Page 6 of Devoured

“For a reasonable cut, I don’t see why I couldn’t,” I said.

“That can be arranged,” Derek said.

Wil lifted a glass. “I knew you two would get along.”

We took another shot, then discussed their product. Molly and cocaine, mainly. Wil handed me a sample and I pocketed it for a later time. I had something else—someone else—on my mind right then.

“Do you know Iris Weaver?” They both shook their heads, and I pulled out my phone, going to the Dahlia District’s website and pulling up that little goth woman’s profile.Little—that description was an impulse. She was tall and wiry, but still smaller than me.

Derek smirked at his brother, and Wil shoved his arm.

“Yeah, we know her,” Wil said.

“How?”

“She beat the hell out of Wil for his birthday once,” Derek said.

“Gave me one bruise, man.One.” Wil said.

“You weren’t thrilled about it.”

“What the hell was I supposed to do?”

“Is she a dominatrix?” I asked.

“Yeah, the pro-domme server at the Dahlia District, right?” Wil said. “Don’t listen to him. They had already booked her for a scene on the stage to ‘celebrate’ my birthday. And I wanted to be a good sport, but holy hell, do you know how much a single tail hurts?”

I did, actually. I never did something to a woman that I wouldn’t be willing to take myself. It was only fair that way.

“Not the preferred birthday gift?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Wil said. “I would have preferred strippers and a cake.”

“We do that every year. We had to do something special,” Derek chuckled. “Imagine what we’ll do for your thirtieth.”

“You better not.”

The two of them were a few years younger than me, almost thirty with Wil, and mid-thirties with Derek. I was in my late thirties. Birthdays seemed to blur together the older you got, but there was one way to make them memorable: a single tail demonstration with a professional dominatrix seemed like a good option.

“Do you sub?” Wil asked. I shook my head. I preferred to avoid those labels, but when I did use them, submissive wasn’t my choice. Dominant—heathen, aggressor, predator, was more like it. “Me neither.”

“What’s up with her, then?” Derek asked. “That Iris chick.”

I told them about her visit, then said, “Dahlia mentioned that she was her most trusted serverandthat she would be the one most resistant to change. Apparently, she started working there at a young age, so she wasn’t thrilled that Dahlia had sold the place.”

“She came to the house recently with Dahlia actually,” Derek said. “I never liked how much Dahlia trusted her. Seemed bad for business.”

“And she always looked at me like a hawk,” Wil said.

“Because she beat your ass, man.”

“All right, let it go. That birthday happened years ago anyway.” Wil shook his head. “I’m saying that she always seemed like she knew more than she should. Watching everyone, especially us, with viciousness in her eyes.”

I could appreciate a wary attitude. “Think I can use her as my own personal weapon?” I asked.

They both shook their heads. “She doesn’t trust men.”

And I didn’t trust anyone. I was friendly with the Adlers, but I knew better than to assume that they wouldn’t turn on me if it were a profitable outcome. That’s the way business worked. But I could eliminate them too.