A Tale of Two Women

Laughter echoed throughout the hostess club 'Sunset' as rich men in fancy suits clinked their drinks together and passed around fat cigars. Each man had a beautiful girl wrapped around with one arm, and the girls laughed at their jokes and cheered when they ordered more drinks. When someone was bold enough to order a champagne tower, everyone clapped as the golden, bubbly liquid was poured down the crystal glasses in a sparkling waterfall. Just another day in the business of socializing and paid company.

Freya observed Mr. Midas pour his tower, treating himself to it one per month to celebrate another successful business period. After hours of extending his time, her cheeks were starting to get sore from smiling so much. This was the last of it though thankfully. Sunset had limits to keep their girls safe. She tried not to think about how many women suffered before they added those limits.

Like a true gentleman, Mr. Midas handed her a damp glass and said, "Here you go, my sweet. To the loveliest lady in the room!"

"Why thank you," Freya replied sweetly as she accepted the glass.

Mr. Midas giggled with glee as he sat down next to her, keeping a reasonable amount of space between them. "Oh, what good times we live in! Don't you agree?"

Freya slowly sipped from her glass. "Yes, indeed."

"It's going to get better soon! I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I should be getting a new partner soon."

Seeing the opportunity, Freya turned towards Mr. Midas and leaned in closer. "Oh, really? That sounds amazing, love. Is it someone overseas?"

Mr. Midas faked a gasp. "You clever girl! How did you know?"

"You know I pay attention to what you say." She put on her best smile, her eyes half-lidded. "Your business is just so fascinating."

"Yes, yes! You get it. This is why you're my favorite." He took a swig of his drink. "You know about those savages, right? The government believes they may actually be part of that one terrorist group. Once the men overseas caught word of that, they decided to step in to help."

Freya's lips twitched. "Aha, yes! The heroes from oversea! I'm sure you'll be pleased to have those terrible bandits out of the way once they come in to help."

"That and then some! They're going to need someone to assist with supplies and export. I happen to have everything they'll need, so they won't be able to say no to me."

"That sounds wonderful, love. I do hope it works out for you."

"Oh, it shall!"

Freya noticed that his guard was acting strange since the terrorists were brought up, fidgeting and looking around more than usual.

"Would you like a glass, Miles?" Freya asked, genuinely concerned. "You could use a break."

That seemed to snap the man out of it, causing him to straighten back up as he answered, "No, I'm fine. Thank you, miss."

"Must be the shellshock," Mr. Midas said nonchalantly. "He did fight the terrorists after all. Don't worry about him."

Freya placed a hand over her mouth to hide her frown. "Oh my. That must have been terrible. Yet you were able to live to tell the tale. That takes a lot of strength and bravery."

Miles avoided looking at her, his gray eyes clouded by the past. "More like luck, honestly..."

Their time ran out before Freya can press him further. The men gathered their things, waved goodbye to their girls, and patted each other on the back as they walked off to head on home. As soon as Freya was finished with one client, she was immediately called to tend to another. However, this one was more of a break than actual work. She had to hold herself back from collapsing into Talus's arms when he came to greet her.

"Workin' hard or hardly workin'?" Talus teased.

Freya furrowed her brows. "Oh, hush."

Talus could only afford a short session, but that was enough for her. She shoveled edamame beans into her mouth while Talus updated her on his life. Much like Santo, she also laughed when he told her about his little 'romance', yet she wasn't as subtle. She got a light shove for that.

"We're on speakin' terms again, but... I dunno," Talus said while scratching his head. "If he were a girl, I'd just ask ya what he's thinkin'."

"Gender may be irrelevant in this case," Freya said. "It can take time to recover from heartbreak, dear."

"Figured that. Think I should wait or should I say somethin'?"

"You know him better than me. If you think he needs more time, then you can wait. But not too long, of course. That's what got you in this mess in the first place."

Talus sighed and sipped his overpriced beer. "True that. It's just... god. When I think about what those bastards did to us, I..."

Freya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know, dear. I know."

"But like! I don't get it! How could they see kids and do such things?! When I look at Ceri and think about someone hurtin' him, I'm ready to lose it."

"It's because you're a good person, dear. They weren't."

"Yeah, thank fucking god they're long gone now. Who knows what would've happened if Santo hadn't..." Talus stopped himself, clutching his bottle tighter when he recalled the memory. "No, I shouldn't talk like that. He'd be pissed. Always going on about how everyone has the right to live..."

"That's his belief," Freya said, gazing darkly down at the empty bowl. "It's admirable, but I don't agree. If someone does wrong and refuses to make it right, they should be punished."

The session came to an end so quickly, Freya almost wanted to pay for the extension herself. It was fine though. They would have other days to see each other. Most likely in Nevertown, their own haven from the shadows of Glamour.

As Talus made his exit, he turned to wave and said, "Remember to take care of yourself, girl."

"You too," Freya replied.

She had hoped that she would have some time to herself after that session, yet to her surprise her manager came over to tell her about her next session. He gestured for her to lean in close, and her eyes widened as he whispered the details into her ear. She hastily followed behind him to confirm that her next client wasn't just any woman standing impatiently at the door. She recognized that pudgy form and gaudy sunglasses anywhere.

It was Mrs. Midas.

"Hmph. So this is the one," Mrs. Midas said as she scanned Freya from head to toe. "I suppose he does like his sugary treats. Even if they're not good for him."

"May I help you, miss?" Freya asked calmly, trying to play dumb. Angry wives and girlfriends were nothing new, but it was too soon to tell what this woman was up to. She had to be careful.

Mrs. Midas's ruby-lipsticked lips deepened into a frown. "I want a table. We're going to have a little chat."

"Understood."

They seated her at a table as requested, but security was kept close just to be safe. Mrs. Midas glanced at the menu for five seconds before ordering their most expensive wine. While Freya kept herself composed on the outside, her heart was racing at a million miles per hour. Was this it? Were they busted? How was she going to tell Santo?

After Freya poured the wine, Mrs. Midas picked up the glass and gently swirled it around. "Do you know who I am?"

"I do," Freya said.

"No, you don't." Mrs. Midas sniffed the wine before sampling it. "You know me as the wife of Edgar Midas. The owner of the Midas Trading Company, who inherited his position from his father, Henry Midas. Who inherited his position from the original founder, Otto Midas. It's a family business. Family is important, you know. Do you have family?"

Freya shook her head. "No, I was orphaned as a child."

"Pity. Well anyway, allow me to tell you precisely who I am. Prior to being a wife, I was Odilia Damodice!" Odilia placed a hand on her chest to emphasize her pride. "Heir to the Damodice fortune! All the money you carry in your pocket is thanks to my family mining the ores needed to make your coin."

"I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. Poor people don't know anything. Being a little smarter would have gotten you farther in life."

Freya scowled, getting fed up with her attitude. "Alright, enough. This is about your husband coming here, right? Do you want us to stop?"

"Heavens, no!" Odilia answered with a hearty laugh. "I like having him out of the house. Besides, I had a detective confirm that your relationship was sanitary. I know he's a faithful man to a fault."

While this should have been relieving to hear, it only made Freya more anxious. "Then why are you here?"

Odilia lowered her sunglasses, her face stern, and she scooted closer to speak without being overheard. "I'm here to warn you. If my husband offers to pay you to have his child, you have to say no."

Freya's jaw dropped, speechless.

Seeing her response, Odilia explained, "I don't want children, but I know he does. An heir is a very valuable asset after all. I'd rather have my belongings be given to my younger brother's wife and children if I pass before them. They're sweet people, you know. The children were raised to be civil adults and not dirty, spoiled brats."

The venom she spat out at the last part was enough to convince Freya that she was serious.

"I wasn't planning to sleep with him regardless of the amount he offered," Freya stated honestly. "He is a kind man, but I am also a professional. I'm not going to ruin his marriage and my career for his sake."

Odilia smiled, pleased with this answer. "So you are smart after all! Very good. That makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing."

Freya returned the gesture as her shoulders relaxed. "I'm glad. If I may ask, why do you stay with your husband if you two are so different?"

"Oh, honey. Look at me. I know I'm not the prettiest gal at the ball." Odilia finished off her drink with one big gulp. "My father told me to take the first nice man with money who would have me. So I did. That's all."

"I see. I hope you two can work out your differences."

Odilia quirked an eyebrow, not expecting that. "That's sweet of you to say. Really it is. But it's also none of your business."

"That is fair."

At least this confirmed that Freya could continue her business as usual. She would still report this encounter to Santo in case the missus had a change of heart. She's not sure why Talus thought she would be an expert on what a woman was thinking. In truth, she didn't know anything at all.