THE ESCORT

FIVE | Il VELENO

A limousine was idling by the curb in front of the building when Elodie walked out into the night.

She stopped short of the entrance, eyes widening when the driver—garbed in white suit and matching white cap and gloves—opened the passenger door and stood ramrod straight, staring at somewhere behind her.

Elodie was so used to grabbing her own ride to wherever the client asked that they should meet, so nothing prepared her for this. Although, if she thought about it, her clients always paid for her company and nothing else so they couldn't be bothered about mundane things like getting her a mode of transportation.

Diamond Clients were different, though.

They paid an arm and leg to get that Diamond encrusted membership card that she'd glimpsed once by mistake, and from what she'd heard, it cost quiet a fortune to be one.

If she was going to make that much money in one night, then she'd make it worthwhile. Give Boss and the client no reasons to complain.

She shook off her surprise, held her head up high and began the walk to the waiting car. "Good evening," she told the driver once she was at the opened door.

He spared her a surprised glance before replying, "Good evening, ma'am."

He didn't seem keen to want to say anything beyond that, so Elodie saved the both of them the awkwardness by climbing into the car, taking care to sweep the train of her dress along with her.

Once she was seated, the driver shut the door, walked over to the driver's door, opened it and climbed in, then removed the car from park. He had the partition up, so she couldn't exactly see him to strike up a conversation, and she had to settle for studying the car interior.

The designs were done in subdued cream leathers—even the floor was done in a soft, butterscotch style—and a bar filled with alcohol of all sorts was even there. A mini fridge also sat beneath the bar. A black-and-white on the small TV screen mounted beside the partition.

The opulence made her head spin.

There were people whose everyday lifestyle involved taking a ride in this type of car.

The partition suddenly rolled down, startling her. The driver met her gaze in the rearview mirror and said, "You can help yourself to any of the drink if you wish. There are also snacks in the fridge."

"Okay. Thank—" She was cut off when he closed the partition just as suddenly as he'd opened it. "Well, then."

Even though he'd told her to help herself, Elodie decided not to. Her stomach was too tied in knots for her to be able to stomach anything. Besides, she had to keep her wits about her, because she was entering uncharted waters. Diamond clients had the leniency to do as they wished with an Angel...well, except hurting them, that is. But, if she wanted to get out of this unscathed, she had to be alert.

Soon, the car rolled to a stop, and the driver was back to open the door for her. Elodie climbed got, and thanked him to which he barely nodded, and it was when she looked up she saw where he'd brought her.

Il veleno was a popular but exclusive club for gentlemen and ladies in Upper East Blvd in Bayview. There was no way a rando could simply walk in, because you got in by invitation only.

A tall, well-built, bald head man with full-beards and mustache, clad in three piece suits guarded the entrance. In fact, if it wasn't by the lit up sign above the one-way glass door, the building looked like any brown stone house in Bayview. One could mistake it for a licit establishment.

Elodie sashayed over to the man just as she'd been taught earlier in the new room provided for her by the Boss and purred, "Hi, there."

The man's unsmiling gaze shifted to her, not straying anywhere below her chin. "Yes?"