Resistance is Futile

Chapter 2

It had been weeks since they'd started going back and forth through their little letters. Vox had kept an eye on his new "friend" Valentino and had found some interesting information that solidified his confidence. The man was a certified whore. In two weeks, Valentino had slept with more men and women openly than Vox had is entire life, and after-life. The moth had an insatiable appetite and he clearly wasn't too picky either. He didn't care for type, height, size, none of it, as long as he got his rocks off. Now, at first Vox had been inclined to say that the constant flow was due to the trade work Valentino did, but there was just too much evidence after a few days that they were mostly personal calls. Especially after one day when his poor henchmen had come back with footage of the man taking it against a window. Not that he had watched too much of the smut, considering what he was talking to the man about. Business partners, at least good ones, didn't fuck each other. And they definitely didn't develop secret little crushes on each other and pine after one that was unattainable. From what Vox had seen already, Valentino was a wild soul who was never going to fall for something as pathetic as love, so he definitely had that going for him. The latest letter had given a date a time, and had formally requested (in Valentino's own way) that he come for a one on one meeting. The place was public, as though that meant anything here, but at least at this coffee shop was a nice change of pace for him. He'd been stuck in the studio for days now, and even though he was the boss, business had to be done so he hadn't left at all. He hadn't even gone home to sleep in his own bed, and damn did he miss that. The couch in his office was comfy enough, but no way did it compare to those silk sheets on his king sized mattress at home.

He'd clearly arrived first, since the man from all of those pictures and videos he'd received was no where to be seen. He found a booth in the back of the shop and placed his order; from then on it was just a matter of waiting for his prospective business partner. Time passed slowly, but Vox couldn't tell if it was just the time, or if it was simply because he hadn't had his coffee yet, and it was a bit later in the day than normal. For reasons he couldn't explain, he'd been unable to shut down and sleep last night, which had resulted in him lying in bed for a few hours before giving up and going over the numbers for the last film they'd shot. He'd been over those numbers hundreds of times, so he was hoping that doing them again would just be a bore, but he just wasn't striking lucky.

The small bell at the door to the cafe jingled and drew his attention. No, not Val, just some bullshit Imps. The steaming cup of espresso was placed in front of him and he tried not to burn himself inhaling it in desperation. No, no, no, he was simply not awake enough for this entire day. The bell again, he looked up; wrong person. Vox checked the time on his watch again and tapped his foot. 'This fucking slut ass moth better not have stood me up. I am way too busy for that shit.' And boy would it not be pretty for the up and comer if he had. The bell again; nope, not him. Vox rolled his eyes and sipped at his drink. He was gonna kill that rat bastard, again. He started to drown out the bell and started to assess the shop itself. The staff was fine enough, he guessed, though they could be more attractive, but not everybody could be pretty, right? The decor was a bit tacky to him, but no accounting for tastes. Bright colors here and there, with a few neon signs you'd more expect to see in a bar, but other than that a lovely atmosphere. Typical coffee shop prices that were much higher than if he had just made the cup at home, not that he trusted himself to make it well. He'd never been very good at making coffee, he had an assistant for that. He adjusted his suit jacket and sighed. He tried to shake off the negative feelings that were starting to sink in, the fear that his boredom would return and stay for good this time, with a deep breath.

The scent cut through the pungent smell of his coffee despite being delicate. It was a tell tale aroma that he'd smelled consistently for the last few weeks from pieces of baby pink paper with perfectly scripted hand writing. Turning around, he scanned the room, but he didn't see anything remotely close to who he was looking for. So where was it coming from. "I almost feel insulted, because someone who can distract you this bad must get all your attention face to face." The voice was smooth, sultry and low, with the slightest bit of an accent that he couldn't quite place just yet. Spinning around in his seat, he stared across the table at the other party who'd joined him. He took in everything about the man that he could in one glance without seeming crazy or stupid.