Chapter 15 - A familiar client

“Hey, Mason. What’s up? Giovanni O’Connell spoke into his phone as he descended the stairs of the Watford mansion currently shirtless and wearing only causal jeans, that fit perfectly around his toned chiselled waist.
“I’m alright Gio. Why did you call?” mason questioned on the other end. The young boy found it weird that Giovanni had called him, which is why he braced his mind to listen to him ask for a favour. Although, deep down, he hoped for once that his gut was wrong. But as he heard Giovanni’s next words, his heart contorted.
“I need a favour” Giovanni O’Connell uttered casually as he picked an apple from the fruit basket, biting on it and then taking a seat on the dining situated in the middle of the room.
Mason on the other end let out a disappointed sigh. “Ask away” came Mason’s reply. Despite his feelings not being reciprocated, he was willing to do anything for Giovanni.
“So, I need to get in contact with Hunter, can you make that happen?” the young man asked, putting a chair and placing his feet on it. At once, Topaz walked into the room, picked an apple from the fruit basket as well, and instead of taking another seat, she kicked out Giovanni’s leg, pulled the chair and got comfortable.
Giovanni frowned at this, but then Topaz stuck out her tongue to him, making the young man roll his eyes.
“Uh... I can work out something. But, why don’t you just reach out to Reik? He’s Hunter’s right-hand man and with your status, I’m sure he can quickly arrange a meeting for you two” Mason explained.
Giovanni let his words sink in, and nodded in approval. “Yeah, I can do that, how about you fix me a meeting with Reik then?” Giovanni added.
“Okay sure. I’ll get back to you shortly”
“’ Thank you” Giovanni was about to hang up with Mason’s brisk tone interrupted him.
“Hold on! What do I tell Reik when he asks?” asked Mason.
Giovanni was silent for a while as he pondered. “Just tell him a client wants to book a night with his best worker,” said Giovanni taking the last bite of his apple.
Mason’s heart broke into a million pieces. Here he was trying, helping his crush spend a night with a girl he evidently still had feelings for. He didn’t know whether to consider himself foolish or just really kind.
“You got it” Mason tried to mask the pain in his voice.
“Thank you, Mason, you are a great friend” Giovanni bid him goodbye and hung up the call, then he turned to Topaz with a frown on his face. “What the hell is your problem?”
Topaz O’Connell rolled her eyes at her brother’s insensitivity. “No, what the hell is wrong with you? First, you insist on going through with your stupid plan, even after I told you it’s a bad idea. Now, you just had to involve poor Mason knowing full well that he is head over heels in love with you. Not only are you going to hurt Wren should you push through with your plan, but you will be hurting Mason. The poor guys wants nothing but attention from you, and you just… uh! Fuck up” Topaz O’Connell abruptly pushed the chair where she sat to the side, before storming out of the kitchen.
“Don’t come running to me when it bits you in the ass” the young girl grumbled one more time before mounting the stairs.
Giovanni was in awe at everything that just went down.
“What the hell just happened?”
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Giovanni O’Connell frowned as he was being led through a dark creepy and ghost-haunted-like alley. He couldn’t help but take in his surroundings. At some point, fright made him fold his arms, and when that didn’t help, he ran his hands up his arms.
After what felt like an eternity for Giovanni O’Connell, they finally negotiated a bend that led to a brighter room, still, with the same creepy atmosphere.
The young man couldn’t help but wonder about the kind of human who would decide to live in a place as horrible as this. It wasn't just the atmosphere that scared him, but also the oozing stench of what he assumed to be a series of dead bodies destroying his nostrils.
Giovanni hadn’t realized that the older man before him had stopped walking and as a result, he bumped into him.
Reik gave Giovanni a life-threatening stare as he pushed open the door, revealing Hunter sitting in a throne-like chair.
“Go on” Reik ordered.
Giovanni nodded with fear on his face. Only then did he realise that he should have followed his sister’s advice and not push through with his plans. The young man took exactly four steps before the door was slammed, making him gasp in fear.
“Oh look, it’s Craigsburg’s prodigal son” Hunter’s Tequeido signature soothing creepy voice resonated in Giovanni’s ear. The young man felt like an eight-year-old with stage fright being forced to perform in front of a gazillion people.
For once, his cocky and confident attitude had bailed on him.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to the memorial service. As you can see, business has been a little… tight” the ugly-looking man said, and the room was suddenly filled with laughter, alerting the young man that they weren’t alone.
Giovanni didn’t reply, and after Hunter had refrained from laughing, he asked his next question;
“What brings you here today?” Hunter asked.
Giovanni cleared his throat before speaking up. “I hear I have to pass through you before getting a night with one of your girls” he stated.
“I don’t know who told you that, but they’re right. So which girl are we talking about? You should know, the prices vary” he warned.
The young man was starting to get upset. Despite that, he was pleased because the next time he spoke, he was more poised and filled with confidence.
“Wren Austin,” he said.
Hunter Tequiedo seemed to be stunned by Giovanni’s statement.
“Wren Austin?” he questioned.
“Yes”.
Hunter was silent for a while. He didn’t know how to respond to this request. He was aware of the history between the young man standing before him and Wren. Matter of fact, he had been caught up with the latest hearsay in town. He was hoping that hearing all that will make the young man stay clear of the girl, but he was wrong.
“I am willing to pay quadruple the amount you normally charge. I am talking about five million francs here” Giovanni added. He knew that Hunter wouldn’t turn down such an offer.
“Five million francs? With an amount like that, I have nothing more to say. She’s all yours. Do with her as you please. Reik will show you out and fill you in on the modalities” Hunter replied trying to mask the contentment in his voice.
On cue, the door was pushed opened and Giovanni was being led through the creepy hallway. This time, he was less scared as he was mentally preparing himself to meet up with Wren. It wasn’t long until Reik had explained everything to the young man, and he was amazed at how fast everything had been put in place.
Apparently, Wren was already waiting for him.
Well, not him per se. Her client for the night.
The young man was starting to panic. Now, he stood outside the room, his palms sweaty. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to knock or just walk in.
“I just have listened to Topaz. This is a horrible idea” he murmured to himself.
Taking deep breaths to boost up his confidence, the young man pushed open the door and made sure to close it behind him.
“Hey, Aus. We meet again” Giovanni uttered with a smug smile on his face.
“You! What are you doing here?” Wren Austin questioned with vexation in her voice.
"Isn't it obvious, my sweet girl?" he inquired with a smirk on his face as he walked toward the girl.
"I am your client for the night" he replied, brushing the tip of his finger against Wren's chin.
The young girl burst into a fit of laughter. She found what he said to be preposterous.
"I'd rather poke my eye with a burning stick than have sex with you" Wren spat, frowning as she saw another smirk appear on Giovanni's lips.
"Too bad you're gonna lose an eye. Because trust me, I am going to have sex with you" Giovanni replied with a smug look on his face, making Wren's face flush with anger.

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