On Probation

Isaz.

From across the street, she watched her mark exit his office building and walk down the street to the direction of the bar she knew he would go to. Said bar was two blocks away. Given the distance and how his usual stride, it would take him around six to seven minutes to get there. 

Quickly, she entered a narrow alley. A few seconds later, she walked out another alley into the dark street of the bar two blocks away from the man's office building. She dropped a gold coin into the panhandling hat of a homeless guy, a gatekeeper, lying beside it. Soon, her silhouette passed through the red lights of the bar's door.

~

She threw her head back as she laughed at something he had said. Her brunette soft curls gracefully cascaded on her shoulders and her back as she moved her head.

"I'm flattered," he said. "I really am. But I'm not that funny."

She lightly touched his arm and leaned closer to him. "You are," she told him in her throaty voice. "I simply understand your sense of humor."

He grinned, falling for her charms. "I don't usually get as much laughs as I'm receiving tonight."

"Hmmm?" She smiled as she sipped her drink and looked at him through her lashes. "I think it's an especially lucky night for you."

It was. He only frequented this bar when he was almost closing a deal. And during those rare times, he did not have an alluring woman approach and flirt with him. It was a big client and she was giving her the confidence he needed.

The DJ's thumping bass has been giving her a headache. She wanted to get it over with. She waved at the bartender.

"Would you be a darling and lend me a pen," she asked when he approached, "and my bill?"

She wrote her number on the tissue coaster and kissed it to leave a mark.

"Why don't I pay your drinks for you?"

"Oh, don't do that. It's rather old-fashioned. I'm quite capable of paying for my own drinks. However, my offer still stands. When you decide to make your fantasies come true, give me a call." She folded the coaster and slipped it into his breast pocket. Leaning much closer than she had been doing earlier to whisper in his ear, "I enjoyed your company," she said. "I hope it won't be the last."

She walked to the door, stopping just in front of it to look back at him. He was still looking at her, a positive sign. She smiled before opening the door and stepping out.

Reeta tightened her coat's belt around her to guard from the cold Autumn wind. Puffs of her breath mingled with the late night air.

"That should cinch it," she thought as she walked away from the bar. It wasn't in the nice part of town, but neither was it in the seedy parts. Still, it wasn't where she would go if she had her way. But the target was a workaholic who only visited this bar for a wish-me-luck drink before closing deals. 

She had tried to accost him a few days ago at the lift on his apartment building. The schmuck apparently played with a cat he saw at the parking basement while she had an armload of groceries and waiting for him to ride the lift. So she had to abort as she was drawing attention standing by the doors doing nothing. His type wasn't her ideal case assignment, but cherry picking work was frowned upon and she wasn't on her bosses' good side.

"What aberration of a human would choose to open a bar and not permit smoking inside," she muttered under her breath. 

She walked the dark street looking for a place to safely smoke. Sure, she could talk her way out of getting charged if the police caught her. But they would know. She hasn't been doing well with her case work lately that a negative mark wouldn't slide. She found an alley littered with cigarette butts, a universal sign of a safe smoking area. She lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply. She enjoyed her smoke while telling herself that the assignment went well.