Dolce - Part One: The First Engagement

[churbooseanon]

Sumary: Felix is the best at what he does. And Locus only ever pays for the best.

Just a ‘little’ story I co-wrote with an amazing person that explores Lolix in a different sort of way.

Dolce - Part One: The First Engagement

Dolce. In Italian the word means 'sweet’ and sometimes 'soft’ in the right context. In the city of Armonia it means that and something more.

Dolce. The largest formalized, and legal, escort business in or out of the city limits, with only the highest end professionals. From the young men and women who could be bought for a few hours for a few hundred bucks to the ones that pull in hourly rates that would make the best lawyers drool, Dolce had the best. For a price they offer a taste of the good life. A companion to dote and coo, to make their clients look good in any situation. Someone to make the client look like the most desirable person in the room, or intelligent, or just charming enough to smooth over the bumps in a social situation.

Dolce. How the escorts are. Sweet and soft. Comforting and gorgeous. Charming and witty. They’ve seen it all. From young women trying to make their lovers jealous to old men trying to look relevant. From business dealings to social gatherings to mere props in elaborate plays. Men and women to make someone feel genuinely loved for that brief time they are together. Or engagement after engagement if it comes to that. They see it all, have done it all, have been it all.

And none of them could demand a price on the same level as Felix. He had seen it all. Old business women trying to seem more attractive at parties to secure a promotion. Young heirs and heiresses wanting to taste the illusion of love when they know they are doomed to marry for power or prestige. People who have won the lottery and just want a taste of the good life. There was even a job where his entire purpose had been to sit next to someone he was sure was a criminal syndicate boss and look both pretty and intimidating.

He’d seen it all. Until tonight. Sure, the limo that had pulled up outside of Dolce for him hadn’t been a first. Nor had the instructions to wear his best suit, or failing that, arrangements would be made to have a quality one bought for him. Clients always had strange requests, and Felix had learned a long time ago to just roll with the punches. That in the end there was nothing that could throw him for a loop, not even the lack of his client waiting for him in the limo, or the file waiting for him.

There were always those people who were the kind of assholes who thought a file with information on the role he was to play was enough. Clearly this latest one, someone named Locus Castille, was one of those sorts. At least, Felix had mused as he read through the one page dossier the client had provided, he could entertain Tucker when he was done with how ridiculous the man’s name was. None of this was new, none of it would ever be new. Even when it was new it was almost rote. Felix had truly seen it all, he was certain of that. Nothing could throw him for a loop.

Nothing until the limo came to a stop and the door was opened. Until a hand was held out to him and Felix tossed the folder back across the seat so he could take it, allowing his 'date’ help him from the car. Nothing until he found himself standing face to face with something that just didn’t make one lick of sense.

“I would presume you’re, what was it, Felix?”

Normally he wasn’t the kind of man that stared at his clients. No, Felix was damn good at what he did. There was a reason he was the top earner Dolce had. A reason this man was going to be paying two thousand an hour for the pleasure of Felix’s company and feigned devotion. Yet Felix found the words leaping from him despite his best efforts to control them.

“Well, you’re just going to make me look bad while I’m supposed to be making you look good.”

Which, Felix thought as he looked at the man before him, might be a bit difficult. He’d worked for so many clients, and all of them had one thing in common: they were all impeccably put together. It was almost as if there was something about hiring a date that made them work harder to their appearance, which was something Felix had always appreciated. What was the point of being arm candy if his clients didn’t at least try their best? But this man, this Locus, looked anything but.

No. That wasn’t exactly true, and Felix knew it from a brief glimpse. The suit he wore was expertly cut and worn, the green of his tie did everything to bring out the startling shade of his eyes, and if he was being honest this man was definitely one of the most handsome men that Felix had been paid by. Locus Castille was everything Felix could have hoped for in a client: young, handsome, and clearly wealthy. This was the sort of idiot that he could play for weeks if not months to make some serious bucks off of. Except he’d never seen a man so clearly disdainful of what was going on. It was in his posture, it was in his expression, and it sure as hell was in the way that the man’s dark hair was falling from the high bun he had dragged it into at some point. Really, Felix deserved better than a guy who couldn’t even keep his own hair under control.

Still, the slip up shouldn’t have happened, he shouldn’t have said anything. He’d had clients send him back for less, with harsh comments to management. Kimball didn’t like it much when clients reneged, and Felix hated when she got pissed at him. Not because she really would do much about it, not with him being her highest earner, but because she had a sharp tongue.

Needless to say it was its own sort of surprise when the man rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Does it really matter? You’re paid to be here regardless of my appearance,” the man answered, and Felix found himself taking a moment to appreciate the smooth depth of his voice. Far better than the young woman with the high pitched squeak he’d had to escort to a formal dinner the week before. At least this guy’s prattling would sound nice. “I assume you read the information that was left for you?”

“Yeah,” Felix rolled his own eyes, a hugely exaggerated gesture that he was sure was going to make them fall out one of these days. “Can’t you, I don’t know, at least… redo your hair or something. Please? You want to make a good impression at your…” Felix actually had to search his mind for the information from the folder, which was far from his usual. “Work?”

The look Locus gave him was one of barely restrained exasperation, and Felix just sighed, throwing his hands up a little in defeat. “Fine. You know what, never mind. I can work with this.”

“I don’t need to make a good impression,” the man responded, even as Felix watched his hand go up to tug his hair tie free. Part of Felix couldn’t help but note how long those fingers were, how nice his dark skin tone contrasted to the black waves of his hair as they ran through to straighten it a bit before it was being pulled back up into a neater, tight bun. “Everyone there is intent on being in my good graces. There, are you satisfied? Everything to your exacting specifications? Because I am not, for the record, paying extra for fashion advice.”

It was official, Felix was going to have to keep track of how many times he rolled his eyes in this man’s presence. “Whatever. It’s done. So, the file said that you’re the head hot shot of your company and you want me to keep people away.”

“Correct, on both points,” Locus agreed, and Felix rolled his eyes yet again at the way his hands came up to twitch Felix’s tie straight. Like he had any right to even imply Felix wasn’t put together enough. “My presence here tonight is necessary for all that I do not desire to be here. I don’t care to be bothered, but will be forced to interact with people. Your task is to drive people away, or distract them until such a point as I can politely excuse myself from the conversation.”

“Right, that’s easy to do. Fucking child’s play,” Felix smirked, pushing Locus away and closing the door of the limo at last. “The paper didn’t specify anything other than that I’m to be your date. So… how did we meet? Do you want to cover that or should I make something up? I can play off your cues if you really haven’t thought of anything. Or, you know, I could just be a friend that’s in town or something if that makes you more comfortable.”

“No. You are to be my date. Decide how we met on your own. I won’t contradict you provided it’s relatively tasteful. I assume someone of your… caliber is capable of that,” Locus noted, and Felix rolled his eyes yet again. “I’d rather not have to deal with the women who will attempt to gain my attention if they see me as a free agent, so to speak, and I’d rather not deal with you flirting with others. I imagine we will be here no longer than an hour.”

A simple enough set of orders, and not exactly ones Felix was unfamiliar with. It happened from time to time, but he wasn’t used to them from men that, well, looked like Locus. “So an hour of running interference and that’s it? I still get paid for the whole four hours you’ve got me booked for whether you use them or not, you know that right?”

“I’m quite aware of the terms of the contract, and comfortable with them,” Locus agreed, prompting a wide smile from Felix.

“Awesome deal. This will be fun. For me that is. Probably not for you if you’re determined to make it as bad as it sounds.”

“These things are boring,” the man sighed, shaking his head. “Endless posturing from people who have money, who want money, and who are here to make money. Add to that moderate quality drinks and finger foods, background classical music by a live quartet that rarely seems to know more than three pieces and you find something truly tedious. My time could be better spent alphabetizing files.”

Yeah, this guy sounded like all sorts of fun. It took everything Felix had not to groan over the image he was painting. “Let’s get this over with then. Should I take your arm? Or are you not a touchy kind of person. If I had to guess, I’d say not.”

His tone was almost teasing, meant to be a joke, and to his shock he found Locus’s arm extended to him. It made the man look almost charming, and Felix couldn’t help but give him a small, self satisfied smile as he took the offering, pressing himself up against Locus as he took the arm.

“I’m not, but there are appearances to be kept up. I would ask that the physical displays of affection be kept to a minimum. I trust you, though, to figure in when they should be peppered in to further sell the concept of a relationship.”

“I’m so glad you have faith in me,” Felix sighed as he followed Locus into the building. He really did hope this party wasn’t going to be half so boring as Locus was implying.

* * * * * *

It’s like any other party Locus has ever attended. The soft classical music, the tasteful decorations all done in black, white and silver, and wait staff floating around with trays of 'delicacies’ that did nothing to truly satisfy the gnawing in his stomach. The only difference this time was the handsome man on his arm that was turning the heads Locus was used to having oriented toward him when he entered. Now if only he was actually worth as much as Doyle said this arrogant young man cost for a night.

“Locus!” a voice called out from behind him, and it took more than Locus admitted not to sigh and just drag Felix away from the speaker. Instead he let himself turn and nod a greeting to the couple approaching them.

“You made it. And look, you brought a date,” the woman, Miranda Cavenaugh if Locus remembered correctly, smiled as she looked to Felix. Her husband, ever dutiful, offered his hand to Locus to shake, which he promptly did as her attention shifted to Felix.

“Miranda,” she offered, and Locus watched in hidden shock as Felix smiled back, charm coming from every bit of him as he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss it gently. The arrogant young man from earlier was replaced by someone that almost seemed, if you didn’t look too closely, to fit in among the people Locus normally found here.

“It’s a pleasure, Miranda. I would be Felix.”

“Oh my,” she laughed, full and lively as she extracted her hand from Felix’s and turned her smile on Locus. “Locus, where ever did you find this one?”

A good question, one he was waiting to hear from Felix. Apparently Doyle had lacked instructions along those lines, and he’d said something about the person he hired for Locus being good at fabrications. It would almost be amusing to see what he could come up with.

“Actually,” Felix answered almost immediately with a small smile and by pushing himself a bit more firmly against Locus’s side, “I knew someone at his office. I stopped by to meet them for lunch when I ran into Locus first. The rest is boring nonsense I’m sure. But… productive, obviously.”

“He’s proven to be quite entertaining,” Locus agreed with a small smile and finding himself unable to do anything but be amused by the 'serendipitous’ meeting that Doyle would have melted over. “I tend to prefer to spend my time with those quick of wit.”

The comment earned him a brief smile from Felix, and for some reason Locus couldn’t help but find himself amused by that. Something told him that, despite everything he was going to enjoy this evening. If only because the more he listened to Felix talking to the Cavenaughs the more he was certain this man really could think on his feet. His lies were almost as entertaining as they were creative.

That didn’t stop the whole thing from turning into the usual parade of bodies. People that Locus knew in passing, people that wanted to know him, people that wanted him to know them. Such was something he had resigned himself to as the head of the Castille Group. People would always look to him, for him, and want. His pockets were deep, his goals lofty, and the people around him greedy. Greedy to have a piece of his business, greedy to have the political or financial weight of his support, or just greedy to have him. The entire reason he’d had his secretary hire Felix was because he needed some buffer between him and the constant maneuvering, and he was happy to see how well Felix was handling his job.

So when Felix offered him an excuse to avoid people for a while by asking for a less intoxicating drink, Locus quickly excused himself from the latest conversation. With a soft smile and a hand at the small of Felix’s back he guided his 'date’ toward the bar.

“So… how many people know you here anyway?” Felix asked as they leaned against the bar counter, waiting for the tender to get his soda.

“I am personally familiar with at least a fifth of the people present, introduced to up to about half, and the rest recognize me either way,” Locus sighed, shaking his head. “I would happily know none of them were it not necessary.”

“And you got into this business how? Surely not from your fabulous people skills,” Felix whispered laughingly. Locus watched as his attention moved from the soda the tender put down before him and moved out over the assemblage. At last he nodded briefly in a direction that Locus had been pointedly ignoring. Looked toward a pair of well dressed women, one older, one younger with a lily in her hair. “That girl over there has been giving me the stink eye since we walked in. Someone you know? Possibly broke the heart of?”

“I suppose one could say I was born into this line of work,” Locus shrugged, trying to avoid the more important question as he smiled softly and nodded a quiet greeting to the women across the room. He was no where near ready to deal with that mess yet. “My family has run and possessed controlling interest of the company since its creation, which dates back to nearly the settlement of the planet. I am just the latest in the line.”

At last he pushed off of the bar, drawing Felix’s attention to him. “As for the women, well, they are the reason we’re here tonight. They would be the Johnsons. Mrs. Joyce Johnson, the elder, is a financial partner of mine that we will have to speak with later. Your reason for being here, though, is for the younger woman, her daughter Lily. She had been pursuing me for three years now, and I need a break. Other single women are easy enough to deflect. Lily… shall be your main issue.”

Felix nodded and sipped slowly at his drink, a smile spreading over his lips. “A challenge? Finally, some fun.”

Locus just watched the amusement flashing across Felix’s face, frowning as he watched what had to be the man plotting something, before he saw the other man’s rich hazel eyes back on him.

“So, this is what you wanted to do with your life? I mean, obviously you’re pretty good at what you do, but you also seem…” Felix shrugged briefly. “But I guess you don’t pay me to ask the hard hitting questions, right? So, never mind. Wanna go talk to them now? Get the hard stuff out of the way?”

“No,” Locus admitted under his breath. Taking up his father’s work had been the last thing he wanted, but it hadn’t been as if he’d had a choice. “On this level of the social strata you do not get to make your own decisions all of the time. Your desires don’t tend to figure in if you’re an only child.”

With a sigh he pushed off of the counter and straightened his suit coat before offering Felix his hand. “If you think you’re ready for a challenge on the level of a woman like Lily, then yes, by all means. It would be unseemly for us to fail to greet our hostesses.”

He wanted to avoid them, Locus truly did, but there was too many reasons to play nice with the women they were approaching. Joyce had the privilege of being one of the biggest supporters of Locus’s work. He needed her support on much of his work, and offending her was far from something he desired. Lily, on the other hand… he could do without her in his life. The woman had been working too hard to win his attentions, and Locus had long since been annoyed with that.

“Hello Locus, dear, you look so very well. This is…?” the older woman greeted the two of them as her attention settled on Felix. Again Locus watched as his companion smiled and kissed the back of her hand, as he had with nearly every woman here.

“Felix, ma'am.”

“Oh please, Mrs. Johnson is fine. And this is my lovely daughter, Lily.”

“A pleasure,” Felix said sweetly as he held out his hand. Locus couldn’t help but smile at the way that Lily merely shook it and pulled away from Felix quickly, still giving him a dirty look.

“And you two are… what, dating?” Lily asked, not bothering to hide her disapproval in the look she shot Locus before she returned her frown to Felix.

“Why yes, we are,” Felix grinned, and Locus stifled a chuckle at the grimace Lily gave them.

“Why?”

Locus could almost see Felix’s need to snark at the woman, and was impressed by the strength of will he saw in the man merely laughing lightly at the question. “Well, I guess because I was just in the right place at the right time. I’m not sure, but between the two of us, I think he likes me.”

Felix punctuated the playful declaration by grabbing Locus’s hand, and Locus smiled gently as he felt the other man’s fingers interlace with his. It was one of the more overt displays of possession that Felix had dared, and the way it made Lily glare was just wonderful. One he could make better, and did, by tugging Felix closer in what he hoped seemed to be an affectionate manner.

“Indeed. Joyce, you remember me telling you about the man I was seeing, correct?”

“Ah yes. The one you met when you were younger, yes?”

It took a lot for Locus not to grimace at the combination of the beaming smile from the older woman and the tight squeeze of his hand. Truth be told he had hoped she would have forgotten that detail, or that he’d remembered to give it to Doyle to throw into the information for Felix.

But, if he was careful, he could probably salvage it.

* * * * * *

No, dammit, this was why he didn’t like working with new clients that hadn’t been vetted properly. This was why he preferred to sit down with the clients for at least half an hour to get their stories straight. Here he had been working a certain story for the better part of an hour and apparently the idiot had already set down ground work that he hadn’t bothered to share. God he was so going to blacklist this asshole the second he…

“Yes, back when my mother used to entertain people at the house, you remember?” Locus quickly said, and Felix smiled as he listened, hoping Locus would at least give him enough to work with. “Felix’s mother was a friend of hers from college, and he had the misfortune of being pulled along to one of my mother’s shows.”

“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Johnson was smiling widely now and Felix didn’t groan. Just what he needed, a woman that was clearly a romantic at heart. Those were always the worst to have to act in front of. They were never content with simple. “You had mentioned something about meeting the younger man you had attempted to guide through the intricacies of high society for an afternoon. Am I correct in assuming this is him, then?”

When Felix looked to Locus again he found himself met with a soft, borderline genuine smile that couldn’t help but make him smile in response. There was a way that it just barely touched Locus’s eyes, that softened his expression, that almost made Felix’s anger fade away.

“We met again about a month back. Apparently he’s friends with one of my senior associates down in legal. He got lost looking for his friend when they were due to have lunch together and… Well, I recognized that lost look and couldn’t help but take him under my wing once more.”

Felix couldn’t help but laugh at the tenderness in Locus’s voice, not to mention the skill with which the other man had somehow brought the lie right back around to the one he’d already established. “Like I said, right time and place. When Locus approached me I was really confused. It’s been, what, years and years? Small world, huh?”

“You’ll find that in our circles, the world tends to be very small,” Mrs. Johnson smiled and nods. “Lily, dear, isn’t that the sweetest thing you heard? A modern fairy tale love story.”

“Well, it’s a story for sure,” Felix laughed, ignoring the way Locus squeezed his hand at the comment. “For now we’re just… catching up.”

“Oh yes, yes, of course. How…”

“What do you do, Felix?” Lily asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she interrupted her mother.

“I suppose the same thing you do,” Felix grinned, “look pretty and smile. But honestly, I just moved out here so I’m still looking around. I think I might have something lined up. You’ll forgive me if I don’t want to talk about it, just in case I jinx myself.”

“Well the best of luck to you then,” Mrs. Johnson smiled, not even noticing the way her daughter was fuming at Felix. “Are you enjoying yourself here?”

“The getting dressed up part was hard, I’ll admit. I’m not used to it,” Felix lied easily. “You can ask Locus, I was hounding him about what to wear. Luckily I had something nice packed with me. But yes, the party is lovely. Suits our modern day fairy tale, don’t you think, Locus?”

And oh, the hard look he caught Lily giving him out of the corner of his eye as he smiled a Locus was almost priceless. He had been right, this woman was far too fun to mess with.

“Though I must admit,” Locus added, his voice amused and Felix assumed it had to do with how impressive Felix was, “this wouldn’t have been high on my list of places to bring him so early on in a relationship. But you seemed so eager to meet him, Joyce, and your party seemed like such a fitting place to do so.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t try to hide this charming dear from me for my longer,” she grinned, and Felix nodded appreciatively at her. Charm, after all, was what he was paid for. “If it helps, Felix, you look quite striking. I do believe you wear your outfit with a poise and grace many here would envy. Including Locus I fear.”

“Everyone’s a critic,” Locus sighed, and wow Felix had to work hard not to laugh at the annoyed expression on his face.

“You look good tonight, Locus,” Lily quickly offered, “More composed than normal.”

Felix started to open his mouth to explain, only to find himself easily cut off by Locus, who smiled fondly at him. “Felix fussed at me until I passed his grudging inspection.”

“His hair was a mess, but I got it under control. Or as close as it gets,” Felix chuckled, turning to Locus and reaching up to brush a stray hair back over Locus’s ear. It was just as soft as he’d expected, and the touch seemed to color Locus’s ears a faint red. Interesting.

“He looks fine with his hair down too, you know?” Lily scoffed.

“True, but you make it sound like I forced him. I just suggested putting his hair up. Whether wanted to or not was his decision in the end,” Felix countered, though he remembered Locus with his hair down and he agreed with Lily, the man would have looked better like that.

“Lily, dear,” Mrs. Johnson said, her hand coming up to pat her daughter’s arm, and Felix didn’t smirk triumphantly at how borderline patronizing it was, “let’s leave these two alone now. We need to greet our other guests. It was a pleasure seeing you Locus, and you as well, Felix. Please enjoy your evening.”

It took everything he had not to laugh as he heard Mrs. Johnson chiding her daughter as they walked away. Especially since it sounded like something along the lines of 'you always get like this when Locus is near, what do you expect?’

Still, freed from that duty Felix took a step away from Locus, breathing a sigh of relief. That being said he kept a firm grip on the other man’s hand. The job was far from over and they were still very much in the public eye, so he wasn’t about to make people talk.

“Jesus, are you sure she’s trying to get on your dick?”

The shocked, just edging on horrified look on Locus’s face was almost enough to make him laugh. The urge to laugh almost got worse as he watched Locus’s eyes dart around to figure out if anyone could have heard the murmured comment. And then, suddenly, Locus was laughing, a low and rich sound that made Felix smile.

“Quite sure,” Locus agreed. “So far as I can tell, Lily was spoiled by the late Mr. Johnson. Treated as if anything in life she desired was for sale. I think she is more than a little offended by the fact that I’m not so easily bought.”

“Don’t you know, dear, that playing hard to get will only entice her even more? I bet you anything she’s just thinking of ways to break us up or like throw something in my face,” Felix chuckled, turning to fiddle Locus’s tie back to straight, carefully smoothing his hand down it in a way he knew would look affectionate to any casual viewer but really was rather tame compared to how he acted with his normal clients. “I had clients like her before, mostly to make the object of their affection jealous. You are in for a ride of your life if she keeps hounding you even after this.”

As an after thought he smiled and pulled away from Locus, “Her mom seemed nice though. Can’t say Lily thinks so.”

Locus sighed heavily, shaking his head as he let Felix start to fuss with the lapels of his coat. “Luckily there are no parties I feel a pressing need to attend in the next month of so. That is about as often as I can stand to be near her. And would you stop that? You’re worse than Doyle. My clothing is fine, and if it had not been you could have just told me.”

With that Locus was brushing his hands away, turning his attention instead to let his gaze follow after the Johnsons as they moved to greet another cluster of guests. “Her mother is a very important woman, and very… cheery as you can see. An in possession of a greater memory than I gave her credit for. I barely even remember telling her that story.”

Which, he supposed, explained him getting blind sided, but Felix still rolled his eyes. Already he had lost count of how many times he found himself doing that over Locus somewhere near forty or so. “What kind of fake boyfriend would I be if I didn’t fuss? And you’re so lucky I’m a quick thinking, pulling that shit out of the air. If you’d gotten like, Tucker… Jesus you’d be so fucking busted. Of course Tucker would have dumped you so fast for that girl. Oh, and how much more of this schmoozing do you need to do before we can leave? I swear to god the band only knows one song.”

“Three,” Locus corrected, sounding quite tired himself. “They are all variations on a theme, though, so don’t feel bad about not picking them apart. I am sorry to say that we are no where near done with the 'schmoozing,’ as you so colorfully put it. Luckily what comes next should be brief. Those who seek me out when I first show up tend to either be the Johnsons who I genuinely need to speak with, or people eager to work with me and thus run at the mouth. Those I am more comfortable with have grown more used to my… terse nature. Brief greetings and exchanges of pleasantries, quick trading of details and me directing them to my secretary to set up meetings, and then we’re done. A few minutes apiece. After that come the people I don’t really know and those are always brief to be civil.”

Felix rolled his eyes yet again at the faint smirk Locus offered him. “It is all rather boring. I am glad, though, that I seem to have brought my own entertainment.”

“I’m so glad I could be so useful,” Felix shook his head. “Well, that’s what I’m here for anyway so really, glad I could be useful. Let’s go make rounds then because, like, there’s another lady behind you heading this way and she looks fucking intent,” he pointed out as he looked past Locus, and oh god she did.

The woman introduced herself curtly to Felix as Cathy and then all her focus was on Locus and proposing a business merger with him. Felix mostly found himself keeping silent, not really having any idea as to what she was talking about, restraining himself to small comments here and there. Until, of course, it started to become clear that the woman wasn’t taking Locus’s repeated 'no’s as an answer.

Well, his job here was to get people like this away from Locus, so Felix cleared his throat to get the woman’s attention, put on his most charming smile, and watched her stare at him in confusion. “This isn’t really the place for this, don’t you think? How do you think our lovely hostess will feel when she finds out you are just here to deal business? Yes, this clearly is where you know each other, but honestly, does this feel like a meeting room?” He keeps his voice kind, but firm with the disapproval Locus clearly wasn’t willing to deal with.

Almost immediately she was straightening with a mumbled apology and backing away. Her departure earned him a genuinely relieved look from Locus, and he smiled back before they found themselves back in the thick of small talk and superficial greetings. It was a stream of people, faces and names blurring together even for him, until he looked down at his watch and found himself standing there two and a half hours later with Locus looking far past tired of the whole situation.

“People sure want to be in your good graces, Mr. Castille.”

“I’m sorry tonight proved to be more…” Locus looked down at his watch and sighed, “busy than I expected. I wasn’t able to get you out of here as soon as I had hoped. Though, I admit, you’ve managed to perform your task with some ease. Especially that situation earlier. That pain of a woman has been after Doyle for a meeting for weeks. I suppose I’ll have to allow it now, though I doubt she’ll like the answer anymore there than here.”

With a shrug he offered Felix his arm, which Felix readily took, “I think a brief goodbye to our hostess is all that is really in order before I have the car return you wherever it gathered you from. Come, it looks like Lily has gotten caught up in her own suitors. We should be able to make this brief. Oh, and you’ll find a bonus awaiting you in the car. I arranged for such if you provided fitting service, and haven’t seen a reason to keep it back.”

Felix laughed as he pressed against Locus’s side. “It’s fine,” he answered, patting Locus’s arm affectionately. “Just let me help you get through the last of the motions and we’re done. It could have been worse, you know?”

They quietly made their way for where Mrs. Johnson stood talking with a small group. She seemed to notice their approach because she turned away from the people she had been speaking with to smile at the pair of them.

“Having a nice time, I hope?”

“Lovely time,” Felix agrees. “We just wanted to express our gratitude in inviting us before we leave.”

“Oh, so soon? Well, I suppose it really is getting late, so I cannot blame you,” she laughed lightly before pulling them into her harms and kissing their cheeks. “Thank you for coming, it was so nice to finally meet you, Felix. I can’t wait to see you again.”

Felix allowed himself a chance to laugh, and couldn’t help the thought the he hoped there wouldn’t be a next time even as he agreed with her. And soon enough Felix found Locus guiding him back outside to where the limo was once again awaiting him. He stretched happily as he freed himself from Locus and ran his fingers through his hair to muss it up again as he looked up at Locus.

“Well, what do you think? Night go how you wanted?”

“Longer than I would have preferred,” Locus admitted as his fingers came up to loosen his tie and there was something attention grabbing about the way he rolled his shoulders when Felix had moved away from him. “I hate these parties. But you do quite impressive work. Felix. I almost think you should charge more. As it is, I thank you for the pleasure of your company this evening, and hope the additional two grand waiting in the car will serve to be a nuisance fee for having to deal with Lily.”

Felix laughed, kicking at the sidewalk as he thought of it. “She was nothing I couldn’t handle. Seriously. Well then, sir, it’s been a pleasure working with you too. Good luck with Lily. You’re going to need it.”

With that he offered his hand to Locus to shake, and he stood there quietly as Locus opened the door of the limo for him. He settled into the back seat, smiling at the small black bag in the foot well as the door closed. All that in order he gave the driver the address for Dolce’s offices and sat back. If nothing else, the night had been entertaining.