Welcome to the Club #3
“One more thing before we break for dinner… should those voices you mentioned ever return, you must swear on…” Ari paused, then looked at Simo. “…Simo’s life that you will tell me immediately.”
“You have my word…” Jessie glanced at Simo, “…on Simo’s life, I swear it.”
“Very well. Dinner awaits, shall we?” Ari gestured to Andrew standing by the doorway.
Jessie watched the streetlights fly by as the limo sped down the freeway toward her meeting with this Becky at the club.
She replayed the entire meeting with Ari in her mind, picking nuances out here and there.
Finally, after a mostly silent ride, she looked over at Simo.
“Ari could take me out in under a minute, couldn’t he? ” Jessie asked Simo.
“Yes. If not faster.”
“How about Chen with Ari?”
“Pretty even.”
“How about you?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
“You that good?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take me out?”
“No… I mean yes. You mean in hand-to-hand?”
“Yes, in hand-to-hand,” Jessie smiled.
“In a competition, yes.”
“Why only in a competition?”
“Jessie…” Simo warned her with a look.
“Sorry. How good is this Becky?”
“Very.”
“Better than me?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Simo sighed. “Why good?”
“I like being the top girl,” Jessie joked.
“You won’t be the top girl…”
“Simo, I was joking.”
“Ah… ok. Ha, ha.”
“Why won’t I be the top…”
Simo rubbed his forehead. “Please, leave it alone. You are making my head hurt.”
“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“Shh. Please.”
Jessie returned to silently watching the lights go by, wondering who the top female was. Did Simo have a girlfriend?
Larry pulled to a stop in front of the club and helped Jessie out of the limo. It being a weekday, there was no line going into the club yet, and Georgie, the head bouncer, was at the entrance doors waiting.
Simo made the introductions, and Georgie opened Aurae’s huge doors for Jessie with a big smile. Simo walked in after her. “Jessie, I think you know your way around… and where all the cameras are.”
“I do.”
“We only got one shot of the back of you. Chen ran it through our face recognition software. Did you wear a disguise?”
“No. Just paying attention. Like you should…” Jessie smiled.
“I did see you. It is why I asked Chen to search you out.”
“So you do care…” Jessie smiled bigger.
Simo shot her a glare, then continued. “Becky is waiting in my office.” Simo pointed up the stairs to VIP.
Jessie followed him up and watched him enter his code.
The door unlocked, and they walked in. Jessie saw Becky get up off the couch.
Even after what Simo had told her, she was still surprised.
Becky was short, attractive, and had an innocuous, big smile.
Then she said ‘hello,’ and Jessie had to stop herself from laughing.
Becky’s voice was adorable, and beyond cute.
She sounded a lot like Minnie Mouse, and she took an immediate liking to the girl.
Jessie smiled, walked over, and shook the adorable girl’s hand.
“It is so nice to finally meet you, Becky. Thank you, too, for letting me stay with you. I promise I won’t be a burden. ”
Becky smiled grandly in return. “You are welcome! I think we are going to get along great!”
“I do hope so!” Jessie smiled warmly.
“Becky, get Jessie situated with her duties. Let’s put her on light duty, due to her injury.”
“Oh my. Jessie, what happened?” Becky asked.
“Took a cop-killer round in the chest right through my flak jacket and level-four Kevlar vest. My back rib stopped it.”
“Damn! I will put you on ‘count.’ It’s easy.”
“Count?”
“It’s boring, but on the weekends, we need to count how many are coming in and who they are, and enter it into the database.”
“Who they are? You mean you track the people coming in?”
“Oh, yes. We have large Ukrainian and Russian crowds at times, too. They both used to be ready to brawl, until Simo started here. Sorry to say it to you, but the Ukrainians are more our friends than the Russians.”
“No big deal to me, thanks for the thought, though. I’m curious as to why the Ukrainians are friendlier to you?”
Becky laughed. “In a way, Simo gave Ukraine time to get ready, saved many people… ask him.”
Jessie turned to Simo, who was now watching them from the chair at his desk. “Not much to say… intercepted a couple of nukes. One was destined to be detonated ‘by accident’ right over the border from Ukraine in Russia and blamed on the Ukrainians. Putin’s plan…”
“Putin? I would like a minute alone with him for what he did to my mother!” She spat angrily, then met Simo’s eye and held it for a long moment. “So you have been busy, Simo…”
“That’s an understatement,” Simo replied with a head nod at her.
Becky watched the exchange and tapped Jessie’s shoulder. “Come on, Jessie. Let’s get you outfitted. You have such a perfect figure! I hope you like tight, short minis in red.”
“Red is good,” Jessie smiled. She waved at Simo and followed Becky out, closing the door with a long look back at Simo.
Simo watched the girls leave and noticed Jessie’s look. When Jessie finally closed the door, he put his elbows down hard on his desk, held his head, and repeatedly shook it.