The Golden Serpent Pt. 03: The Glass Tower

"So you're a fan of Elvira?" she asked.

"Yeah, I used to see posters of her in my local arcade back in the day. I was pretty taken with her."

The mention of arcades sent Danielle back into geek mode, talking about retro videogame consoles and other nerd stuff from their childhoods.

"One day," she said, "when I take over this town, I'll bring back arcades. There aren't enough of them. At the very least I'll have my own Streets of Rage machine installed in my house."

"You're planning a city takeover?" Tom grinned. The wine was getting to his head slightly.

"Oh yes," Danielle smiled back. "My prostitution operation is going to take over this town's nightlife."

"How many men do you need to shag to make that kind of money?"

She slapped his arm.

"I'll have my own brothel, train up a bunch of high class escorts. We won't have much competition. There's only one brothel in the city, did you know that?"

Tom started to sober up a little.

"No?"

"It's true. There's a counsellor, Gregor Davidovich. He's paying off the police to look the other way."

"Wow, really? That guy?"

"Oh, yeah. I've met him a few times. That brothel in particular is full of skanks. Don't ever go there. You'll come out with something dodgy for certain."

"Okay. So city counsellors are running brothels and paying off the police?"

"Oh, there's much more going on than that. You know Celia Kyriakakos, the woman who owns Sutton Media?"

"I know of her."

"She has her fingers in a lot of dodgy pies as well. Not as criminal as Gregor, but she has a lot going on that she probably doesn't want the public to know about."

"Such as?"

"She owns a strip club near Union Street, called Minky's, and also owns a share of a local porn production company. She seems to be competing with Gregor over the local sex industry, and night-time economy."

Tom raised an eyebrow. Who would have thought it?

"How do you know all this?"

"It's just knowledge I pieced together while at Sutton Media. Our journalists already know about the brothel, but they can't print anything about it. And, you know, rumours, gossip, the usual stuff you find at work."

"So it's all just rumour?"

"No," said Danielle, adamantly, "I don't just believe everything I hear. I know about the strip club because I know the girls who work there. They all know Celia. She comes in there sometimes and meets them.

The porn company is owned by an associate of hers called Gabriella who is known for running a legit film company. They seem to work together a lot for some reason."

"So you're well-connected."

"Yeah. And you'd better not tell anyone any of this. Okay?"

"One condition," said Tom. "I want first dibs on running your retro arcade bar franchise."

Danielle smiled.

"I see you more as a domme. You could make good money in sex work."

"Wouldn't most of my clients be blokes? I'm not into that."

"Well, either way, if you're going to be my right-hand man, I need to bring out that dominant side in you."

"How?"

"Wait here."

Danielle got up, staggering slightly, and went back upstairs. Tom sat back against the sofa, going over what he had just heard. It seemed as though Celia had not been as discreet about her affairs as she could have been. But was that all Danielle knew? He wasn't convinced.

Danielle appeared in the door, steadying herself slightly against the doorframe. The wig was gone, as was the dress. Instead, she now wore a classic school uniform -- white shirt, school tie, short black skirt and heels.

"What do you think of this?"

Tom could see her black bra through her shirt, that looked a size too small.

"I like it. Makes me very nostalgic."

"It's a popular one with my clients. Especially the ex-public school types."

"Trouble is, your tie is a mess."

The knot was too chunky, and the ends were all over the place.

"Oh? Well you'd better discipline me then."

Tom grinned and patted his knee. Danielle wandered in and bent over his lap, her ass facing upwards through her pleated skirt.

"First, I should mention," said Danielle, looking behind her, "I'm not a pain sub. I'd like to keep my ass free of bruises if possible. So start gently, I'll tell you if you can take it further."

"Right you are," said Tom. He lifted up her skirt to see her perfect ass, cleaved in a black thong. He skin was perfect -- he didn't want to bruise her either.

He slapped her ass on one side, lightly. Her skin felt smooth and soft to his palm. He did it again.

"You can go a little harder," said Danielle.

He gave her left ass cheek an audible slap, prompting a sharp intake of breath from Danielle. He did it again, and again, alternating ass cheeks. Danielle started breathing heavily as he spanked her -- Tom wondered if this was practiced.

Tom decided to see how far he could go. He put his fingers under the waistband of her thong.

"This is getting in the way," he said. "I think I should remove it."

Danielle grinned up at him.

"In that case, you probably should."

Tom pulled her thong down over her ass, pushing it down until it dropped below her bare knees. He realized that Danielle could probably feel his erection pushing against her lower stomach. He cupped her smooth ass with one hand.

"That's better," he said, before slapping her ass again.

He carried on slapping her fine, smooth ass, until she turned around.

"You know, a true domme would make me do something about that hard-on in his jeans by now."

"You're right, stand up," said Tom, as they both got to their feet. Tom undid his jeans, while Danielle got on her knees.

Danielle's eyes widened as Tom's cock came out, fully erect, at eye level.

"Don't tell me you don't know what to do in this situation," said Tom.

She smiled, before grabbing his dick by the shaft and wrapping her mouth around it. Tom looked up to the ceiling as he felt her lips and tongue around his shaft.

It was a glorious minute before he felt his balls tighten.

"Okay, I'm going to come."

Danielle released his cock from her mouth and pinched the tip of his dick, which seemed to stop that sensation.

"Not just yet," she said. "I want to take you upstairs first. Follow me."

Tom followed her up to her bedroom, his erection pressed up against the waist of his jeans, which stemmed his sexual arousal.

In the bedroom, she grabbed him by the T-shirt and lifted it up over his chest.

"Take these things off," she said, before bending over pulling her skirt down over her ass, to the floor. Tom took his T-shirt off and started unbuckling his jeans.

Danielle's shirt was the only thing covering her pussy. She whipped off her tie and started unbuttoning her shirt, eventually revealing her dark, well-trimmed pubic hair.

Tom was naked by the time Danielle's shirt was on the floor, her breasts heaving behind her bra. When she took it off, he saw how big her nipples were, pink and stretched out over her large pale breasts. They dropped out, slightly saggy but still perky.

Danielle stepped forward and took Tom's hands in hers, placing them against her breasts. Despite their size, they were very firm. He felt the hardness of her nipples against his palms as he groped them.

"What do you think?"

"I think I'd like my face between them."

She smiled and pushed him back.

"Come on," she said, "get on the bed."

Tom lay back on the bed. Danielle opened a drawer on the bedside table, pulling out a condom and taking it out of the wrapper. She then straddled his legs and held his still-hard cock with one hand, putting the condom on with the other.

She then moved up, straddling his torso, bending forward to dangle her breasts in his face. She lowered her hips, holding his penis as she slid it into her warm, wet pussy. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth above him as she mounted his cock, sighing each time she lowered herself onto him.

Tom watched her pendulous breasts moving up and down above him, as he breathed deeply to control his orgasm. He felt the curious energy move between his legs, and for a moment, he thought of his night with Juliette in front of that altar. The same energy was building up around his groin.

Her movements became faster, and Tom was relieved when she eventually stopped, with a sharp intake of breath, and a final sigh, before lowering her whole body onto him. Tom breathed into her breasts, his face smothered in them, the musty smell of her body combined with her perfume. He felt the energy radiating across his body again, like it did with Juliette.

And then they both blacked out.

All of sudden, Tom found himself in a room, a cold breeze around his naked body. Cold flagstones were beneath his bare feet. It was a small room, made of grey stone.

It was a chapel. Before him was an altar with a white cloth covering the surface. Around him were tapestries depicting Catholic iconography, images that looked like they were taken from the lives of Saints who he couldn't name.

Behind the altar, dominating the room, was an abnormally large statue in grey stone. It was the Virgin Mary, wearing a crown, holding the infant Jesus. The statue seemed to be over ten foot tall, hitting the ceiling.

Stood beside him was Danielle, also naked, staring at the statue. Her arms were folded in front of her, covering her tits. She glanced at him, briefly, before they both looked back at the statue.

The eyes of the infant Jesus opened, revealing two circles of white light. The hairs on the back of Tom's neck stood up as the statue of the Virgin Mary moved it's arms, slowly, mechanically, detaching the infant Jesus and placing him on the altar.

The Jesus figure sat on the end of the altar as the Virgin Mary stood upright, her arms now down by her sides.

Tom and Danielle watched in stunned silence, as the Infant Jesus grew in size, morphing into the figure of a man. Sat on the altar now, was a man in a charcoal suit, dark blonde hair, strong jawline, handsome-looking. He looked like he was in his late thirties, but could be older.

The man leaned casually against the altar, looking Tom over briefly, but letting his gaze linger over Danielle.

"I don't think the two of you know what you're getting into," he finally spoke. Tom recognized hints of a westcountry accent, but the man seemed too educated to show it.

"I suggest you back off now, while you can. You don't want to see where this rabbit hole goes."

The man got off the altar and walked between them, running a hand over Danielle's breasts as he kissed her on the cheek. Tom sensed him moving past them, out of a chapel door behind them.

The two of them were left with this huge Virgin Mary statue, looming over them in the chapel. Tom couldn't move. Danielle didn't seem to be moving either, still staring at the statue.

Then, the Virgin's eyes creaked open. Tom felt cold all over as he saw two pools of dark red light shining out of her eyes, onto the two of them. Her mouth opened, creating a dark maw.

The Virgin's arms moved, less mechanically now, but still slowly, up to the top of her robe. She now seemed less stone-like, but still a very pale grey in colour. She opened her robe to reveal her naked form underneath. Her breasts were exaggerattedly huge. A clear fluid dripped from her dark nipples.

She continued staring down at Tom and Danielle as her arms reached forward, extending through her robe across the chapel towards them -- long fingers grasping for them, as her eyes seemed to entice a mixture of intense sexual arousal and primordial terror in Tom.

Suddenly, he felt Danielle throw her naked body against his, clutching onto him.

Then the Virgin's dark red eyes became Danielle's blue eyes. He was in Danielle's bed again, and she was staring down at him. Her bare breasts were pressed against him, breathing fast, as her hands clutched his shoulders. He had an erection.

"Danielle?"

She blinked and looked away, loosening her grip on Tom's shoulders. She still held him lightly.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Dunno. I think I was waking up."

"I just had a fucked up dream."

"You as well?"

"Yeah."

"Go on. What was it?"

"You were in it. There's a chapel. A Virgin Mary statue."

Tom's eyes widened.

"And we're both naked?"

She looked at him.

"Yes."

"And that guy in a suit starts talking to us?"

"Yes!"

Danielle sat up, staring down at Tom, wide-eyed.

"He told us to back off. Didn't he?"

"Yeah. Something about a rabbit hole."

Danielle gasped.

"Fuck! We didn't just have the same fucking dream, did we?"

"It seems that way," said Tom.

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know."

They went quiet. Then Danielle got out of bed, and walked naked towards her door. Tom watched her bare ass moving in the grey morning sunlight that came in through the window. Thankfully, he hadn't left a bruise last night.

That morning, Danielle made them both coffee in her kitchen. To Tom's disappointment, she was fully clothed in a T-shirt and sweatpants. They sat across from each other over their kitchen table, cups in hand.

"That man we saw," Danielle said, "in the suit. Did you recognize him?"

"Looked a bit like our Gregor."

Danielle nodded.

"It was him. I've met him, personally. He's taken me out to dinner a few times."

"Really?"

Danielle sipped her coffee.

"I met him at a party he threw at one of his apartments in Millbay. He was a friend of a client. I gave him my business card, although he never paid for my services. Instead, he took me out to dinner a few times."

"Were you fucking him?" Tom asked.

"I think he was trying to date me. Nice guy, actually. In the end though, he seemed more interested in my skillset. I was in the final year of my Masters. When he found out that I've been a hacker since my teens, he decided to hire me instead."

"As a hacker?"

"Unofficially. He helped me get the job at Sutton Media. Pulled a few strings. But he paid me good money -- really good money -- to hack into certain people's emails, get copies of financial reports, that sort of thing."

"And how well does corporate espionage pay?"

"Good enough to get me this house."

"I should try it myself some time."

"One day," Danielle continued, "if I make enough bank from doing jobs like this, I can set up my own brothel. A better brothel than that shitty one in Stonehouse. Taking over prostitution in this shithole town should be easy, I just need the money."

"Well," said Tom, "I don't know about the brothel, but I'll happily put myself forward to run your retro arcade bar."

Danielle smiled for the first time that morning.

"So, have you got any dirt on our Celia?" Tom asked.

"She throws some pretty wild parties. She owns a porn company, so you can imagine what goes on there."

"Have you been to any of them?"

"Me? No. I don't do porn."

The conversation trailed off into small talk. Tom had heard enough. He finished his coffee and walked home.

As he walked away from the nice, affluent semi-detached houses towards the areas full of student flats and social housing, he thought about Danielle and her plans. He liked the idea of this highly intelligent escort plotting to take over the City's underworld, becoming a crime boss. He would like to have played a part in her plans.

Unfortunately, she wasn't smart enough to keep her plans to herself. Tom genuinely liked her, but he had a job to do.

As Tom headed towards the City Centre, a black limo pulled up ahead of him. He stopped in his tracks as the door opened, and Francesca's heels hit the ground before him. This time, she was dressed more conventionally, in a suit, with her hair tied up. She looked more like a businesswoman than a scantily clad assassin.

"Hello again," she smiled.

"How did you know where I was?" Tom asked.

"Celia would like to see you, if that's okay?"

"Fine."

Tom got in the limo, the same one with the same lavish interior, and made small talk with Francesca on the way to Celia's mansion.

Half an hour later, Tom found himself in Celia's office, the mid-morning sunlight breaking through the clouds behind her as she sat at her desk.

"Tom, glad you could come," Celia smiled. She still wore that grey suit, even though it was Saturday.

"I have some info for you," said Tom.

"Good, let's hear it."

Tom told her about the hacked emails, and the dirt Danielle had on her: the porn production company and the strip club.

"Minky's", said Celia. "So it seems there are too many wagging tongues down there."

"It seems that way, yes. There were some holes in your security, that Danielle was able to get past pretty easily."

Celia leaned back in her desk.

"I think I might have underestimated you. How did you get so much information so quickly?"

Tom didn't want to tell the truth -- that he fluked it.

"It's pretty simple. Gain their trust, let them talk, pull at the right threads and allow them to reveal all. Danielle has something of an ego, I knew she wouldn't be able to resist telling me all this. She's taking Gregor's money so she can bankroll her own a empire and take over the City. She regards herself as a potential player."

Celia laughed.

"A whore with delusions of grandeur. That's brilliant. You're a dark horse, Tom. I think there's more to you than I thought."

Tom smiled, suppressing laughter.

"I'm more than just a pretty face."

"Maybe you are. I might have more work for you in the future."

"I look forward to it."

Celia stood up.

"Okay, you've given me a lot today, and there are things I need to get to work on. Thanks Tom, and I'm sure we'll talk soon."

"It was a pleasure." Tom stood and headed towards the study door.

"Oh, Tom. One more thing."

Tom stopped and turned.

"Now that you know about Minky's, you might want to ask Francesca about it when you have the chance."

"Really? Francesca?"

"That's where I recruited her. She was studying a degree in Economics, paying her way through University as a stripper. Bright girl. Very talented."

"Francesca was a stripper?"

"Ask her about it," Celia smiled.

"I will."

Tom left the study and walked out through the mansion thinking of Francesca as a stripper, wrapping those toned legs around a pole, shaking those tits of hers.

The following Monday, Tom came back to the office at Sutton Media to find that Danielle's desk was cleared. One of the web development team - a long-haired, bespectacled guy called Rufus - came in and gave him the lowdown.

"She was hacking into the emails of all the higher ups in the company," he told Tom, as they past each other on the way to the kitchen.

"Shit, really?" Tom feigned surprise.

"I guess she couldn't help herself. This company needs to invest in better cybersecurity."

"Most companies could," said Tom, trying to sound well-informed.

A couple of weeks later, Tom found himself sat at a table in the bar of the Custom House. The bar was lit by candleabras stood by concrete walls. There was a bar at the other end.

The staff at Sutton Media took up half the room, sat around tables and crowding around the bar.

Sat across from Tom was Sophia, her blonde hair down to her ample cleavage. She was in a low cut top, and she was only paying attention to Tom for that part of the evening.

John was at the bar, in a nicer than usual polo shirt, chatting with the higher ups.

"John is talking about bringing me along on his own documentary. He wants to cover Gumball 3000. Said I should come along. Not entirely sure what for though."

"Are you going to?"

"If I can get the time off, definitely. Sounds amazing."

"You should. Sounds like a once-in-lifetime opportunity."

"What about you?" asked Tom. "Is there a journalistic assignment in a far-off country that you fantasize about covering?"

"I've always wanted to cover Burning Man, in Nevada," Sophia beamed at him from across the table. "You heard of it?"