why not?I asked.
I’m busy tonight. But let’s keep talking. I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement.
It was only a matter of time before I acquired Warden’s business through the traditional means, or perhaps another way. I wasn’t one to let morals distract me from my desires. IneededTSP. I was personally invested in their experimental treatment.
I could do this the easy way, or the hard way. It was up to Warden. But for now, we would work at his speed. Give him time for progression.
Dahlia stormed towards the exit, a hand resting on her forehead, while the new server put the now flameless chains in a large metal container. The overhead lights had returned to the stage. A black sports bra, or perhaps it was a plain bra, was wound tight around her chest, and black shorts covered her ass, but nothing more. She glanced up from the container and caught me staring. She smiled and raised her hand in a wave. I continued to stare. I didn’t return the gesture. The expression dropped from her mouth.
She was new. That was clear. But there was something off about her. Most of the new servers were too shy to engage on their first day.
