The building was unimpressive. Unimpressive but modern, with just a small, simple sign that told him he was at the right address. White marble, ink black stairs out of slate guiding to a simple, small glass door with golden door knobs. When he walked upstairs, another rush of nervousness was washing over him, but he had learned to not show it within the years, so he wore nothing but a polite, charming smile as he entered the lobby, coming to stand in front of a small, yet empty desk.
It looked like a hotel. An expensive hotel up in Denmark, meant to give old, worn out business man a place and opportunity to cheat on their bitter, uptight wifes with a 100% chance of not being caught, cause' they paid $2000 per night and maybe this what exactly what it was- but whatever the case may have been, Slash immediately felt out of place. Not that he wasn't used to expensive hotel lobbies, but somehow it all wasn't fitting together: The website, the weird, unusual system with a chat function and now the lobby - red carpet, more marble, gold- plated everything. They seemed to earn a whole lot of money with what they were doing, but their website really wasn't one of the classy types, judged by the simple "message me" button and the Facebook like profiles, but maybe they just had a bad IT- manager to-
He was abruptly torn out of his thoughts by a tall, blonde guy in leather pants and a worn out gray muscle shirt walking past him and coming to sit behind the counter to first rummage around, then get some polish out of his pocket to absently start polishing his nails.
Slash stared.
Stared at him getting midnight blue polish on his nails, stared at his fuzzy, dyed, white blonde hair and the way he seemed to not even notice him. He was damn quickly done with his right hand, but when he started with his left, Slash cleared his throat. The guy didn't look up, but sighed, before talking in a surprisingly rough voice. "Yo, whatya' want?"
Yo? Slash suppressed a chuckle. "Uhm...I have an appointment in ten minutes."
"Oh?"
Now he finally looked up to him, his light brown, eyeliner framed eyes literally checking him out by letting them shamelessly wander over every inch of his face and his body before he smirked. "Unfortunately not with me..."
What? How much weirder could a conversation be...?
"Uh...no...?"
"With whom? No! Lemme' guess...", he theatrically placed a hand at his chin, eyes small in concentration, "Ramona?"
"No..."
"Lisa?"
"No."
"Oh wait...Dean?", he smirked again, obviously checking out if he was gay or not, then started pouting slightly when Slash negated again, this time with a small laugh, cause' he somehow really liked that guy.
"Is it a woman?"
Slash couldn't help but feel a radiating heat crawling up his face when he shook his head.
"Oh! Well, you're not the type of a man to go out with a guy like me...so not Justin, not Bobby...Lars...Oh I know! Uh...again...Axl! Is it Axl?"
"Uhm...yeah..."
"Ha! That son of a bitch! Always gettin'the jackpot, damn...whatya chose? Female?"
"I...well...", but thankfully he didn't even have to give a proper answer with a small, petite girl with long, blonde locks in a black dress suddenly storming in, her high heels clattering loudly on the floor. "What are you doing here?!", she asked towards Slash's new found collocutor, giving him a gentle shove against the shoulder.
"Damn! Now I spoiled my index!"
"Get upstairs and do your nails elsewhere, Duff! Really! Now!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
He stood up and she shoved him again (what looked kinda cute since she was not reaching past his belly), but he really wasn't moving much. "Nice to meet ya'!", that Duff (like the beer?!) guy cheerfully yelled towards Slash, "n' kick his ginger ass for me! Oh and choose female, I tell ya'! Cause' he just got that awesome new purple dress, looks all stunni-"
"Duff! Go!"
"Yeah! Damn! Bye!" And he finally disappeared into the elevator, leaving a bemused Slash and an annoyed secretary behind.
"Sorry for that, sir."
"Ah don't worry. He wasn't bothering me at all."
"That's good to hear. How can I help you?" She seemed to properly work here.
"Saul Hudson. I have an appointment at one o'clock."
She opened a calender, searching with her long, red painted fingernails for the right entry. "Oh yes, I see. With Axl..."
"Yes." He blushed again, cursing himself for being all insecure, although there was really no need to and he was definitely used to meetings of all sorts. But somehow this was different, because he was confronted with a business he didn't knew a thing of- and everything for just a cute pic and a name to easily roll of your tongue. Axl Rose. Definitely not his real name and when further thinking about it, it sounded slightly like a stripper's, but somehow also not as the name was perfectly fitting for the way he looked. That fragileness, the paleness, the soft full color of his hair and the androgyny.
He has that new awesome purple dress...in his mind it looked breathtaking. The mix of colors...
The girl said something he missed, then politely pointed over to the elevator. "Go to the second floor, end of the hallway. Just get comfortable. I'll send him upstairs in a few."
"Ok. Thank you." He walked over, all composed; then suddenly he was so unsure that he hesitated to press the button, but he also couldn't just walk out again, so he did it anyway with a sigh to himself as he smoothed his hair back once more, the jacket of his suit dangling over his arm, revealing the lilac shirt he wore under it. The unsureness was increasing with every second- why was he here? It was unreal. He hadn't even seen that guy for real, but already he was way too attracted to him.
Choose female, I tell ya'!
Confusing...everything was confusing. He didn't even prefer any gender, as he believed to be attracted to a person, to a character, to a smile and a voice, intelligence and the look in someone's eyes, to a body, to a face, but not to a specific sex, but still he hadn't much experience with men. Some dates, making out for a few times, but nothing more. But then he wasn't here for more, he wasn't even here for an actual date. It was business. It was a deal- A contract he wasn't even in need of.
The elevator stopped with a beeping sound and he stepped out and walked down the hallway (also white marble), then opened the glass door at the end of it, finding himself in a rather cozy, wide room with two comfortable looking black armchairs out of leather with a small, low desk in between them, some plants, palm trees, just a small, covered window and everything bathed in kinda dim lights that gave everything a relaxed atmosphere. It could have been inside of a fancy bar. VIP lounge. Nice trick. Setting an escort deal probably worked better in a fake bar, then in an sterile office.
He sat down, hands folded in his lap and looked around for a while. It smelled like vanilla, a wooden, sweet scent of luxury, probably coming from the fragrance candles on the windowsill and god, he was in need of a drink with the air's stickiness drying his tongue and flooding his mouth with the promise of candies or sweet liquor. Some nice bourbon...simple, with an ice cube...or maybe liquor 43 with cream...or a cigarette...a cigar maybe? He wiped the sweaty palms of his hands to his suit pants, inhaling sharply to calm his nerves, until finally the door opened and the images of pale skin and red-golden hair became vivid in front of his eyes with Axl entering the room.
He had his hair all loose, reaching past his elbows and falling over the white pullover he was wearing. It was a thin material, loosely falling down to his knees what had combined with a gray, faded jeans and polished black boots, Doc Martins probably, a few long, fragile silver chains dangling from his neck, perfectly fitting with the small bracelets on his arms. In a second Slash was sure that he was on of the most handsome men he had seen in his life; his androgyny was eye- catching.
He looked expensive, but rebellious, intelligent, but reserved, his polite smile a seductive mix out of arrogance, pride and sensuality, what all in all just gave him...class. Classy- the way he did a few solid steps towards the opposite armchair, then casually slid down, his legs crossed, one shiny black leather boot dangling in the air and in front of Slash eyes as he offered his hand. Then he spoke. "Hi."
His voice was deep. Surprisingly deep, rough, rumbling, calm and just slightly nasal, a velvet baritone with a subtle sharp scratchiness.
"Hey", Slash answered, shaking his warm hand shortly, seriously cursing himself for having cold and sweaty, damp hands, but the other didn't even seem to notice as he just looked at Slash, smiling again and this time it told two things: He was definitely very damn sure that he was the absolute shit and he definitely was a professional and it also brought two realizations- he wasn't even in the slightest an option for what Slash needed and yes, it was a business meeting, the certainty of that fact transformed every tiny bit of Slash's nervousness into hard-bitten control.
He was used to this, he could handle a business meeting with the pinkie of his left hand, so he leaned back and just looked at Axl Rose in polite anticipation of what his next move would be. It was simple smalltalk.
"It's nice to meet you.", he said, his eyes scanning Slash's face for not really longer than necessary, but long enough to tell that he was checking his looks.
"Yes. Indeed. It is."
"I like your suit."
"Thanks."
"Not much of a talker here?"
"Depends."
"You work for a real estate company?"
"Yes. ACG global."
"Oh, I actually know them."
He definitely did not.
"That's good to hear, we are actually quite a deal."
"You sound proud and you don't look like a realtor...let me put one and one together?"
"Didn't you google my name?"
Axl gave a quite chuckle, the first sign of him not playing a never differing role, and flipped his hair back while taking a cup from the desk into his hand and fill himself some soda. "Well, I didn't google by myself, mind you...but I know what position you fill. We do research on all potential clients."
"I guessed that."
It wasn't a tensed atmosphere, but more a mocking, playful tone and the plan formed in Slash's head alarmingly easy, despise it's total absurdity.
"So, what kind of events do you usually attend?"
"Just the usual, I guess. No special deals, just dinner...and stuff."
"And stuff?"
"Yeah...stuff..."
Axl laughed again, one eyebrow raised. "I like you."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"Well, it means you can book if you want."
"We haven't even talked about money yet."
"Oh, to be honest I didn't assume you'd have any problems with money."
"May be right." Slash grinned and Axl had a sip of his water, before licking his lips slowly, looking up into Slash's face with his head slightly tilted, obviously doing a show as it was getting more serious now. It may have been all acted, but it was a pleasure to watch nevertheless and they both knew that.
"Well, the fee depends on what exactly you want; which events, for how long. Do you want me to play your boyfriend? Girlfriend? Wife? Or am I just a simple accessories? I can do it all. You pay a stated amount for the event per hour and you pay if you need me to wear something special. Do you have a date set?"
"Actually not."
"Ok, then you get an overview about all costs from the office and you can call to book whenever you need an escort, as long as I am free."
Axl smiled, all polite, but seemingly in a bored hurry as he was looking at his nails now, checking them and quietly clicking his tongue. Slash didn't even hesitate with his next step, because not just Axl seemed to always get what he wanted, no, he was used to that as well and he wouldn't be in his current occupational situation if he wasn't a genius with making unusual things possible. "Look...", he started and Axl did look, slightly surprised judged by his expression, "I am sure you don't hear that too often, but apparently I am not in need of an escort."
"What?"
"I am not in need for the service your company has to offer, but I have a suggestion for you of which, I am sure, you could be fond of."
Axl raised both eyebrows now as he tensed visibly in his seat. "Ok...?"
It was spoken with tensed caution.
"Here's the deal: You will come to my house twice a week to have dinner and a nice evening. I will pick you up. I will bring you back and I will pay more than your regular sales."
Now Axl stared, then his brows were furrowing, his nose wrinkling in a mixture of disgust and maybe rage, what looked more honest than every other expression Slash had so far seen on him. "Are you some kind of pervert?"
Now Slash laughed, although he was slightly unsure of in what this conversation would end. Maybe he would simply be thrown out? "No I'm relatively sure that I'm not."
"You want me to come to your house?"
It was slightly amusing to see him completely baffled like that, all rug pulled from under his feet. "Exactly."
"For dinner?"
"Exactly."
"You realize you can't just ask me out for a regular date?!"
"Yes. That's why I said, I'm gonna pay."
Axl sat up slightly, leaning forward in a dangerously harsh movement. "I. Am. Not. A. Fuckin'. Whore."
"I never said that."
"You want me to privately come to your house and have dinner and some drinks and watch TV and what then?! What did you imagine, you freak?!"
"Definitely not what you might think. I just want you to have dinner with me. Or watch TV, yes. Or maybe both."
"Why should I even believe you?! I don't know you at all! Tell me one reason why I would agree to weird shit like that."
Slash leaned back. "Because I pay $3000 per evening."
And there he had him back to interest as enough money could arrange mostly everything. Not really a good value to believe in, Slash knew that, but maybe exactly this knowledge, the certainty of the transparent unmorality called venality, allowed him to reach his aims: Because for himself money didn't mean shit and he was always willing to pay much, to invest maybe too much into things that judged by their pure value weren't worth it, but they were for him. Personally.
Axl sank deeper into his seat as well again, the angry color of his face replaced by skepticism and again he was a pleasure to watch, just because of his even face that was somehow beautifully deranged by natural mistrust. He looked like an angel simultaneously attracted and repelled by the depravity of the human race he wasn't a part of. "You are willing to pay $3000 per evening, means $6000 per week for me to hang with you?"
"Yes."
"And you don't want to fuck me?"
"No."
"And you won't try?"
"No."
"But why?"
"Is that really of importance for you? You can have the $6000 or not."
Axl watched him very sceptically, but Slash was already sure that he had managed to convince him, his body language clearly showing that he was still unbelieving but definitely not that too reluctant anymore. "Uh...no kissing?"
"No."
"No groping?"
"Nope."
"Cuddling? Hair stroking? Stuff like that?"
"Only if you want to. If not I'm all ok with that."
"You pay for dinner?"
"Yes."
"It's...like escort..."
"It is. Just not for public appearances."
Axl drank more soda, staring into nothingness, obviously over-thinking it, before very slowly letting his cup sink.
"It's...still weird...how can I be sure that I can trust you? What if you just wanna murder me?"
"You actually think that?"
"I dunno..."
"What about that: I'll give you a key for my apartment?"
"What?!"
"Well I can't make you trust me, but I can show you that I will trust you."
"You are totally nuts."
"Maybe...yeah...so you're in or not?"
Axl had a hand at his chin, seemingly very unsure of what to say, but Slash just waited patiently, until Axl looked back into his face. "Fuck it...ok."
"Ok?"
"You are an absolute weirdo, but ok. Where do you even live?"
"City center. But I will simply send you a cab."
"Not to my flat!"
"Then pick you up here?"
"Around the corner."
"Sure, I can arrange that."
"Two days a week, yes?"
"Yes. I go for Wednesday and Friday."
"Friday could be difficult. Ya' know, I have some real jobs to do."
"Every Wednesday then. The second day can differ each week."
"It's Monday today...so we start the day over tomorrow and after our first meeting I will decide if we gonna'have a next."
"Fine with me."
"Good. How will you pay?"
"Give me your account data and your first $3000 will be there in a few hours."
"Ok. How do you want me to come? I'm playing something...like...your platonic wife...right? So girls clothing?"
"Come in whatever feels comfortable."
The skeptical glint in Axls eyes seemed to increase, but he said no more, just stoop up and checked his prominent, golden watch. "Ok then. I have another appointment in a few."
Slash stood up as well, getting into his suit jacket, before walking over the door with Axl following. They separated in the hallway. "Which time?"
"Around 7?"
"7:30."
"Alright. You'll get that key per post."
"Yeah you can send it to the office with my name on it. They won't open. Dude, they really shouldn't find out..."
"Maybe you're right about that...anyway, expect the key tomorrow. See you then!"
"Seems so."
Slash stepped back into the elevator, seeing a last glimpse of shiny, red hair with the doors closing.
What exactly had just happened? That Axl guy was right. He was totally nuts.
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Yeah, I should upload my other fics, but I just can't help myself xD Thank you all so much for your great support! This is going to be a looong one, so I really need all support I can get :D
Hugs to all :*