VOLUME 2: THE GILDED CAGE
1st Day of the First Month in the Year 736 NCE.
Miu Aisla City, North Aislan Continent.
The port of Miu Aisla City made for the perfect location for Luna Roseland's second business. It sat on the bay, close to the waterways, and was far from the city centre of Miu Aisla City; far from prying eyes to be more specific. It was well-fortified with barbed wires, manned gates and endless surveillance, and was also close enough to the nearest police station should some deal go south and she required the intervention of local authorities.
With the reddish-orange glow of the receding sun setting the backdrop, a stylish black motorcar, manufactured by the Deville Motor Company (DMC), arrived at the docks.
The door to its rear passenger seat swung open and out stepped a tall, devilishly beautiful woman with raven hair, dressed in a simple white collared shirt, leather black mini-skirt, dark silken stockings, and a pair of high heels. She wore a pair of rimmed spectacles which imparted upon her an intelligent and maturely sexy vibe. This, coupled with her starkly red lips, made her both look and feel irresistible to any man.
Having exited her car, Luna inhaled deeply the salty, musty, and oily scent of the docks. While most people might find such a scent repugnant, Luna, for some reason, found it comfortable and soothing. Taking a single whiff of this scent always seemed to calm her down.
After breathing in the air, she then turned to look at the row of tall warehouses to her left. Most of them were owned by her and were intentionally left empty and in a state of disrepair. She did not use them to store any of her goods, as she was never in the habit of keeping stock in her hands, and only used the warehouses to host her clandestine meetings with the clients of her secondary business.
In fact, it was for one such meeting that she had arrived at the port today.
Turning to look at her car's tinted windows, Luna took stock of her current appearance. She appeared hot and properly risqué, just as she had intended. Her experience doing this business had taught her that clients were less likely to negotiate deals if they were distracted by the dealer. To Luna, this meant extra money; an offer that she could not refuse.
After adjusting her hair and makeup, she unbuttoned the first two buttons of her collared shirt, exposing the top of her snow-white and abundant bosom. She adjusted her shirt until just the very edge of her black laced bra peeked out and nodded to herself, satisfied with her adjustments.
"Robert, stay in the car until I send for you," she instructed her driver.
The neatly dressed youngster, who sat in the driver's seat, nodded his head and replied, "Duly noted, madam." He then drove away.
After checking the time on her wristwatch, Luna walked towards 'Warehouse No. 3,' and entered the building. Inside, the broken glass windows and electric arc lamps provided little illumination to the interiors, lighting up a small area of the warehouse.
In the lighted area, Luna spotted two fat and large-bodied men sitting atop sealed wooden crates and seemingly engaged in an argument. As she approached closer, she heard the contents of their argument.
"It was seven, you dumb f*ck! I'm telling you that it was seven."
"And I am telling you that it was SIX! I know this because I was the one who took the final count."
"Oh Heavens, please have mercy on this fat pig and forgive him for not being able to count."
"That's rich coming off of you, cow! If I am a fat pig then what are you? A pregnant bull?"
Luna was no longer able to hold back her laughter. Hearing her voice, the two giants instantly ceased their quarrel and jumped down from their seats. "Ey! Good evening, Madam Roseland. You look as beautiful as ever!"
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"And you look as healthy as ever, Jerome. Don't let Francis ever tell you otherwise," Luna smilingly replied. She then approached the two giants and gave them each a light hug. "It's been some time, hasn't it?"
Caught by surprise, the two of them rubbed their noses and looked away with shyness. Luna simply giggled at their reaction.
Francis, the other giant and Jerome's partner at work, coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment. His face then suddenly seemed to glow up with an idea as he turned toward Luna and gruffly asked, "Madam Roseland! You must settle this argument for us."
"Oh, why are you bothering the good madam with your stupidity?" asked Jerome, giving his partner the stink eye.
Luna, on the other hand, grew interested in the topic of their argument and said, "I don't mind. Tell me, what was the argument?"
"On our previous job, the one where you sent the two of us to take care of some pests," Francis pointed at Jerome and continued, "This idiot tells me that we killed seven people while I am confident that we only killed six. Since you are the one who sent and paid for the cleaners after the job was done, can you tell us the correct count of the bodies?"
"It was seven," Luna answered.
"Boom! There you go! As always, I was right!" Jerome instantly stepped in to claim superiority over his partner. Francis sulkily looked at his friend and snorted before looking away.
Seeing their antics, Luna could not help but add a comment. "The two of you are like five-year-old children quarrelling over who gets to ride the swing first." She then broke into laughter and was joined in her laughter by her two subordinates.
After a hearty laugh, Francis asked, "Madam Roseland, what's the deal today? Why have you called us here?"
"I'm meeting with a new client today. He's a referral and has been vouched for, but you guys know how iffy this business is. The two of you are here for my protection and as insurance should things go south." She gestured at the wooden crates behind them.
Francis nodded his head in understanding while Jerome slapped his chest with his meaty hand and said, "Don't worry, Madam Roseland! Be it blade or bullet, I am confident that I can stop both of them with my gut."
"I'll be counting on you when the time comes then," Luna pleasantly replied.
The three of them engaged in casual conversation for a few minutes when they heard the sound of vehicles approaching the warehouse. The motorcars came to a stop outside 'Warehouse No. 3' and four young men with tattooed faces cautiously entered the building.
Luna's eyes lit up as she immediately stepped forward and greeted, "Welcome, gentlemen. My name is Luna Roseland. You may call me either Madam Roseland or Miss Rose. I believe a mutual friend of ours has introduced you to my services."
She then straightened her back to ensure that her half-exposed bust was prominent to the new clients. Just as expected, the caution and wariness in their eyes drained away as their gazes fixed upon her risqué figure. Luna even heard one of them gulp audibly.
Not offended at all by their blatant and lusty gazes, Luna maintained her picturesque smile and continued, "As you may or may not have been informed, I am a purveyor. I deal in goods, services, and information of the, let's call it the 'greyer' kind. Before we start our discussion, may I know who the representative among you is?"
At her question, the four youngsters snapped out of their lust-filled gazes and blankly stared at each other. After a short, hushed discussion, one of the youths stepped forward and said, "It is me. You can call me Mr Ace."
"As you wish, Mr Ace," replied Luna. "Now, since you are new to my business, allow me to state my conditions. Firstly, I only deal in cash and precious gems of equal value. I will not accept any barter transactions. Secondly, I do not offer credits or do consignments. Payment comes first. Thirdly, I can guarantee the quality of all items and services that I offer. If, for any reason, the product fails to meet the desired and promised level, I shall take care of correction and replacement free of charge. And finally, I reserve the final right to determine whether or not I want to continue trading with you. Rest assured, your secrets will be safe with me."
"Is all of that understood?"
The four men exchanged gazes before nodding their heads. "Yeah."
"Excellent! Now, I heard you gents were in the market for some explosives. Can I assume that you are here for the same?"
"Correct. We are looking for explosives that are potent enough to bust the vault of the—!" One of the youths immediately interrupted Mr Ace by screaming, "Hey!" and slapping him on the back of his head.
A bright red flush appeared on Mr Ace's face as he hung his head in shame. It appeared that he had accidentally given away more than he had meant to.
"Gentlemen, you can trust me to keep your secrets. Besides, what you decide to do with the items that you purchase from me is none of my concern. I simply provide," explained Luna.
"So, explosives, correct?" she asked. The four men each nodded their heads.
Luna turned around and walked toward the sealed crates behind her. She gestured to her two giant subordinates, who instantly understood her cue and cracked open the crates.
Bending forward to reach into the crate, Luna intentionally made her short skirt rise by a tiny amount, just enough to expose some bare skin and the garter belt that she wore. This time, she heard multiple gulps from her customers.
Hiding the smile on her face, she straightened and revealed the items in her hand. "Take a look. In my hands are the latest and greatest products to yet come out of the Central Commonwealth. It is called the ICE Mk3 and is potent enough to destroy five inches of reinforced steel or several feet of concrete. I trust these would be perfect for your requirements."
An innocent smile filled her face.