The Cake is a Lie

[Dru]

Dru had to admire the palace. The architecture, the landscaping, the regalia of the finer things that necessary and expected when visiting one of the best brothels in Cinnagar.

Dru had made the acquaintance of the owner many years prior and now that the prospect of their business ventures overlapping had arisen, it was time to meet face to face and see what they could agree to.

She had a feeling it would be quite a lot. They were similarly minded and equally astute on the minds and hearts of men. At least when it concerned their appetites for female companionship.

Dru buzzed the door chime and waited, her make up done lovely but reserved, except for her trademark red lips. Her long dress coat covered most of her attire but she had dressed for business, a finely tailored suit and sharp heels to cap it off.

[member="Gyselle Swallows"]

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Eli, the house manager and Gyselle's personal assistant was walking across the main floor when he heard the front door chime. He looked at the datapad at the time. It was rather early for callers, but then again, the palace never slept. He changed the direction of his stride and made his way to the door.

He opened the door to see a very beautiful well dressed woman standing there at their door. He smiled at her widely and spoke.

"Welcome to The Palace. Welcome. Please come in. My name is Eli. How can I help you?"

 

[Dru]

Dru smiled widely, stepping into the foyer, her eyes taking in the lush interior of the mansion. She had heard great things about the home which Gyselle called her own, but the rumors hardly did it justice. Rich, dark wood and glossy marble floors stretched deeper into the house, and while it seemed rather quiet, it did not give the impression of a house that sat empty for any long period of time.

The air was scented with huge bouquets of flowers, some of them not native to Empress Teta, and rather expensive to boot if Dru knew any better.

She pulled her eyes away from her surroundings long enough to look in the expectant face of Eli, her voice velvety and rich.

"Hello, I'm Drucillia Maldives and I have an appointment to speak with Madame Swallows."

She unbuttoned her coat carefully with gloved hands and slid it off her shoulders to reveal her business attire. Tucking her gloves in the pocket, she handed it over to Eli to be hung up.

[member="Gyselle Swallows"]

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Eli nodded to her and took her coat.

"Of course. Domina is just in her office. Please have a seat. I will send over Alkaia to tend to your needs. We have a lovely brunch already started, as well as tea, cafe and some lovely whiskey, or a little bubbly if you wish. I shall go fetch Domina to join you."

Eli summoned Alkaia, a lovely deep purple twi'lek that had been serving Gyselle for many years. "Alkaia, this is Ms. Maldives. Please see to whatever she would like while I go get Domina."

Eli hurried away, stopping to hang their guest's coat in the foyer.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eli knocked softly on the door of her office. "Domina, your appointment is here. Alkaia is tending to her now. Do you need a moment?"

He opened the door to see his Madam and boss in her elegance at her desk. She removed her glasses and stood, smoothing out her dress.

"Thank you my pet, I will see her now. I have been expecting her. Please make sure that my tea is at the table and would you be a dear and have some biscuits as well."

Gyselle walked toward him, taking his hand and leaning in, kissing his cheek. "You are such a good boy. Thank you." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand before she walked out into the foyer.

"Ms. Maldives," she said as she approached the chairs where the woman was sitting. She extended her right hand and smiled broadly. "It's such a pleasure to meet you finally. I trust Alkaia has taken care of you. Can I get you anything else?"

 

[Dru]

Dru followed the lovely violet thing to a small alcove in a small parlor off the main room. There was a pair of high backed wing chairs, upholstered with a soft fabric that Dru couldn't quite name. She picked one with the full view of the door, unbuttoning her suit jacket as she sat down. Beneath the tailored grey pinstripe, Dru wore a simple cotton dress shirt in bright shade of red, that mirrored her bright red lips.

Between her dark eyes and hair, the red was just the perfect shade to make her lip pop.

She smiled at the Twi'lek.

"Caf please, cream and two sugars."

Alkaia nodded politely and fetched the beverage while Dru sat back into the cushioned embrace of the chair. It was comfortable and well made, and spoke of understated refinement and elegance. Just like everything else in the palace. Alkaia handed her a cup and saucer, her smile soft and sweet while also setting out a cup of tea for the other chair.

Dru took the proffered drink just as Gyselle entered the room but set it down on the small table to rise and formally greet her hostess.

"Please, call me Dru. Alkaia has been wonderful, I'm fine for the moment, thank you."

She waited until Gyselle moved to sit before she retook her previous chair.

"Thank you for meeting me on short notice. I am a great admirer of yours. I believe you and I could help each other out."

[member="Gyselle Swallows"]

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Gyelle smiled and released Dru's hand. She sat, crossing her legs just as Eli brought over a tray with her tea, biscuits and a pot of hot water.

Gyselle smiled at the boy. "Thank you Eli, that will be all for now. Please go check to make sure everything is ready for the midday rush."

Eli nodded and smiled at Gyselle. "Yes Domina." and left the room.

Gyselle poured her tea and let it steep. "So what exactly are you proposing Ms. Mal... Dru? I'm quite curious as to what we could do for each other. I'm always looking for ways to promote by business."

 

[Dru]

"It's quite simple, Gyselle. We're both in the business of secrets. Secret lives, secret desires, secret needs are the foundation your beautiful house is built on. Mine is built on secret whispers, secret deals, secret alliances. But where my means end, yours just begin. I acquire my information through the employ of well cultured and utterly thorough agents who have been trained in intelligence work. However your girls have a far more intimate connection to their clients. Something I am branching into."

She took a sip from her cup, a sly smile on her lips before she continued. She held the saucer in her left hand, resting just above her lap while she met the gaze of the Domina.

"Let me be blunt. We both value discretion and I think it would be more beneficial to entwine our futures rather than compete for the same pool of talent and clients. Not everyone who hires an escort through BJH is given an agent, naturally. However, I have no interest in competing with you. Rather, cooperation and allowing you greater profits through an expanded business venture away from the palace."

She waited to see how Gyselle would react, another sip from the cup. It was really good caf.

[member="Gyselle Swallows"]

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Gyselle listened as she bit into her biscuit. A combined business venture could be very beneficial to them both. And Dru certainly seemed to have her wits about her. Gyselle already had Eli do some background checking on her. She definitely ran a profitable business and was very professional. She was also very good about keeping her secrets, well... secret.

Gyselle took a sip of her tea and waited for the end of Dru's proposal. "You make a very good point. I did my research, and I have to say that I am very impressed by your business sense and success. I think that I'd be very interested in what you are suggesting. Let's draw up a business plan and see just how this would all roll out. Do you have a time frame for this to happen?"

 

[Dru]

Dru smiled, her eyebrows arched delicately in her pale, creamy flesh. She couldn't be more pleased with the way things were shaping up. She had done her homework on Gyselle Swallows as well. The Domina had earned every penny that had gone into the palace and it dripped opulance, but Gyselle was a shrewd woman. She could see that just looking in her eyes.

Dru reached into her jacket's inner pocket and pulled out a small tablet, unlocking it to show Gyselle the business plans that would branch some of her employees into BJH jobs as contractors and vice versa with any BJH employee who found themselves inside the palace for a specific rendezvous.

"While in the course of escort or home care work, the fees paid by the client would be retained by the company that the contract originated with, either the palace or BJH. However any information uncovered and then successfully traded on the market will net you an additional 50% of the profits from the information trade. We both take care of our employees and I would only place girls in sensitive environments who have been trained and agree to the assignment. Otherwise, it is a standard escort arrangement."

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Gyselle set down her tea and took the tablet from Dru. She put on her glasses and read over the business plan. It was well written and concise and covered every little detail.

Well Dru, this is very well written. You've covered everything. I'd of course just want to take it back to my lawyers and have them look it over, but in all my years, this is of the best plans I've seen.

Gyselle summoned Eli. "Love, could you please call and make an appt with Vernard and Konstatine to come take a look at this business proposal so that we can tell our lovely guest yes?" Eli nodded and hurried off to his desk in the foyer to make the call.

"They shouldn't be long with it Dru. Probably by days end. Until then, can I interest you in brunch, maybe a drink a little stronger than the caf?" Gyselle looked at the time. "It's proper time to stop being so proper." She winked and smiled. "You are more than welcome to spend some time here, get to know the girls and my staff. Alkaia will tend to anything at all that you need." Gyselle stood up. "I just have a few things to do and then I'd be happy to join you for that drink and something to eat."

 

[Dru]

Dru had been in business far too long to be an amateur at something like this. She rose when Gyselle did, nodding just once in polite agreement.

"I should say so. I would love to have some brunch if you have the time. Please, don't let me keep from your duties. I'm sure I can entertain myself getting acquainted with some of your residents."

She let Gyselle slip away to attend to getting the formal approvals in place. Having everything checked by a lawyer made sure that every thing was legal and above board to anyone who decided to look too hard at either Dru or Gyselle. It was the cost of doing business when your business wasn't exactly legal. Escorts, call girls and prostitutes were legal on different worlds depending on who was taking the bribes, who was looking the other way and who was in charge.

On Empress Teta, there was nothing so explicitly illegal about BJH or the palace. However, neither lady was about to hang a sign out front clearly advertising either. Discretion and secrets. Darkness love them, they make the universe go 'round.

As Gyselle disappeared, Alkaia approached her, a set of cream color satin robes gracing her lithe form. She was definitely quite the piece of eye candy.

Dru had a collection of fine art herself so Alkaia lead Dru around the mansion proper, giving her the tour and pointing out various pieces that Gyselle had acquired over the years. Some of them were historical artifacts while others were masterpieces of a obscure painter. Gyselle had curated a very coherent and warm collection that helped define the charm and class of the home she shared with the men and women in her employ. Everywhere she looked, she saw devotion to the Domina.

It was a feeling Dru missed. Perhaps one day she would have it again.

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Gyselle walked back to her office, excited about the offer. Dru definitely made a good first impression on her. She walked to her door and caught Eli's eye at his desk right outside her door. She wouldn't be able to run The Palace without him. He was loyal and devoted and he had loved her for a very long time.

"I think this is a good move for us Eli. Don't you?" She smiled at him and leaned against her doorframe.

"Yes Domina. I looked at the proposal and it seems airtight. I am sure if there are any issue with it, our lawyers will find them. I was quite impressed with Ms. Maldives. She will definitely be an asset to our business." Eli looked down at the schedule for the day. "Domine, I took it upon myself to reschedule your day so that you had some free time to spend with Ms. Maldives."

Gyselle smiled at Eli. "Thank you so much, you are such a good boy." Gyselle stepped into her office for a moment. She stepped in front of her mirror and fixed her hair and reapplied her lipstick. She walked to her desk and grabbed her comlink.

Walking back out, she stopped at Eli's desk. "Please call me when the lawyers are through. Also I need a bottle of our best bubbly for Dru and I to compliment our brunch." She kissed his forehead and headed toward the dining room.

 

[Dru]

Dru was rather impressed with everything she had seen but as Alkaia lead her back to the dining room, she was most impressed with the way the staff could entertain many simultaneously but still make it seem like each person was a private guest who was alone with their host in the massive estate. It was a talented dance, a well worked routine in order to maximize discretion and privacy.

Alkaia lead her to a small private room where the table was laid out with an elaborate spread of brunch and drinks. The windows looked out over a massive gardens, which although it was a cold, wet wintry day, still were manicured and decorated for the season.

When Gyselle joined her, Dru had switched from caf to whiskey, a crystal highball glass in her hand.

"To new friends." She toasted her companion, her eyes playing around the room to take it all in.

"You have a beautiful home here and I cannot get over how amazing your staff is. I've known spies who aren't this low key."

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Gyselle poured herself a drink and raised her glass to Dru. "Why thank you, Dru. That certainly means a lot to me. It's taken some years and vetting of employees, but they have definitely risen to the occasion. I am very proud of them. I don't do this alone, Eli deserves a lot of credit for keeping this place running so efficiently.

Gyselle picked up a plate and started around the buffet table, choosing from the spread that her staff had put out for them.

"We started renovations about five years ago. We are fully staffed, each of the girls has their own personal quarters. They also have rooms where they entertain guests. We have a wing of guest rooms so that our clients have the option of staying over. We have full gym, media center, and bar. At night we have live music and other entertainers. I have my own residence on the top floor."

Gyselle sat down and waited for Dru to join her.

"So how quickly do you want to move on this?"

 

[Dru]

Dru picked some eggs benedict and fruit before heading to the table and taking a seat, draping a napkin over her lap.

"Well, most of the work on my end is done. What we can do is start to branch out past Empress Teta. The greater our reach, the more information we can gather, the greater the profits. I have a couple people under me who are able to teach newcomers how to gather information. It involves a lot of playing dumb. And course, then there will be recruiting new employees to serve as maids and butlers which is what about half my requests are. I wouldn't want to drag your employees away from here."

The food was exquisite, the hollandaise sauce melted on her tongue as she tasted it.

 

[Gyselle Swallows]

Gyselle sipped her champagne and pondered what Dru was saying and calculating her resources to help with this.

I have quite a waiting list of people seeking employment. I am sure we can pull from there to fill the needs you have. As far as pulling my employees, you may want to reconsider that. I have a few in mind that would be stellar at what you are proposing. I would increase their pay to compensate them for the job change. Eli would actually be perfect for handling some of the hiring. He really truly runs the day to day here, and I trust that man with my life.

Gyselle took a bite of her brunch, impressed with Cook. She took great pride in her staff and felt positive that she and Dru would be successful in this venture.