Master of Lust

"He is my butler, Geoffrey." Evelina, undeterred by Rick\'s sarcasm, introduced the old man, "Why don\'t take a load off and sit down."

"Jumping right into business, huh? Classic you! But hey, shouldn\'t you give me a little gratitude first? I practically had to perform a superhero rescue to save that pretty ass of yours," Rick teased as he settled into his seat across from Evelina.

"Insolent... You..." The old man, now a bundle of nerves after Rick\'s taunt, looked like he might leap at Rick to shut him up. Evelina, however, quickly intervened, preventing a potential wrestling match.

"But, technically, I am compensating you for your services, right? It\'s a business transaction that we agreed upon," Evelina retorted, her expression a bit frosty as she looked at Rick.

"Then get on with it. Where is my money?" Rick inquired, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Seven million dollars, not a penny less. But hey, feel free to throw in a generous tip if you\'re feeling the holiday spirit."

"What\'s the rush, Rick," Evelina spoke with a meaningful smirk as she emphasized on the name, "I can call you Rick, can\'t I, Rick?"

"How do you know my name?" Rick asked the usual smile on his face already fading away.

"Oh, please, no need for that expression," Evelina half-heartedly commended Rick, "Figuring out your name wasn\'t exactly rocket science. It was just a matter of time. I\'m sure you would have known that."

"But kudos to you," she continued, "You exited the elevator on the sixth floor, while your room\'s on the tenth. Most folks would\'ve been fooled by that. Impressive."

"But hey, it didn\'t quite fool you," Rick self-mockingly admitted, very much aware of the improvement he needed to do.

"Don\'t be too hard on yourself," Evelina reassured him. But what she wanted to know was something else. Unable to contain her curiosity, she prodded Rick, "So, spill the beans—what did you discover inside the chamber?"

Rick, couldn\'t resist a smirk as he sidestepped Evelina\'s inquiries. "Weren\'t you right there with me?" he replied with a sly grin, "You saw exactly what I saw. Nothing particularly thrilling or out of the ordinary, I assure you."

Evelina wasn\'t ready to let Rick off the hook that easily. She persisted, determined to get to the bottom of things. "I am talking about before the door opened," she pressed, her curiosity unabated. "C\'mon, don\'t expect me to buy the story that there was nothing more than a vial of the medicine I\'ve been hunting for and some papers."

"Believe whatever floats your boat," Rick chuckled, maintaining his poker face. "But hey, it\'s a done deal now. Let\'s move on."

With a sly smile, he added, "So, how about my payment? Can I have my money now?"

Evelina couldn\'t resist a comment, "You and your trendy lingo. Is this some Gen-Z jargon?"

"Perhaps," Rick shrugged, "You older folks just don\'t get it."

"Old?" Evelina was momentarily stunned. Rick had just pulled off a brutal bamboozle.

Realizing she wouldn\'t get much out of Rick, Evelina signaled to the old man, Geoffrey, her butler. He confidently produced a card from inside his suit and, with an air of authority, stepped toward Rick, extending the card arrogantly in his direction.

[

1. Take the card and leave quickly. (Temptation -5)

2. Take the card and ask how the girl has been doing. (Temptation +5)

3. Don\'t take the card. The deal was cash. And while you are at it, why not tease her. She has been acting rather cocky. (Temptation +10)

]

Rick\'s gaze shifted from the old man to the proffered card and then back to Evelina. He didn\'t extend his hand to accept the card. Instead, he wore a peculiar expression on his face, maintaining a silent stare at Evelina, leaving her to wonder about his thoughts.

"Don\'t worry. There\'s more than seven million dollars in there," Evelina assured Rick. She figured he might be doubting whether there was any money at all, so she added, "You can trust me."

Rick, however, remained firm, stating, "That wasn\'t part of our agreement."

"What do you mean?" Evelina\'s face flustered as she heard Rick. He is not thinking of... Not again in front of his man. But strangely, she wasn\'t entirely scorned by that idea.

"Cash. Our deal was for payment in cash," Rick pointed out, restating their initial agreement.

"Oh, that\'s what you mean," Evelina suddenly had a realization, and her face displayed a subtle, almost imperceptible change of expression.

Rick, not missing a beat, continued, "Yeah, what else could I possibly be talking about? I\'ve made it clear that I don\'t want to fu..."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Evelina hastily cut off Rick, not wanting him to inadvertently reveal too much.

She turned her attention to her butler, saying, "Geoffrey."

"I\'m sorry, young miss, but we don\'t have that much cash on hand at the moment. Carrying that many notes would be impractical," the old man stated, displaying none of the customary deference a servant typically would in front of their master.

Rick\'s tone remained unwavering as he repeated, "Then go get them. Your mistress has given you an order, hasn\'t she? Isn\'t it your job to hustle and make it happen? A deal is a deal, and I really dislike repeating myself."

The old man\'s expression hardened as he shot back, "Young man, you\'d do well to remember your place. Just because you saved her doesn\'t mean I won\'t turn you into a bullet pinboard. I am not your servant," the old man retorted, eyeing Rick with disdain.

"But you are hers. And I am sort of her other daddy," Rick crossed his legs and and leaned back on his chair, "Now do as daddy says."

"You..."

"Stop," Geoffrey appeared on the verge of violence, but Evelina intervened just in time.

"I\'ll provide you with the cash, but acquiring such a substantial amount here is quite challenging. I have an alternative proposal," Evelina began, redirecting Rick\'s focus toward her.

"Look, lady, there\'s no need for any tricks. Just hand me that card, and I\'ll sort out the money myself. But you are quite the ungrateful one, making me do all the legwork right up to the finish," Rick grumbled.

Evelina shook her head, saying, "No need for that. Follow me back, and I\'ll pay you in cash."

"No, thanks," Rick replied, shaking his head, and he stood up. He motioned to the butler, indicating that he wanted the card.

Evelina, sensing the situation slipping away, offered a tempting proposition, "I\'ll add another ten million dollars to the deal." And just as she did, Rick had already settled back into his chair.

"Girl, if you\'ve got that much money to spare, why not consider a generous donation or something?" Rick suggested, his skepticism evident. "Honestly, I\'ve been hearing you toss numbers around, but I haven\'t seen any of it yet," he added, rubbing his hands to emphasize his point.

"Do you want me to prove how much money I have? Want me to buy you a car? How about this penthouse. I saw you liked it," Evelina offered.

"It\'s tempting, but I have no use for it," Rick shook his head, "What do you want from me this time?" Rick asked.

"Nothing. I simply want you to accompany me and give me your opinion on my grandmother\'s condition," Evelina explained to Rick.

Rick looked a bit perplexed. "But what can I do? I\'m no doctor," he pointed out.

"No problem. I will pay you the money nonetheless," Evelina assured Rick.

"What is your game here?" Rick was still suspicious of Evelina.

Evelina denied any ulterior motives, saying, "There\'s no game, nothing like that. I truly want you to come with me."

"I appreciate your offer, but I am sorry girl, I will have to---"

[

Quest: Follow back Evelina to see her grandmother.

Duration: It is up to the girl.

Rewards: Temptation base for Evelina will move from 0 to 20 permanently; Ero Points: 5,000

]

"How dare you, boy," the old butler couldn\'t contain himself any longer and seized Rick by the collar, his patience worn thin. "I\'ve had my fill of your arrogance. I won\'t even hand over these seven million, and you\'ll come with us, whether you like it or not. Either willingly or tied up and stowed in a trunk."

"Are you threatening me?" Rick asked, raising his eyebrow. He did not seem agitated or nervous. He was calm as a cucumber.

"What if I am?" the old butler retorted, his tone becoming more menacing. "Think I\'m incapable of it?"

"Geoffrey!" Evelina raised her voice from her chair, giving the impression of reprimanding her butler, even though she didn\'t intervene to stop him. It appeared to be a calculated good cop, bad cop strategy.

"Allow me to deal with this," the butler declared, keeping a firm grip on Rick. "I\'ve straightened out plenty of arrogant fools like him."

"But, my dear old coot, there\'s no need for all this," Rick suddenly grinned, the previous frown replaced with a mischievous smile. "I was just about to say how sorry I am... You\'ll have to put up with me a bit longer," he told Evelina.

He playfully shrugged and added, "I mean, how could I possibly turn down an extra ten million dollars?"

"Are you being sincere?" Evelina casually got up and approached Rick and the old man.

"Why wouldn\'t I be?" Rick appeared entirely at ease. "Now, would you mind asking your watchdog to release me?"

"Usually, bad dogs who don\'t listen to their masters, meet a rather unfortunate end," he quipped.

* * * * *

[A/N: Do vote, leave a comment and support me whatever way you can.]