Chapter 157: To a long night... cheers

Tom stayed quiet and thought for a moment.

"Hmm. I’ll have to think about it properly. There are still a lot of things that haven’t been put in place." he said in all honesty.

Stella nodded, already reading the gaps from his silence. "I can guess you haven’t sorted the security package for the place yet." She glanced at him, then back at the road. "I can handle that for you if you want. I know people who actually understand private venues, not the ordinary event security that only looks useful on paper."

"And the kind that can actually keep you personally protected." She added.

Tom turned his head slightly. "That would help."

"And that won’t be the end of my support. I’ll do more if you tell me what else you need. I’m not offering one favor and disappearing." she made it clear.

"Thank you," Tom said with a small smile. Then after a moment of silence, he noted another aspect he could use her support for.

"Ah. Right. The founding members." His voice became low;

"You know, the club is private and exclusive. The first names attached to it matter more than the furniture or the lights. I want you as one of the first important faces linked to it. Your support will help attract the right people."

Stella did not need a long explanation. She understood status quickly. "Okay. Don’t worry. I know what to do. You should be expecting to hear from me."

"I’ll keep you in the know about how everything is coming along," Tom said.

"You’d better," she replied, a small smile touching her mouth. "If I’m putting my name near it, I want to know what I’m attached to."

That settled the business talk for the moment. After a short silence, Stella asked, "Are you up for a meal at a private Chinese restaurant?"

"I’ll go with whatever will make you happy," Tom said.

Her smile deepened. "Then don’t plan to go home early."

Tom glanced at her sideways. The look was suspicious enough that she caught it immediately.

She shook her head.

"No. Of course not. It’s not about sex." Her tone softened, more serious now. "You nearly got killed. Then you came out of hospital with your foot wrapped up. I just want to pamper you through the day. Good food. Somewhere quiet. No unnecessary strain. I’m already putting plans in motion."

Tom studied her for a second, then let the suspicion go. "Okay. Fine. You have me for the day."

"That’s all I asked," Stella said, clearly pleased. A grin was plastered on her face and she looked every bit of of someone who had secured exactly what she wanted from the afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~

By 5:30 p.m., Bree was at her home and already moving her own plan forward.

Her phone rang... Nat.

She answered, and he gave her a hotel address and a room number. The message was short and confident, Nat had the tone of a man who thought the evening already belonged to him.

"Okay," Bree said simply.

After the call ended, she chuckled to herself and stood up. She did not bother dressing up for them. No gown. No heavy makeup performance. She stayed in what she already had on ; a boyfriend trousers and a tank top and left the house calmly like a someone running an errand, not attending an invitation.

When she arrived at the hotel, she did not go upstairs. She went straight to the bar.

A young server was working the section. Bree watched her for a moment, then called her over and kept the exchange low. Money handled most of the hesitation. When the girl still looked uncertain, Bree transferred a heavy amount into her account and watched the resistance fade in quick time.

"You don’t have to worry, It’s not the kind of thing that points back at anyone here." Bree assured her.

The girl lowered her voice and peered at the syringe Bree was holding. "What’s in it?"

"Nothing incriminating. I only need them dealing with diarrhea from now until tomorrow." Bree said.

The server’s brows lifted. "They must have offended you badly."

"They sure did." Bree nodded.

The girl smirked slightly. "Women supporting women?"

"Women supporting women!" Bree smiled back.

She kept the instructions simple. When the men ordered, the drug was to go on the glasses, a small amount rubbed over them before the drinks were poured so nobody in the room would see anything strange happen to the bottle itself. That way, if the men later thought about it at all, they would be more likely to blame something they ate or drank before arriving.

The server agreed. And Bree stayed near the bar and waited.

Not long after, Nat called her again. "Are you around?"

"I’m on my way. Order drinks. I want something waiting when I get there." Bree said, using the overly sweet, girly voice.

"Okay. I got you." Nat replied. Then the call ended.

Almost immediately, the bar received an order for wine to be taken up to their room. The server handled the glasses exactly as instructed, then carried the tray upstairs. When she came back down, she caught Bree’s eye and gave a small signal.

It was done.

Bree smiled and walked away from the hotel without going near the room.

~~~~~~~~

Upstairs, the four men were already settling in.

The hotel room looked expensive enough to match their confidence; there was a wide bed that could accommodate any kind of dirtiness they planned, a sitting area near the window, and a bottle service setup waiting on the table.

Nat had claimed the central seat like the evening had been his idea from the start. Stiles stood near the table, already impatient. Jay was smiling too much. Brit took the chair closest to the wall, more watchful than the others even now.

They opened the wine and began pouring.

"Finally," Stiles said, tipping the bottle. "After all that training nonsense, this is the proper way to end the day."

Nat laughed. "Proper way is when she gets here. Drinks are just the opening."

Jay leaned forward as the glasses were filled. "I still can’t believe she walked into the changing room like that. No knock. No shame. Just stood there looking at us."

"Because she wanted it. She has definitely been eying us since she came to the company with her nobody employer. A woman does not talk like that if she is shy. She’s a bad girl..." Stiles said and chuckled.

Brit accepted his glass but did not drink yet. "Or because she was sent."

Nat waved him off. "You’ve been saying that since the studio."

"And I’m still saying it," Brit replied. "Tom got glass in his foot this morning. By evening, his assistant is offering herself to the same four men involved. That does not look random to me."

Stiles scoffed and finally sat. "If Tom sent her, then he is more stupid than I thought. He sent one woman into a room with us. What did he think would happen? A conversation?"

Jay grinned. "Maybe he thought she would seduce our secrets out of us."

"She can seduce whatever she wants. But look at this, we already chose the hotel. We chose the room. We chose the drinks. If she had some clever plan, she lost the advantage the moment she let us control the location." Nat pointed out.

That made Brit ease back a little. He looked around the room again, then at the sealed bottle, then at the glasses in their hands. The setup did look clean from where he sat.

"Fine," Brit said at last. "Maybe I’m overthinking it. If she had an ulterior motive, or if Tom sent her, this would not be arranged like this. There’s no space for her to play games here."

Jay smirked and lifted his glass. "That’s why we’re the ones who’ll be mischievous. Teach her a lesson."

Stiles pointed toward the side cabinet where a small camera had already been positioned with clear view of the bed. "And we’re recording all of it. No disagreement later. No fake tears. No story twisting."

Nat’s smile widened. "Good. When she walks in, she won’t leave with any power in her hands."

"She won’t leave with steady legs either," Jay added, and the three of them laughed.

Brit finally raised his glass with them, the last of his caution loosening under the confidence in the room. "Just don’t get sloppy."

"No one is getting sloppy," Nat said. "We drink, she arrives, and we handle her."

Stiles tapped his glass against Jay’s. "To a smooth night."

"To a long night," Jay returned.

They cheered to the mischief they thought they were about to enjoy, and drank.