L/J's (A One Week Chronicles Story)

She went to the bathroom and fixed herself up, applying some more lipstick, adjusting her hair and taking a moment to look at herself properly. She wore a red dress with long sleeves that widened at the end and came past her wrists. The sleeves were narrow and highlighted her slender arms. The dress was backless and the front came to just below her neck. Her entire back was exposed to just above her arse and she was glad that she had undergone surgery to give her a real pair of breasts that now pushed against the soft material.

She sported a new tattoo on her back, a rose that curled around her slim body, the head nestling on her shoulder blade. She had made an impulse decision to have the tattoo and loved it. The skirt hugged her legs all the way to her feet and she wore high heels to avoid tripping on the hem.

She recalled the first time that she had come to the club and met Dmitri. He had seen through her in an instant and she gave a rueful chuckle. She had come a long way since then. A day before she had arrived, she had been a boring data analyst who had volunteered through boredom. She'd never even worn a skirt by that point.

Almost two years of hardship and misery had befallen her at that point, but she would do it all again if it meant that she could be who she was now. As she left the bathroom to go to the bar and wait for her date, she saw Jenny scurry from the cellar and try and sneak along the dance floor to the staff room, her dress clearly covered in splashes of something sticky. Jenny caught Crystal looking at her and gave a conspiratorial wink. She winked back and made her way to the bar, ordered a drink and settled down to wait.

Eventually, he arrived and she slid off the stool to greet him. He was tall and lithe, full of grace and steel.

"I thought you'd changed your mind," said Crystal and Guy gave her a brief smile.

"Not at all. I was held up with work. I'm sorry to make you feel that way."

"That's ok. A text would be nice though." He chuckled and she looped an arm through his.

"You know protocol. Shall we?"

As Guy led her from the bar, a shadow could be seen in the office above as Jade stood and watched Guy weave through the crowd with Jenny. She wanted to hate him, but knew that it wasn't his fault. He'd been as grief stricken by Louise's death as anyone. A silent tear trickled down her cheek as she stepped away from the window and went back to her work.

L/J's was bigger than anyone realised when Louise bought the venue. Dmitri's selling lounge, the one where he brought the girls through for the auctions, was huge and had its own bar and kitchen. Angela had the idea of turning it into a nice restaurant and Guy led Crystal through the long passageway that separated the two venues. They had knocked down one wall so that it could be accessed through the street as well.

The passageway used to have paintings of various Karma Sutra poses, but Nicola had replaced them with black and white photos of the staff, each one tastefully done and showing them in natural poses as if they were taken when they worked. It helped create the feeling that the restaurant was very much part of the same family and everyone worked in shifts there as well.

Guy had booked a table near the back and held out a seat for Crystal to sit on. She did so with a smile and then picked up the menu. She eyed Guy over the top of hers and saw him concentrating on his own menu.

"What?" he asked and flicked his eyes up at her. Crystal arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"You sure you're ok with this?" she said and he sighed, put down his menu and reached out a hand to take hers. It dwarfed her own hand and she could feel his strength and warmth.

"If I wasn't ok with this, then I wouldn't be here," he replied. "Don't forget that I asked you on this date."

"Good point," said Crystal and went back to her menu. After a pause, Guy went back to his. She peeked over at him again and he sighed, put his menu down again and looked at Crystal, waiting for her to speak.

"Sorry," said Crystal. "It's just that. We'll I'm no one really. I'm the silly one who does crazy things thinking it's a good idea. Everyone sees me as a bit of a child and I just think you'll get fed up with me, think me stupid or ditsy." Guy chuckled as the use of the word ditsy.

"You care about everyone around you," he said. "You work hard and make sure everyone is happy. I've never seen someone give so much of themselves to other people." Crystal blushed and Guy took her hand once more. "You were top of your class in training, the best hacker we had and the best analyst as well. You do yourself a disservice when you talk like that. You've been living full time as Crystal for two years now and are still finding your feet. I see your ditsy as enthusiasm and never want that to change."

It was the most that Guy had spoken to her in one go and she felt tears start to well in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, hiding a sniffle. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." Guy smiled.

"You're welcome. Now, shall we order some wine?" Guy ordered an expensive red and Crystal said that he didn't need to spend so much.

"My treat," he said. "Besides, you can pay next time." He said it with a grin; he knew how much Jade paid her and it was more than his last five years of salary combined. She earned every penny and Jade was even considering a pay rise and promotion. When it came to work, Crystal's focus was laser sharp.

Outside of work, her focus was a little fuzzy, so when the wine arrived, she accidently knocked it from the waiter and spilled it over her dress.

"Bugger," she said as her red dress was stained a deeper crimson. The waiter apologised profusely, but Crystal told her it was fine.

"My fault," she said and grabbed her phone, which had thankfully escaped the downpour of wine. She turned to Guy.

"I'll be one minute," she said and walked quickly back to the club, texting Philippa on the way.

Philippa met her at the staff room door and stifled a laugh at her ruined dress.

"Oops," she said. "Let's get you up to mine and we can get you changed."

They made their way quickly to Philippa's flat and tried to find something suitable.

"I want classy, not slutty," growled Crystal in frustration as they waded through a pile of skin tight dresses with short hemlines. Eventually, they found one that suited the date and Philippa helped Crystal slip into the skin tight (naturally) dress. It had a plunging neckline, so she borrowed some tape and made sure she didn't expose herself during the date and embarrass herself even more.

Satisfied, she hugged Philippa and scampered from the room. Philippa followed and locked the door behind her. They hurried as fast as they could in their heels and rounded the corner to the lift. They saw a shadowy figure and Crystal stopped short, alarm bells ringing. Philippa switched into managerial mode and stepped forward, her voice firm but polite.

"Excuse me, but this area is out of bounds." She was going to say something else, but the figure raised her hand, a silenced pistol gripped tight. It took a long time to register what it actually was. Crystal had seen guns in films, had lived around them for her year and half of captivity, but she hadn't expected it here. Not in L/J's. It was meant to be safe.

Fire spat and a loud noise echoed in the corridor as the weapon discharged. Crystal dimly thought that silenced pistols weren't very quiet. Anything to ward off the horror that she now felt as Philippa's back erupted in a mass of blood and gore as the bullet tore through her. She dropped to the floor and Crystal turned to run, the figure chasing after her.

As the figure passed Philippa, another bang echoed as she fired another shot into the prone body. Crystal lifted her phone and tried to use it as she ran, bouncing off one wall and turning to see where the attacker was. Terror leapt into her throat and she screamed as the figure sprinted at speed round the corner, unencumbered by heels.

Crystal whipped her neck forward, saw the window and knew it was a fire escape. If she could get there, she might get free. She ran as fast as she could, legs pumping and struggling to keep her balance in her shoes and tight dress. She was close, so close, the window looming large. She saw the latch on the side, rehearsed what she needed to do, reached out her hand and grabbed the window.

She daren't look back.

A loud bang sounded and Crystal felt the impact in her chest. It hurled her forward and through the glass in a torrent of pain and excruciating agony.

And then nothing.

Cheryl

Cheryl controlled her nerves. It had taken a long time to summon the courage to contact Mary. She had done it through her Facebook page, waiting anxiously for a reply. Since abandoning Mary at the airport, Cheryl had wandered listlessly for several months, trying to control the conditioning that Maggi had instilled in her.

It took a long time. Every time she would walk passed someone in high heels or sexy attire, her lust would cloud her vision and engulf her. Watching a film where an actress would wear something even a little sexy would be a problem. The Matrix was definitely out and she struggled with Black Widow in the Avengers.

She shut down her emotions and built a strong wall around her defences until she felt nothing. She forced herself to feel nothing for many months, going through the motions. Louise had left her enough money to set herself up and she bought far too many clothes and rented a flat in Central London.

She didn't do much for a few months. She caught up on all the films she had missed, chased down albums she hadn't heard and caught up with her favourite authors. Slowly, piece by piece, she lowered her defences and allowed some emotion back.

She had failures, mostly when she was unprepared, and a few embarrassing moments when it looked like she had peed herself. One woman even passed her a sanitary towel and a sympathetic smile. She kept at it, kept pushing, trying to rebuild her humanity, until one day she laughed.

It's a strange thing to realise that you've laughed and that you don't remember when you last did that. It's even stranger to cry afterwards as a flood of emotions tore through her, crippling her for a while.

She gathered herself together and realised that being alone wasn't the solution. She'd been alone in her mind for two years and needed to stop.

She found work as a cashier in Waitrose and enjoyed herself immensely. The hours were long and tedious, but she liked chatting with customers and got to know the locals. She was delighted when a woman walked past in high heels and satin dress, on her way to a party perhaps, and all Cheryl thought was how much she liked those shoes.

Her conditioning was gone.

So she emailed Mary and begged for her forgiveness. She wrote a lengthy email, detailing what had happened to her and why she didn't meet her at the airport all those months ago. She left out the sordid details, but left enough in there so that Mary could understand what had happened. She explained her conditioning and what it meant. She also told her that she had worked through that.

No reply.

She waited for a long time and Mary didn't reply. A day passed and then a week and Cheryl told herself that it was ok. She loved Mary, but they'd been apart for almost three years now. It was time to let her go.

Then the email came.

A ping from her phone and a reply that was only a sentence long.

L/J's tonight at 9.

Cheryl's hands shook as she read the message, again and again, hoping that Mary's intent would reveal itself in those few short words. She scrambled for the shower and then spent a long time deciding what to wear.

She decided that she wanted something simple and so chose a pair of jeans and satin blouse. She wanted Mary to see her as she was everyday, what she had become and so put on the skinny jeans and blouse, zipped up a pair of knee high boots and shrugged into a leather jacket.

She walked to L/J's and kicked herself for not having gone there sooner. The whole place felt so welcoming and inviting that she wanted to come here every night from now on. She walked through the club, taking in the dance floor and stage, the restaurant and the quieter areas, tucked away in comfortable booths. Her search done, she decided to order a drink and sit on a bar stool, her long nails tapping the wooden top with nervous energy.

And then she came. Cheryl caught her breath as Mary walked through the door. She wore a flowery summer dress and denim jacket over it. Her hair was a mass of bouncy curls that reached passed her shoulder. She saw Cheryl, recognising her despite her changed appearance and the passage of time and gave a nervous wave.

Cheryl slid from the stool and walked the short distance to greet her. Then the world slowed and Mary's face turned to shock as a large bang sounded from above. Cheryl looked up just in time to see the glass from the office above shatter and she leapt forward instinctively, shielding Mary as pain lanced down her back, jagged slices of glass lashing the crowd with vile menace and cruelty.

A scream sounded, followed by more and Cheryl looked up to see a body fly through the broken window and land with a sickening thud on the floor, blood pooling in a torrential flood as the victim died in seconds.

Clare.

Clare worked busily as she finished typing up the notes from Jade and sent them over to her with a quick swipe of her lacquered nail on the smart screen. Jade, working at her desk, received the documents and scrolled through them quickly.

Clare loved working at L/J's and was delighted to have been offered a job. It wasn't the bar work that she had applied for, but Nicola and Angela had seen that she could run a large business and so offered her a position within management. It had been the catalysed that convinced them to tell Jade that their work was finished.

She glanced nervously at Jade as she read the email, the glow from her computer reflecting off her face. Clare was intimidated by her. In his previous life, he had worked with many tough clients and business associates, but many had been full of bravado and bluster. Jade had an aura about her of strength and determination. She brooked no argument and hated bullshit. She was exceptionally intelligent as well and picked apart any faults instantly and with cutting precision.

She was stunningly beautiful as well. Enough to take the breath away, she carried it with an easy grace and everyone looked drab next to her. Eventually, she turned to Clare and spoke.

"I think that's everything finished now. Thank you." Clare gave a grateful nod.

"Is there anything else you need me for?" Jade shook her head.

"No thank you." She indicated the floor below where people danced and a party atmosphere seeped through the glass. "You should go and join the party. I've sent a car for your wife and she will be here any minute." Clare gave a surprised look.

"Thank you," she said. "You needn't have." Jade nodded her head graciously.

"You've done sterling work and you look lovely tonight. You deserve to share this moment with your wife."

Clare said her goodbye's and left the office, closing the door behind her as Jade turned back to her computer, saving her files and shutting down the computer. Clare had bought a little black dress especially for the occasion and grinned at the thought of a dance with Molly. She whistled a tune as she made her way to the staircase to go and join the party below.

A sudden noise interrupted her thoughts and she whipped her head to the side just as a knife slammed into her throat. She gargled unintelligibly, blood pouring down her body as Clare's life was spirited away on a tide of bright crimson.

The intruder lowered Clare to the floor and pulled out the blade, satisfied that the victim was dead. The figure then checked the corridors before moving on.

Maggi

Maggi stalked along the rooftop on the building next to L/J's. She moved with silent speed and deadly efficiency as she reached the edge and surveyed the gap to the building opposite. The distance was only a few feet, just as the plans had shown and she jumped across with ease, her black clad body moving like a coiled spring.

L/J's took up an entire block of flats and there were several points on the roof through which she could jimmy her way through. Checking the seals to a rooftop window, she found no signs of a silent alarm and so rigged up the wires as she had been taught, clipping them together so that they circumvented the main alarm system.

Satisfied with her work, she cut through the hinges with a small blow torch and lifted the window up, gliding through the gap and landing with panther like grace on the floor below. She took a moment to check her surroundings, mapping the real terrain with the plans she had bought. They matched.

She checked her pistol, checked her spare ammunition and then loosened her knife in its scabbard, before making her way to where Maggi knew her target would be.

Maggi made her way to the lift and hesitated a moment. She decided that the stairs would be better and started in that direction before a voice called out. Damn, she thought. They were all supposed to be in the club.

She turned to see a woman approaching her and raised her gun, firing as soon as she sighted the target. The bullet tore through the woman and she sprinted after the second one, finishing off the first as she ran. She didn't want any witnesses.

The second woman was fast and she just about reached the window before Maggi thought she was close enough to fire and not miss. The bullet pushed her through the window and she leaned out to see that she had fallen down the ladder of the fire escape and lay on the metal railings on the floor below, leg bent at an unnatural angle and shards of glass sticking from her body and seeping blood.

She gave a grunt and decided against shooting her outside. Too easy to be seen. The woman was dead anyway. She raced back to the lift and hurried down the staircase. The noise may have alerted someone and she needed to act quickly.

Maggi took the steps two at a time, counting down the floors as she reached the right one. Bursting from the doors to the stairs, she saw another figure and reacted without thinking, lashing out with her knife and being rewarded with a satisfying thud as the blade struck home. Blood soaked her black top but she paid it no heed, listening carefully for any signs that she had been spotted.

Satisfied, Maggi stepped over the dead body and made her way to the office. She gathered herself, knowing that the woman she hunted was dangerous in her own right. She had to be quick and decisive. Taking a deep breath, she lowered the handle, slowly so as to not make a noise, and then shoulder charged her way through.

Jade reacted instantly, standing up and kicking the chair back. It flew at Maggi and she dodged to one side. It gave Jade a tiny opening and she closed the gap quickly, a snarl on her face as Maggi stepped into the attack, much like Jade had been trained to do. Jade was quick and landed a flurry of blows on Maggi, knocking her gun to the side and slamming her attacker into the wall. Maggi used the backwards momentum to roll aside and lashed out with her dagger as Jade aimed a kick at the space where she had occupied.

The blade caught Jade on the arm and she cried out in pain as blood welled on her dress. Maggi pressed her advantage home and kicked Jade in the chest, knocking her to the floor. She made to stamp on her, but Jade rolled away, spinning so that she came to her feet a metre away from where Maggi's stamp landed.

Maggi, winded and breathless, reached for the holster on her back and pulled a small, stubby pistol out. She aimed it at Jade, hand steady.