"You are late" A man the same pants size of a gorilla told me as I walked inside the ugly, poorly lit room. My boots thumped onto the darkened tiled floor, making it impossible for me not to count my steps as I neared the group of men that were waiting for me inside.
"I am aware" I said, lifting my chin up to lock eyes with the rugged man sitting on the trashiest desk I had ever seen in my life. I could tell he was the one in charge, for the way his dark eyes watched me in silence, and also because he was sitting in the middle of the room, I had seen enough action films to get that right.
I swallowed my spare saliva as I waited for them to say something. I was already debating whether this had been a wise decision, but the feeling I was getting in my gut was screaming at me to leave, to simply walk out and disappear. Being myself, I didn't listen.
"Ren..." The man in the middle said and my thoughts harshly crumbled back to the situation at hand. I had to stay focused, or else my luck would be handled by them and I was sure it wouldn't get me a desirable outcome. "What is your real name?" The man spoke, I could tell he had an accent, but I couldn't identify it, as my knowledge in foreign accents never earned me a living.
"Just Ren" I sternly said, holding my ground. It had been years since I'd told a single soul what my full name was, it was not a wise thing to do while running away and becoming a ghost. I couldn't afford people knowing my real name, and now I was even more aware of it.
"Just Ren" The man chuckled condescendingly. I arched my left eyebrow at him. "Well, Ren" He started. "Why don't you take a seat so we can talk business"
I'd come there to fulfill a mission. My reputation had preceded me as one of the most efficient robbers in west Europe. I had only a faint idea of who these people were, but I wasn't hopeful. I knew they were criminals, and the only reason I agreed to meet was because I was in desperate need for some money, which was something I had no doubt I'd get out from them.
"I'm deeply enticed about your ways of doing business" The man sneered at me and I instantly felt repulsed. "Naturally, my curiosity begs me to ask, is everything they say about you true at all?" He tilted his head and I shrugged.
"Depends on what you've heard" I sang, crossing my legs and sitting back in the uncomfortable wooden chair.
"Let me see... you trick rich men into sleeping with you, then you disappear with all their treasures, isn't that right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course it's true. But The way you say it doesn't provide a lot of merit" I said. "The sleeping part is the easy part, people always make of it like it's a big deal and ignore the real challenge of my work"
The man raised a suspecting eyebrow. "Which is?"
I smiled and pursed my lips. "Getting them to trust me enough to actually show me where they hide said treasures, without even telling them my name"
The man moved his gaze to one of the other men in the room and smiled an unattractive smile.
"I'm relieved to hear that, miss" He rejoined our eyes as he was handed a creme folder. "It will certainly be of use for the job we are offering you" He smacked the folder against the weak desk in front of me.
With the encouragement of the man's thick eyebrows lifting towards the folder, I leaned over and slipped my finger inside to open it. Automatically, my sight halted when I caught a glimpse of the deepest eyes I had ever seen. I was looking at the photograph of a man, a young man, he was dressed with a long coat and a suit, his hair seemed to be dark and it was neatly combed to compliment the clean shaved face he sported. The black and white picture showed him walking down a street with a suitcase in hand, his square jaw tightly pressed as his eyes looked directly at the camera. The sight of them made me feel uneasy, and I easily decidedly he could be the most handsome man I had ever seen.
Right when my eyes found a name and I read it in my mind, the leader's deep, throaty voice sounded in front of me.
"August Frost" The man rasped and the hairs on my arm lifted in an uncanny way. I lifted my eyes from the picture and the man smirked at me.
"Who is he?" I asked, not bothering to put on a more nonchalant mask when asking, I was eager to know.
The man signaled someone to his whiskey glass, then, lifting his dark eyes to me he damped his lips with his tongue. My attention was completely bought by then.
"Not much is known about him, other than he singlehandedly killed six men in cold blood before joining business" The thick accent was very notable now, I pondered if it was German or Russian, but it didn't really matter when listening about this mysterious man in the picture. I was stunned.
"He's one of the wealthiest mafia members in London, highly trained, master manipulator, calculating and utterly deadly. He is currently in the possession of this-" The man stabbed his big, dirty index finger on the suitcase in August's hand.
"What's that?" I asked, closing my fingers on my sweaty palms as I watched his eyes again. Even though it was not in color, I could tell his eyes were as blue as the sky.
"Something we need" He said and I arched an eyebrow. "You don't need to concern yourself about it, all you need to do is get it for us"
I looked down at the picture of the man in question. Something made me feel apprehensive.
"Why does it look like he has spotted the camera?" I asked with a dry tone. The alarms in my head kept ringing, telling me this was a suicide mission.
"Because he did" The man shrugged his lanky shoulders. "There's a reason you're here, Miss Ren" He said and I almost snorted at the way he referred to me. "He is impenetrable. Has no friends, no family, no relationships whatsoever"
"No women?" I asked, highly intrigued. A man that attractive couldn't possibly escape the interest of the fair ladies, it was not logical.
"Not that we know of" The man took a glass of whiskey from one of the other men and lifted it to his mouth. "He doesn't seem too interested in people in general"
"How are you so sure I'll be able to interest him then" My body was growing stiffer, my neck was already pulling. I knew I shouldn't be doing this.
"Weren't you a professional?" The rigged man lifted one messy eyebrow at me and I scoffed.
"I am. I just don't like to waste my time on gay men" I said, crossing my arms on my chest.
"Nothing indicates that he is" The man smirked. "Don't trouble yourself, miss. We are certain that you will manage to spark his attention" He folded his hands on his stomach, eyeing me with a disgusting tinge in his eyes.
I gave it a long thought. I wondered about the possible outcomes, would I be enough to interest him into inviting me to his home? What if I got caught? Was this situation over my head?
I took a deep breath as I looked down at the clear-eyed man in the picture. Why was I doubting myself? I had stolen from more dangerous looking men and it had been a piece of cake. It was time to toughen up, if there was something I was good at was fooling men to trust me, why would he be any different?
Right then another man's eyes entered my mind. My father's face appeared in my head. The hollows in his cheeks, the dark circles surrounding his eyes, the same deep eyes I had always known and loved, the eyes that told me no sickness could take away his soul, the eyes that urged me to keep going, to not give up.
I made up my mind. I was in desperate need of that money, and the task seemed easy enough, the risk was worth it.
I slid my tongue over my dry lips, then I looked up at the man with a twinkle in my eye.
"Let's talk payment"
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A.N// Hi! If you're reading this don't be shy and leave a comment! I'd love to know what you're thinking of it so far♥️
I want to portray a strong, fierce female character, while exploring the Femme Fatale archetype, because, who doesn't appreciate just a little of that?
PD. August Frost is vaguely inspired by August Walker from the latest Mission Impossible film (minus the iconic mustache). Why? Because... I couldn't resist.
Happy (and mouthwatering) reading!✖️