Undercover Agent (PM to apply)

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

Apologies to anyone who remembers this thread idea from the first time round. I don't often "recycle", but this gives so many possibilities, I thought I'd throw it out and see if it is of interest to the writers who are out there now.

I'm not looking to replicate the very short story that went before.
It's wide open and could go anywhere.

If interested in playing along, please PM stating any character and plot ideas you have.

I've left it plot details vague at the moment.
The focus of Michelle's undercover operation and the location city/country wise can be stated once the story takes off.
(I'm a Brit, but the States might be more suitable)

Will post more details/guidance if needed as the plot develops.

Bio:

Michelle Levin
5 ft 5
Long dark/auburn hair
Blue eyes
Slender and toned build.
Training has made her lithe, but appears petite and fragile.

French National and native English speaker.
Cover: Club waitress (perhaps not entirely legal foreign worker?)


IC:


“Michelle” heard the shout and wished for the umpteenth time that she’d followed procedure and called for backup before following the men out of the club and into the alley beyond.
Pressing herself against the wall, she prayed that she would not be discovered.

Posing as a waitress, known as “’Chelle or ‘chelley, she had been working the bar for three weeks, building up her cover, her associates, settling into her flat, establishing her new routines and then finally Nico had actually noticed her.

For the past week he had begun flirting with her, seeking her out.
Michelle knew she had to take it slowly, gain his trust, not ask too many questions.
She was used to this type of work by now … so why had she made such a bloody stupid mistake!?

Michelle cried out suddenly as she felt her arm grabbed and was unable to do little more than struggle weakly as the burly guy dragged her out into the middle of the alley way and she found herself facing two other men.

”Chelle! What the fuck are you doing here?”

Nico bellowed at her as she stood, her eyes darting in feigned surprise between the big guy who’d hauled her out and the smart suited man who stood silently watching.
She knew all of them, their profiles, their criminal records.

”Nico!! … Wh.. what’s going on … ?”

She gave a genuinely fearful glance at the thug and turned to Nico, speaking in a rush.

”Are you ok hun… I … you were so quiet this evening … I thought maybe… “

She broke off… Nico was angry.

”You thought what dammit?”

She flinched as Nico snapped.
Her beseeching look had not pacified him.
Things weren’t looking good...

”I thought you had something on your mind ... and that …”

She dropped her eyes as if realising how foolish her statement would sound.

” … and that maybe I could help…”

She kept her eyes to the ground and wrapped her arms about her exaggerating her vulnerability.
They had to believe she was just some dumb waitress who had been over concerned for a wanna-be boyfriend, a guy she had a crush on even.
They had to think anything but the truth!
Damn. If she blew the operation now, it would all be her fault.
This was the first week she’d been making progress.
The boss was going to kill her … that was if these guys didn’t first…

The thought struck a genuine chord of fear into her.
Chelle raised her head finally and glancing briefly at the two other men, turned a beseeching gaze upon Nico.

”Nico…who .... why ... are you in trouble ...?”

She stammered, allowing tears to brim in her baby blue eyes.

He had to buy it.
All she could do now was pray.


OOC:


A range of possible characters here:

I will play Michelle.

Nico
The thug/ muscle of the group
The boss
Michelle's boss.
Michelle's associates - key contact and back up?

I'm open to ideas and offers.
This could be a one-on-one, but would probably work better with more players ...

Over to you ...

DM x

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

My thanks for Scuttle Buttin' who will play the role of Adam Shore colleague/associate of Michelle.

I'll leave him to introduce his character.

Many roles still open if interested?

DM x

 

[Scuttle Buttin']

Adam Shore
6'3" 175 lbs.
Dark hair/green eyes
Muscled build. He obviously works out, but not to the point that he has to hold his arms out when he walks.
Attracted to Michelle, but keeps it a secret. Still protective of her, though, and worried about her on her current undercover assignment, and the risks she's taking in it.



IC:

Adam sat in the office of an abondoned apartment building across the street, the small room completely dark with the exception of the dull red and green glow from a few intruments he had in the room with him. He sat behind a well-sized pair of binoculars on a tripod, and on the small table at his side was a half-eaten turkey sandwich, and a quickly cooling cup of coffee.

The night had been rather uneventful, until Michelle decided to follow some men out of the club and into the alley. He cursed under his breath and shook his head, and he pressed more firmly against the binoculars, as if he could save her if he used enough pressure on them.

He watched intently, and when things began to look like they were starting to get dangerous for her, he unbuttoned the strap on the top of his holster, and thumbed the saftey. He was instantly conflicted, torn between helping her and not risking the assignment.

But he couldn't.... wouldn't.... let her be hurt. As conflicted as he may feel, he still knew this with certainty.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

Michelle stood as the silence seemed to last an age.
She wished fervently that she hadn't fucked up!
Either way, she was in deep trouble either with these men or with her own people when they found out what she'd done.

Her eyes flitted briefly to the silent thug who still held her arm in a painfully tight grip.
She resisted the urge to glance up at the appartment window across the street.
She knew Adam would be watching, but willed him not to act too quickly.

Knowing he was observing her every move should have reassured her, but Michelle was too experienced not to realise that the odds were not great.
Afterall, Adam could only take out one guy at once ... and there were three of them!
She knew that there was any number of heavy back up to call upon, but how long would it take for Adam to summon them?

Even as the thought of calling for reinforcements entered her head, she dismissed it.
This had not been the plan at all!
The idea had been to hook this gang ... subtly ... hopefully through Nico (who ever had an eye for a pretty waitress) ... and bide her time collecting evidence without raising suspicion.
No! She had to avoid blowing her cover ... at all costs!
She had to use her wits to get out of this one ... play it through ...

Nervously Michelle glanced over at the suited man,
(the boss - but of course she was not supposed to know that.)
She hid her recognition and made sure that only fear and revulsion showed on her face as she reacted to his eyes raking over her frame.
His expression was impassive and yet that steely facade was menacing!

"Nico....?"

Her head turned to appeal to the young man who had been flirting with her all week.
Her voice was soft, uncertain, communicating artful incredulity and genuine fear.
If she could make him believe she had just "stumbled" upon them then he was still her best bet.

"Nico....!"

She repeated more urgently feigning panic as she pulled uselessly to free her arm from the strong grasp.

Michelle knew that Adam would recognise the panicked struggle he was now observing as artifice, a reaction best suited to the character she was trying to portray ... at least she hoped he would!

She risked a single glance upwards, hoping to catch his eye through the binoculars she knew would be trained on her.
She knew how protective he was of her and fervently hoped that he would see that she was play acting and kept his distance ... for now.

 

[Scuttle Buttin']

Adam had his radio out and near his lips, reading to call for backup before bursting out of the apartment building's office and running across to save Michelle, when she made eye contact with him. Looked directly at him, in fact. It froze him, his mind stopped cold, and he could only watch, helpless and silent for a moment, as he tried to catch up. Was she begging for his help with that look, or telling him she was okay? She was struggling, sure, but how much of it was an act, and how much of her actions were out of pure fear?

He decided, more on impulse and instinct than anything else, and could only hope he was right. Lowering the radio, he sat it back on the table next to the cup of coffee, and continued to watch, feeling more helpless than she seemed.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

Thanks for keeping an eye on Michelle ... she may need you yet ...

I think we have a "baddie" joining soon ... I'll wait and then post a next from Michelle if there's nothing evil creeping outta the woodwork!

{{{huggs Scuttle}}}

My hero!

Mari x

 

[Steiner]

Andreas Jaxarle

OOC:
Hi folks, I've got a mind to be evil for once, and here's my humble suggestion for the boss...

Andreas is basically an International level "fixer" here to check up on a deal he subcontracted out to Nico. He's got a very dry sense of humour and not much at all in the way of morals. It's not so much an overdose of bad, more a complete absence of good...

Of course this makes him more dangerous, more calculating and less predictable.

Roughly 6 feet 4 inches, well attired in custom tailored suits and oozing money and influence. He's slumming it here tonight, bringing his muscle and his cash to dazzle Nico - who is essentially small time, if vicious and competent.

Business is almost concluded, but if an opportunity for entertainment should pass his way...


Andreas has a lot in common with a tiger shark - same eyes, same smile and the same lack of compunction in taking a bite out of something that catches his eye.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

A look of amusement crossed his face as Michelle tried to wrench her arm free. The guy was over 6 ft tall, but shorter than his boss. To Michelle it felt as if he had the same dimensions in width! He was certainly all brawn and Michelle hoped fervently that he lacked the brains. There was nothing on his record to suggest that he did anything but follow orders, but it was clear that he did so unflinchingly.

She was still at last, as if realising the futility of her struggle.
She moved her free hand to attempt to rub at the pinned arm.
She bruised easily and knew the mark would be livid tomorrow.
She saw a look pass between Nico and the suited man, a look she was unable to interpret.

She allowed her eyes to return to the man who maintained his silent surveillance.
This guy was definitely "Mr Big"!
Michelle had been shocked when she'd recognised him.
What could he be doing here?
She wondered fleetingly if Adam had recognised Mr Andreas Jaxarle through his binoculars.
If the authorities had known that connection they would never have put her in there ... would they?

She glanced at Nico.
Surely Nico wasn't that much of a villain.
He seemed unwilling to spring to her defence, or to accuse her, no doubt in awe of his prestigious visitor.
She took a deep breath.

"Look ... is this ... necessary ... ?"

She looked pointedly at her arm.

"I know I interrupted you ... but ... "

Laughter came from the club as a door opened and shut some way behind them.
Michelle looked behind her and decided to try another track.

"They'll kill me if I get back late from my break again ..."

(Nice choice of words, Michelle, she thought ironically).

"... and I really can't afford to lose this job ... "

She looked up appealing to the impassive face whose words would surely seal her fate.

" ... please ..."

She whispered artfully.

Please ... buy this crap....
Her mind whispered deeply hidden behind her helpless facade.

 

[Steiner]

Andreas allowed a slight smile to curve his lips as he watched Yuri manhandling the waitress. She was having a bad day, and Nico seemed to keen to show him exactly how ruthless, how professional, he really was by ignoring the womans pain.

His eyes flicked an assessing glance over the woman again. Very beautiful. Excellent physical condition. A slight crease marred his brow - too good for a waitress? But then for all he knew she was an aspiring actress or just wanted a little pin money for the weekends.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

As if amused by her plea, the thug let her go.
He was obviously body guard to the boss.
To the side, Nico watched ineffectually.

"Thanks.."

She told the bully grudgingly rubbing her arm.
She glanced upwards quickly.
Thank goodness Adam was there.
What she was about to do was risky, but if she pulled it off, it would save her cover.
After all a dumb waitress wouldn't know the danger of trying to walk away from these guys.

"So ... I can go now huh?"

She looked at each man in turn.
Moving away from the thug, she approached Nico and touched his arm affectionately.

"I was only concerned about you babe..."

Then her face hardened as that of a woman scorned.

"I can see I've wasted my time..."

She rubbed her arm, looked across at the man who had pinned her, but only risked a fleeting glance at the boss.
She knew meeting his eyes would unnerve her.

"A shame ... we coulda been good together ..."

She purred and swung her hips to turn regretfully away from him.

She gave the impression of being unhurried, calm, but inside she was quaking.
Would they let her just walk away, amused by her petulance at Nico.
Surely they would see she was just another bimbo who had set her cap on the handsome Nico only to find that he had no interest in her after all.

Her ass swayed in the tight black skirt as she began to walk back down the alley towards the comparitive safety of the club.
The crisp white blouse was smart, yet showed an ample amount of cleavage and outlined her curves, just by the fact that the outfit was much less obvious than most of the waitressses' skin tight tops.

Her blonde hair was pinned high in a pony tail and despite the accompanying stockings and black heels, she had a "wholesome" look about her that Nico had been attracted to.

To keep calm she began to plan madly.
Once she was inside, she knew her priority was to make contact with Adam.
He was her main contact with the authorities.
He had posed as an occasional "client" in the bar, although she had never directly approached him before.
This time she would need to invent some ruse to enable them to speak.

She willed herself not to run.
She could feel Adam's eyes on her.
She knew she was being watched by the three men behind her.
What happened in the next minute was crucial ...
and all she could do was carry on walking slowly away ...

 

[Steiner]

"Now, Nico, if you've finished parading your private life in front of us all, perhaps we might just possibly get some work done, tonight? Hmmm?"

The rebuke was delivered in cultured tones, and offered as a mere observation, but its effect on Nico was gratifying. Tough guy that he was, he didn't let his voice quiver, but his tan complexion was definitely lighter than usual.

Yuri, his bodyguard, flicked a questioning look up at him, not reaching for the large pistol under his armpit, but getting ready to and Andreas silently shook his head. Again, this waitress had turned her back on them, something a professional would never do, but she was also walking normally, not favouring an arm that would be almost a single livid bruise tomorrow - she had good muscle tone, or was so frightened that she hadn't noticed yet.

Normally Andreas would never have discussed business before the woman shut the door on the way back in, but he wanted to gauge her reaction. If she was what she pretended to be then she'd keep walking, not even listening. But if she slowed down or found some excuse to stop...

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

"Now, Nico, if you've finished parading your private life in front of us all, perhaps we might just possibly get some work done, tonight? Hmmm?"

Her first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief.
They had bought it.
They were too focused on their business to let some little upstart disturb them.
Then immediately after relief, the professional clicked in.
" ... work done ..."
Something was going down that evening and she was that close to it.
Her step faltered marginally as her mind computed numerous ruses she could draw upon to stay out there and gather information, but instinct told her differently this time and she continued on her way.

Desperate though she was to know what those men were planning, she knew she'd already been too rash that evening.
She knew she'd almost gotten herself killed.
She knew that in doing so she'd put the whole operation and her colleagues at risk.

She pulled open the door and slipped inside.
She was late ... she would have been missed.
All she had to do was make sure that her absence was noticed and that she got ... very publically ... rebuked for it.
She didn't want to lose her job, but ...
Her mind ticked away.
She had to get to see Adam as quickly as possible ... and this seemed to be the easiest way.

She glanced at the clock and paused timing it perfectly before sauntering back into the bar.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

As we have no Nico at present, I think we can write in his words and actions until someone decides to take on the role or not.

Cast:

Michelle - DM (agent)
Adam - Scuttle buttin' (associate)
Mr Andreas Jaxarle - Steiner ( Big Boss)
James Thorn - Angelus (Body guard to Andreas - as yet unseen by Michelle - lets make him someone she would NOT have a file on?)

Roles still available:

Nico - Michelle's erstwhile target and ambitious gang member.
(smooth ladies man)

Yuri - Thug who grabbed Michelle. (silent type also)

Any other number of agents, associates, waitresses, clients.

Please PM brief bio/idea if you wish to join.

Scuttle and Steiner ... thanks for playing.
Welcome and thanks for joining Angelus!

I think we have the start of an interesting little scenario here!

{{{huggs}}}

Mari x

 

[Angelus]

OOC:
James Thorn
6' 2"
210lbs
Long Auburn hair
Blue eyes
Goatee

Bio: James is working for Andreas at the moment as he is somewhat of a hired gun. He takes jobs where and when he wants to. He does not talk much but he lets his actions speak for him. He does not kill people if he has to but if he is told to do so then he will. He is there as a deterant mostly- someone who stays in the background and stops anything from ruining his bosses plans.

IC
James stood with his back against the wall and watched everything before him with a slight smile on his face. Andreas's bodyguard was competent enough but he knew that if it came to a fair fight Yuri would lose in a second- that he was sure of. He did not want to do anything to disturb Yuri, to bruise his ego though so he would think that he was still worthwhile so he continued to stand there- trying to remain out of sight.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

Welcome Angelus and thanks for joining?

I have edited and updated the character list a few posts back.
I got confused myself - apologies to all.

Nico is the younger guy - the ladies man and a charmer.
(For now we'll write him in as no one has offered to play him.)
The thug guy who grabbed Michelle when she stumbled upon them is Yuri - again the silent type!

James is a character as yet unseen by Michelle.
Andreas' personal body guard, (whilst Yuri has been seen hanging about the club).
Might be an idea if Michelle does not have a file on him.
He has not been under surveillance at all yet.
Let me know if this suits?

Hope you all enjoy!

Mari x

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

"Where the fuck have you been!"

Michelle jumped at the angry voice that greeted her.
She dragged her mind back from what was still going on outside and wondered if Adam was catching it on video.

"I ... just ... needed some air ..."

She smiled lamely and shrugged.

"Air!! ... do you think I pay you to breathe now...?!"

She eyed him assessingly.
Mr Aldinetti, owner of the bar was known to have some shady connections, but wasn't really your hardened criminal type. A few dodgy liquer deals did not a gang leader make.

"I'm sorry Mr Aldinetti ... I thought Nico .... "

Artfully she let the tears well in her eyes.

"He was so .... "

They brimmed as she turned the blue pools up towards him.
He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Yeah ... right girl ... I warned ya ... dint I?
I tole ya but ... "

Michelle rubbed at her eyes and nodded.

"I know ... yeah... well ... I wouldn't go after him now if ... "

She heard the back door open.
It could be one of the staff, but it could be one of the guys sent to check her story.
She moved closer to the older man and let him put an arm clumsily about her shoulder.

"I thought he liked me ... "

''Chelle you should get an Oscar', she thought fleetingly, spinning out her tale of woe until she could be sure no one had followed her inside.

 

[Steiner]

Andreas

OOC: Welcome Angelus - a formidable character! Feel up to a scouting mission to check on our slightly suspect waitress?

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

Suspect? Me?

I thought I (Michelle) was giving a star performance!
*ggls*

What fun! hehehe!

Mari x

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

She dabbed ineffectually at her eyes and took a shuddering breath, before straightening up and smoothing her hair.
No one entering the bar through the back ... no sign of Adam at the front ... good he was still keeping them under surveillance.

She forced a smile.

"I should get back to work ... thanks Mr Aldinetti ... "

The man nodded, his face one of fatherly concern.
Michelle leaned forward and brushed his cheek with a kiss.
His smile broadened and his hand moved in a half hug.
With a shy smile, Michelle slipped beyond his touch and behind the bar.
He was nice enough ... she could keep him sweet ... but would have to be careful not to encourage him over much ...

 

[Angelus]

OOC: Of course I'm up to it.

IC:
James shook his head at the conflict that Yuri had had with the waitress. He should never have let himself done that and James would have to show him later what it meant to show off but right now he had better things to do.

He moved away from the wall and straightened up his coat before he walked towards the club- an unreadable expression on his face. As he moved towards the door James sought out points of attack, defense and places where people could be hiding- ready to take his picture. He wanted to be sure that there were no problems that came up with this one.

Without missing a step James walked into the club and sat down at a table that was away from the rest but still in a place that he could watch the waitress. She was beautiful but James had learned long ago that the more beautiful they were the more dangerous they were. He had made that mistake before and he had told himself that would never happen again.

He sat back in his chair and watched her, watching every way that she moved. He knew by the way that she moved that she could have beaten Yuri but that begged the question, why didn't she- what was she hiding?

Suddenly a waitress appeared at his table and after he ordered a drink he relaxed in his chair and scanned the inside of the club. He wanted to know where every thing was in this place, just in case he was told that he had to destroy it- it had happened before.

When the waitress came back he gave her a large tip then took a sip of the drink as he continued to watch the waitress.

 

[Scuttle Buttin']

It was a wonder of unknown proportion that Adam's teeth had not been worn down to simple, useless nubs as he continually ground them together, watching what happened across the street with Michelle.

The arrival of Andreas, and what appeared to be his brood, did nothing to help Adam's anxiety level, or his blood pressure. He began to form two plans, neither of which were particularly great options. The first had him running out the front of the building, completely blowing his cover, Michelle's cover, and likely spilling blood. They'd get Nico, perhaps, but on a bullshit charge at best, and he'd be back on the streets in months, if not weeks. With what he knew of Andreas, Adam doubted they'd have anything solid on him at all, and Michelle would likely have to be moved to a new division, if not a new city altogether, to keep her safe from Andreas' thugs. Adam may have to go with her. But still, it would be better than sitting up here and watching them twist her limbs off. Blown cover and case was better than a dead agent.

The second had him going out the back of the building, sprinting the two blocks to where his car was parked, and becoming just another customer at the club, in the hopes that he'd have Michelle as his waitress, and they'd be able to exchange some kind of useful information before he left her again. The thought of her being basically alone over there still left a hard lump in his stomach, no matter how skilled she was.

Thankfully, it seemed neither had to be used, and she was soon making her way back into the club. Adam stayed on her form for only a moment, some distant part of her mind noting the sway of her hips and the obvious curves of her body, and he shook his head slightly. The fact that she was with Nico, even if only in her undercover role, made bile rise in his throat. He wanted to wisk her away from this place, take her to some far off beach where she could run around safely, showing off her tanned legs and flat stomach, and he could watch her behind sunglasses instead of around corners.

Maybe someday...

But for now, he reminded himself, he had a job to do. And it appeared Nico and Andreas had some business to attend to themselves. Reaching over, Adam turned on the video camera that pointed across the street, and then reached down to a small box under his chair, and flipped three switches. The first activated an impossibly small microphone that looked like nothing more than an old piece of gum stuck inside a fingerhold used to lift a manhole cover in the street. The audio from it was usually pretty fair, although they had to run it through a computer to clarify all of it, and if a car happened to pass over, low conversation was completely obliterated. The second switch activated another microphone of the same type, this one hidden in a small bubble of what appeared to be an old and poorly applied "Gore/Lieberman 2000" bumper sticker on the back of a No Parking sign. The third switch turned on the reciever that would sync the audio and video together.

Not for the first, or last time, Adam silently marveled at the tech guys he worked with, and their ingenious ways.

With the audio and video recording, Adam stood from his chair, and moved to a table in a dark corner. Lifting a professional camera from the table, he went back to his spot, and began to snap photographs of Nico, Andreas, and Yuri, and then paused and frowned as another man he hadn't noticed stepped from the shadows and, with an unmistakeable glance around at his surroundings, entered the club. Adam was able to snap five pictures of this fourth man in rapid succession, and only hoped they'd be good enough to get some kind of I.D. and file on him. There was no doubt by the way he moved around these men, and the comfort with which they accepted his presence, that he was with someone in that group. Adam didn't think that someone was Nico.

Sitting the camera aside then, he pressed his eyes once again to the binoculars, and watched, a bit of the tension creeping from his muscles. They may've just dodged a very deadly bullet.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

Michelle slipped behind the bar. She smiled at the girl who touched her arm in a gesture of sympathy. Michelle shrugged and made a play of dabbing at her eyes before turning with a brilliant smile to serve the next customer. She was sure no one had followed her inside and forced herself to take her eyes off the door and concentrate on the “job” she had to do.

The club was busy, animated, yet not noisy. All around were tables, booths where people gathered to drink and talk. People came here more to relax than anything else, but Michelle knew to well that it was a cover for various … suspect … operations. The extent of Mr Aldinetti’s involvement was open to debate, but sufficient to say that the authorities had NOT taken him into their confidence when placing their agent in his establishment.

As the press of clientele eased temporarily, Michelle raised her head to glance about the room. She turned with a quick word to the girl by her side, then moved gracefully to pick up a tray and began to gather glasses. It was not a favourite job of those who worked the bar and to the casual observer, Michelle was making up for the extra time it had been necessary for the others to “cover” for her; in truth, it allowed her to move around the room and check if Adam had gotten free and to check once more if any of the men who had been meeting outside had returned to the building.

Moving slowly, Michelle gathered glasses and exchanged remarks with the customers. Occasionally there was the odd suggestive remark. As ever, Michelle flirted, but eased away if a … gentleman… looked like pushing his luck. The only man she had given the green light to had been Nico. It had been difficult pretending to carry a torch for an egotistical thug, but Michelle had done so and now was supposed to play the upset and rejected wanna-be girlfriend. She bent her head low as she gathered more empties, making sure her smile did not show. If it hadn’t been such a narrow escape out there, the situation would have been comic.

Moving back to the bar, she leaned the full tray and waited whilst the other girl removed the glassware, leaving it free for another sweep of the place.

”I think I missed a table at the back…”

Michelle informed her with a roll of the eyes.

”I’ll get them now … save us time later …”

Her counterpart nodded gratefully and Michelle set off once more, moving at a leisurely pace her eyes attentive as she moved through the club.

 

[Angelus]

James watched the waitress with fascination- he did not know who she was but he wanted to find out. He wanted to know all about her so he could stop her. He knew that there were other ways of doing so but he hated killing people if he didn't have to and because she was connected with Nico everything that Andreas had had planned would go up in smoke.

He let out a sigh and took a sip of his drink then sat back on his chair and went over everything in his head. Who the hell was this waitress? Was she just Nico's girlfriend, lover or just a cheap lay or was there something else about her? He hated not knowing things as they were the things that would completely fuck things up.

He then slowly got up off his chair and walked towards the men's room, watching the waitress as he did. As he moved closer to her he walked straight into her, knocking her sidewards a bit as he made his way there. He didn't say anything as he continued to walk into the men's room, closing the door behind him.

He walked straight into one of the cubicles and closed the door then sat on the toilet and wondered what she would say as soon as he walked out. Would she say anything at all?

He got up off the toilet and washed his hands before he walked out of the men's room and back into the main area of the restaurant.

 

[Steiner]

Andreas Jaxarle

Long established habit guarded Andreas's tongue as he spoke of business with Nico. Nico wasn't quite so subtle, but picked up on what Andreas was doing and managed to last out the conversation without being too obvious. Andreas was well aware that his enemies in this game were powerful governments and that everything from orbiting helicopters to secluded observers was possible.

Finally he felt that satisfied that Nico knew what was required of him. Aware that James had not returned from the club, Andreas decided to return with Nico into that establishment for the closing drink that the man always found so important at the end of talks like this. He supposed it was part of the cult of machisma that Nico subscribed to, and was more than happy to drink with the man if it helped retain his loyalty.

Yuri went first, checking all the corners and doorways as the three men approached the back entrance of the club, finally the Russian pushed his way through, his wide shoulders filling the doorway as Andreas followed him. After the seclusion of the alleyway, the club was loud and punctuated with bright lights - Andreas quickly selected a corner table and settled his back to the wall, letting Nico play host and secure decent drinks.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Michelle Levain

Michelle wove her way through the tables, the tray in hand. A group of men gestured towards her, calling her over obviously keen to order a round of drinks without having to get up and walk to the bar. Michelle turned towards them with a dazzling smile. Far from being irritated, she was grateful to have been given a reason to keep moving around the club.

She stood explaining that she had one more table to clear, but then would see to their order and bring their drinks “personally”. She flirted and giggled with the good natured group and graciously accepted the tip offered with a promise to be as quick as possible.

Moving swiftly to clear the table that had been her intended target, she felt herself knocked sideways as a man ran into her. She raised her head to give the customary apology, even though it was “he” who had not seen “her”, but he did not even acknowledge her presence. With a shrug and a brief thought to his rudeness, Michelle began to pick up glasses and stack them on her tray, turning to return to the bar. One thing about being an agent was that she found little difficulty in remembering a round of drinks. She gave a smile and a reassurance that she’d be right back as she passed her customers and continued on towards the bar.

Michelle had almost gotten to her intended destination when her step faltered. She had not seen Yuri come in, but she had just passed him heading for a secluded table he had selected. She glanced sideways at him, with convincing nervousness and turning her head found herself looking into Nico’s intense brown eyes. She caught her breath, her hands clutching the tray.

”Round a’ drinks, when you’re ready babe …”

He threw carelessly at her.
Business had obviously been concluded and he looked very sure of himself.
Michelle’s mind raced. Serving their drinks would give her a perfect opportunity but … in role, she knew she should tell him to go to hell.

”I’ll send Jade over … I’m busy …”

She eased past him, taking the tray around the bar and unloading it herself.
Nico looked displeased, then amused.
He was too sure of himself to care about her “rejection”.
Her colleague came with suitably soothing remarks and comforting gestures.
Only when the girl hugged her reassuringly did Michelle let her eyes drift over to the table.
All three men were there … Yuri … Andreas … and of course Nico.
She wouldn’t be sorry if her brief changed and she had to stop making eyes at that ….

”You see to your table of admirers, ‘Chelle and I’ll sort them out …”

Jade had seen the direction of her gaze.
Michelle would have to be careful not to be indiscrete.
Nodding, Michelle took a clean tray and began to prepare drinks and load them carefully.
She was careful not to look over at the table where Nico and his associates sat.
Finally she lifted the tray and made her way carefully across to her thirsty patrons.

Carefully handing out the drinks, Michelle laughed as they joked about what had taken her so long, but the banter was good natured.
Michelle did not pull away when one young man wound an arm around her waist.
She flirted and blushed, lingering longer than she usually would.
Besides her behaviour being in keeping with her role – (No one would blame her for trying to make Nico jealous, or making him realise that she was a desirable woman and that he was not the only man available) – this was a better vantage point, should she wish to move closer or react to anything that might be taking place in the secluded booth behind her.

Michelle laughed merrily at the outrageous compliment one of the men had just paid her and let her hand toy playfully on his shoulder as she pretended to scold him, an amused grin on her face, a suggestive spark in her eyes.