Chapter Text
Kate stared down at the pavement below her feet as she tried to muster the courage to actually cross the street to the nightclub. She let a heavy sigh fall from her lips as she looked up at the building, neon lights buzzing in a few of the old building’s blacked out windows. This was not a good idea in the least. But what choice did she really have?
Taking a deep breath, Kate pulled every ounce of courage she had and stepped off the curb, letting her black heels fall in time with the music radiating from the building. She strode with confidence as she passed several people waiting in line behind velvet ropes, only stopping when she was face to face with two bouncers. She tugged a small black card from her coat pocket and held it out between her fingers. Without hesitation, the smaller of the two bouncers opens the door, letting the deep bassed music spill into the streets. Kate nodded her thanks and stepped in, various colored lights and the loud music consumed her senses as she raked her eyes across the room.
The large dancefloor must have held at least a hundred bodies moving along with the music, while several people crowded the bar. Looking a little closer, she found the neon sign signaling the VIP section of the club. She moved expertly through the crowd, not letting a single person touch her. Once again she came face to face with two bouncers, these men being much bigger than those who guarded the front door. She presented the card, rewarding her with a few confused looks from the bouncers. They made quick eye contact before one of them turning, motioning for her to follow him.
Kate smiled at the other bouncer politely as he watched her closely, a hint of something in his expression that she couldn’t place. Soon she was walking down a long corridor, the left wall covered in a floor to ceiling mirror. It reminded her of the mirrors in a ballet studio she attended when she was young. She watched her own reflection for a moment as they walked, her hair laid in soft curls, framing her round face beautifully as her black attire contrasted well with her crimson lipstick.
They passed a few doors before making a right turn, a set of stairs coming into view. The bouncer stopped just before the stairs, turning to her abruptly.
“I can take your coat ma’am.” She replied with a soft yes as she turned, allowing him to slide the wool coat off her shoulders, revealing what could only be described as a little black dress underneath. It was a tight-fitting strapless dress, the length stopping about midthigh, allowing her thigh tattoo to peak out the bottom. She turned back to face him, only to find him blatantly staring at her chest.
“Up the stairs and to the right, you can’t miss him,” was all he said as he began to make his way back from where they came. She turned her attention back to the stairs. She slowly and carefully made her way up. As she came to a halt on the landing, she found herself standing on the balcony high above the dancefloor. She stepped closer to the hand railing, taking a moment to look over the crowd. From here she could really get a feeling for how big the club really was, but also how high off the ground she was.
Kate took a step back from the edge before turning to her right. A small VIP section occupied the space. From where she stood she could only see one person. One man to be exact. He sat with his back to her, his black hair fell just short of his shoulders. She could see he was seated in a lounged position, his arm lazily propped up on the arm of the chair he was seated in, a cigarette loosely held between this fingers. She could just barely make out several tattoos covering his arm, large patterns that disappeared under the rolled up sleeves of his back shirt.
Kate stepped less confidently closer to him, unsure if he knew she was even there. As if he heard her thoughts, his free hand came up, motioning to her to come closer. She slowly crept closer, until she stood next to the chair he was seated in. He slowly brought his smoke up to his lips not looking at her. Now that she was closer, she could tell that he was a tall, well build man. She could see the muscles of his arms move and stretch the fabric of his shirt as he leaned forward and stood to face her.
Kate soon found herself face to face with the man’s chest, the top 3 buttons of his shirt were undone, allowing her to see large patterns of tribal tattoos flow up his chest and neck, stopping below his jaw. He must have been almost a foot taller than Kate, his shoulders twice as wide as she was. She had to tip her head back to look at his face. His honey brown eyes caught her gaze as he seemed to stare straight into her soul. He wore a lopsided grin that sat well on his sharp features. Everything about his man made her feel like she was in danger, but she stood frozen like a deer in headlights.
He took a step forward into her personal space, his expression changing as she simply stared up at him. She felt trapped under his gaze, wanting to run but her body wouldn’t. She watching him bring the cigarette back to his lips, taking a long drag before easily blowing the smoke over her head.
“What is such a pretty thing like you doing in a shark tank like this?” His voice was deep and husky, just louder than the music playing on the floor below them. Kate couldn’t make her mind find the words she so confidently rehearsed in front of her bedroom mirror just a few hours ago. He chuckled softly, a grin spread across his face as she simply stared at him. “I would have remembered asking a doll like you to come to see me. So how did you get in sweets?”
“My-My father. He borrowed from you.” Kate stumbled over her words, she was downright scared. She imagined all load sharks being like the godfather, not this very large, very intimidating man standing in front of her.
“Oh, you’re going to have to be more specific than that doll. I loan to many, many men.” For the first time since she laid eyes on him, Kate dropped her gaze to the floor. She shifted awkwardly in her heels, trying to collect herself. She closed her eyes, trying to take a few calming breaths when she felt a large hand softly slide under her arm.
“Why don’t we go to my office sweetie. We can talk more privately there.” She opened her eyes, letting him guide her by the arm back down off the balcony. He kept his pace slow as they made their way down the stairs. Just a few paces down the hall from the VIP he stopped to open a door on the left side of the hall. He gently untucked his hand from her arm to lay it across her lower back, leading her into the room first.
Kate tried not to think about how big his hands were, how just one hand covered almost her whole back, making her feel so small as she stepped into what she assumed was his office. The large room had many painting hanging on the walls, most of them being landscapes, but a few abstract pieces hung here and there. One wall of the room was one large bookshelf with hundreds of books overflowing from it, leaving a few stacks of books on the floor next to the dark wood desk that sat in the center of the room.
She tried to think back to her woodcraft class to identify the wood when she heard the distinct click of the lock. She then became very aware of how quiet the room was. Not only was she trapped here, locked in, but the room was soundproof too.