Interpreting a millionaire

Flashing lights sometimes don't bring happiness

A lit up entrance came into view as the limousine stopped finally. The whole ride was silent with Maie trying not to move at all. To her, it looked like they were headed to a club. Although there was a red carpet leading from the doorframe up to the curb, so guests wouldn’t even need to step on the pavement. There were two hulking bodyguards standing on each side of the door, one of them held a clipboard and a pen. Maie could hear faint music escaping from the inside of the building through the open entrance. Once the driver opened the limousine door for them, Alexander got out and offered a hand for Maie to take. Thomas waited for her to be outside before he got out on the opposite side and joined them. Maie hesitated whether she should take the offered hand or not, but then decided to go for it. If he is willingly offering something, it would probably be better for her to take it. Just to be safe.

Once she climbed out of the car, he linked her arm into his without letting go of her hand and it was obvious to her it was supposed to serve as a handcuff rather than a gentlemanly gesture. Thomas stood behind them as they walked towards the entrance. Maie expected to be stopped by the bodyguards, but they gave them only a brief glance before letting all three of them through. She also caught a familial greeting between the bodyguards and Thomas, but the music got significantly louder inside and so she wasn’t sure if she heard correctly.

“Is this an appropriate work environment?” She asked quietly. More like a rhetoric question than a serious one.

“That is not for you to decide.”

She was stunned he heard her.

They were walking through a long corridor that had a few doors on the sides and several other corridors branched out of it. It was dimly lit in cold blue colour that fit well with the black walls and floor. The music was getting louder with every step they took, dissipating into a prominent bass with the other sounds fading into one.

They were nearing the end of the long walk and Maie could see the flashing lights and open space with mingling bodies. However before they could reach the very end and actual dance floor of the club, Alexander stopped and turned right. There was a staircase leading to an upper floor. Each step had a strip of blue light at the top, to make them more visible in the darkness. The staircase reached a landing before making a u turn to the right.

After the brief stop, Alexander started walking again and Maie followed shortly, as their arms were still not separated. Thomas followed diligently behind them.

Once they reached the second floor, she could see it was a balcony overlooking the club. She’s never been to club herself, but from films it seemed that every fancy club had this kind of thing. To her left was the dance floor below them and to the right were closed off rooms.

Alexander stepped closer to the railing to look down. Thomas stood on her other side, although if she wanted, she would probably be able to turn around and yank her hand out of Alexander’s grasp and go for the staircase. Just as she turned her head to look past Thomas behind her, Alexander let go of her. In that split second, she thought she would be able to run for it as she was already half turned around. In the next second her hope disappeared. Alexander had placed his arm around her, his hand settling on her hip. He tightened the grip and pulled her closer. It was so harsh that she stumbled and had to take a few small steps to adjust her position. She had to lean on his shoulder to not lose her balance.

Maie looked up to see and assess Alexander’s expression. He was smirking, as if he knew what she was thinking about moments ago.

“Thought you could escape, didn’t you?” He leaned down and said it directly into her ear to make sure she heard it even through the loud music. He straightened back up, looking down at Maie, who was practically embraced by him, although it in no way felt comfortable. Somebody looking up from the club would probably mistake them for a rich couple and as soon as Maie realised that, she tried to push herself further from Alexander. He had no intention of that happening, so he just tightened his hold on her more, to the point where it almost hurt.

Alexander beckoned Thomas over and took his wrist with his free hand. He looked at Thomas’ watch and seeing the time, he said a let’s go. Since Maie was held tightly by him, they walked side by side, which was rather uncomfortable and quite unpractical. She saw they were heading to one of the rooms on the right. She couldn’t be sure, but they were heading towards the one in the middle. For a moment she wondered whether they are soundproof and if it would benefit her. On one hand, she hoped they would be, so she could hear her thoughts again. On the other, if something happened and she would need to scream for help… Well, not like anybody would hear her anyway. His grip was so firm, she was leaning on him, barely able to walk as she tried to put some distance between them. Once they arrived at the door, Thomas stepped in front of them, opening the door for them. Maie automatically wanted to thank him, but only managed a small head nod in his direction. She wasn’t even sure he saw it. The room looked spacious with similar lighting to the corridor downstairs. Everything she could see was black, blue or dark purple that resembled black more than purple. There was a large black leather couch lining almost the whole room with two glass coffee tables in front of it. Two smaller sofas, made from the same material, were pushed to either side of the couch, waiting to be used or moved elsewhere.

They sat down. Maie got sandwiched between the two men and a coffee table in front of her, so she wouldn’t have an easy escape route. Now she could see the wall dividing the room and the balcony was a one way glass and the lights from outside danced on the walls. The door they used was on the very left of the room and another was on the very right. In the middle of the glass wall was a big screen. It was almost big enough to be used in a home theatre she wanted. Underneath the screen was a locked cabinet.

Once the door finally closed, the room became silent.

“If I may.” Maie started, but paused briefly to word her question.

“You may not.” Alexander was quick to interfere.

“Even then, I have to at least ask-“

“Did you not hear me?”

“I did, but still-“

“You asked if you may and you got your answer. I don’t understand where lies your problem.” Alexander didn’t even look at her, he just straightened up and cracked his neck, rolling his head around.

“What have you told my family? My roommate? What about my cat?” She started raising her voice, just to make sure she could finish her thoughts.

Thomas shot her a warning look. She was unsure whether it was to threaten her or just a reminder she is going too far.

“You’re on vacation for now. Roommate can take care of the cat in the meantime.” Thomas stepped in at the right moment it seemed.

Maie noticed Alexander was clenching his jaw, probably in anger, just before Thomas answered quickly.  On the inside, she was thankful that Thomas was sensible enough. At least that’s how she perceived him for now.

Just as she was about to continue speaking, she saw a man in suit standing in front of the door. He had an earpiece in, which she knew because he was holding a finger on it, probably communicating with someone.

Soon he opened the door and held it for a group of people to enter. The first to walk in was a relatively short man looking like what  she could describe only as a stereotypical Russian mafia boss. He was followed by two beautiful women. One was a petite blonde with dramatic makeup, dressed in a metallic pantsuit. The other one had black hair reaching her waist in loose waves and red makeup. She wore dark suit with a tube crop top fitting snugly over her chest. Her dark skin glowed even in the almost darkness of the room.

Maie checked her out a bit more than necessary and the woman noticed, keeping eye contact with her until she eventually had to shift her attention elsewhere.

Then another thing sprung to her mind. Who exactly were these women? They didn’t behave what she would expect escorts to behave like. Actually, their confident demeanour implied they would be highly successful CEOs.

Alexander leaned towards Maie, whispering to her sharply.

“I hope you are ready to do your job.”

‘There are so many problems with that sentence.’ She thought briefly before she was pulled up by both Alexander and Thomas standing up to greet the guests. If they at least told her the language needed would be amazing.

But they didn’t.

Thomas’ hand landed on her shoulder and before she could pull away instinctively, he pulled her closer to him.

“Your native.” And as quickly as his hand appeared, it was gone.

Alexander grabbed her waist and made her stand uncomfortably close to him. Again. Thomas stood behind them and watched the scene in front of him, ready if need be.

“Alexander, good to see you again.” The black-haired woman said with a smile and thick accent. Her gaze then focused on Maie.

“And who are you?” Maie expected a sharp tone, unwelcoming and maybe even hostile. Instead, she got a voice sweet as honey asking about her.

“An interpreter.” Maie smiled nervously. Although the woman spoke in English, so she wasn’t sure she was needed.

“I meant your name, silly.” Maie almost melted hearing the woman’s sweet voice.

“Maie Capekova.”

The woman’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Like the author?”

“Yes, almost.”

“So you’re not from here?” She spoke in her native language and the other two people accompanying her perked up at that.

“No, I moved here with my family when I was young.” Maie smiled a bit more confidently. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.

“How delightful. My name is Anita.” She then leaned over to her, placing her hands lightly on Maie’s shoulders and kissed her cheeks to greet her. Maie reciprocated the greeting, raising her own arms to lightly steady herself on Anita. This brief interaction left more at ease than she’d expect.

Maie was pulled further away from Alexander by this too, although he kept a hand on her waist a squeezed harder the further she stood, to remind her of her purpose. Anita kept one hand on her shoulder, only slightly moving it slightly lower down her back as she turned towards her company.

“This is Ján and the beautiful lady is called Anežka, she is my business partner.” Anita smiled faintly the whole time and Maie grew suspicious that the smile never left Anita’s face.

Both Ján and Anežka smiled bashfully while nodding their heads as a form of greeting for Maie.

“Nice to meet you all.” She smiled back.

“A translation would be nice.” Alexander interrupted through gritted teeth with a tense smile on his lips. Maie could feel his fingers digging deeper, probably leaving a bruise.

“Oh, please, Alex. Don’t be so stuck up. We just exchanged names. It is polite, you should be aware.” Maie could barely take in a breath before Anita spoke, jokingly scolding Alexander.

Anita presence in the room was incredibly welcome as she seemed like one of those people that are impossible to resist, charming and charismatic but ultimately also good.

Anita’s hand finally slipped down from Maie’s shoulder and seeing it, Alexander immediately stood closer to her. The intention behind his actions definitely weren’t to possibly protect her, but rather to control her.

“Let’s sit down.” Maie guessed it was supposed to be an inviting gesture with the arm movement and big smile, but it came off as unnatural and stiff.

“Prosím, posaďte se.” Maie smiled and gestured towards the seats, translating simply what Alexander said.

They all sat down, Maie got sandwiched between Thomas and Alexander once more and Anita sat closest to the trio with Anežka by her side. Ján pulled one of the one person armchairs closer to them, a notebook ready in his lap.

“As you have been surely informed beforehand, I intend on expanding my chain of clubs and bars into more countries.” Alexander sat comfortably, leaning back, while Maie nervously sat straight, barely breathing. She could feel his hand wandering from her waist where it must have left a mark, up her back, dragging the small chains of her blouse with his fingertips making her shiver. He settled on her shoulder and whispered relax to her while squeezing it. His hand then followed the same route down her spine and settled at the small of her back.

While this gesture might not have been ill intended, she straightened up even more, shivers running up and down her spine.

Maie tried her best to hide and suppress her emotions before she took a deep breath and repeated Alexander’s words in her native language.

“Jak jste již byli určitě předem informováni, má v úmyslu rozšířit svůj řetězec klubů a barů do dalších zemí.” At her words, Anita smiled and nodded. She didn’t say anything, only looked expectantly at Alexander.

“Next I am looking for immaculate locations In Czech Republic. I have heard only amazing things about your work, because of that I decided to choose you as my international business partners.” Alexander gestured towards the two women with his free hand. They then turned to Maie, waiting for a translation. They all moved in unison and Maie could feel the knot in her stomach tightening with each second.

She repeated what was said to them and she could see their eyes light up at the praise given.

“Understandable. After all we have a highly successful chain of clubs for women ourselves. It’s one of the most visited in the country. If we see the offer worthy, we’ll consider it.” Anežka said with pride lacing each syllable.

Maie communicated the words to Alexander, who smirked and confidently winked at the blondie. She just raised an eyebrow at him, glancing quickly towards Maie. Thomas just looked from one person to the next with disinterest on his face. Ján was quiet the whole time, so far he didn’t even open the notebook.

Alexander ran his hand up and down Maie’s back, sending another wave of shivers with his fingers. Then he squeezed the same place at her waist again, before his touch disappeared. He stood up, slowly, almost menacingly, whispering to Maie as he passed her ears: “Don’t try anything.” It was a threat as clear as any, but he made sure she was the only one to hear. She assumed he did this kind of interaction often as he seemed entirely too skilled in it.

The TV suddenly lit up, illuminating the room in white light. Maie was startled for a second, before she noticed Alexander actually had a small remote control in his hand. She did not notice that earlier as she was preoccupied with her mind spinning like crazy while trying to assess Alexander’s behaviour. So far he didn’t look at her much, he just made sure he had some kind of control over her. He always held her close but wasn’t even slightly protective. It mostly served as a substitution for handcuffs, which would be too obvious in public. She racked her brain, trying to come up with a solution to this. How could she get out of here? Before her train of thoughts could continue any further, Alexander started speaking again and she was pulled back into present to translate his words.

“Here you will be able to see my plans for the upcoming projects, however before we continue I want to make sure there is perspective to this.”

After Maie explained, the to women nodded, indicated for Alexander to go on.

“I will need around 1000 square meters of space in building to accommodate everything necessary for my club in Prague and at least three quarters of that size in Brno. Those are also the only two cities I am looking into at the moment. After those two succeed, I will consider building smaller clubs or bars in other locations. So I need to know before I waste any more time on this, If it is possible to get locations of that size in either city.”

Maie repeated his demands to Anita, Anežka and Ján. Anita then turned to Ján, who finally opened his notebook to a certain page and scanned the  content with his eyes.

“There are a few factory halls of that size that could be remodelled in the outskirts of Prague. Similar for Brno. However there are a few buildings in Brno that would be suitable for a small and quiet bar if it would peak interest.” He turned a few pages reading a few names off them. Then he produced a bundle of printed pictures and laid them out on the glass table.

Ján waited for Maie to deliver his information to Alexander, who stepped closer to the table, inspecting the pictures. Ján then pointed to each picture and provided brief description with Maie translating his words immediately.

So far her speech was relatively smooth and she was able to remember all of the words she needed. She was growing more confident thanks to that and also thanks to Alexander not actively trying to mentally suffocate her.

Alexander nodded along with Ján’s explanations, humming here and there in confirmation. After he stood at his full height again, his arrogant aura returned and Maie shrunk into herself a bit at the sight of him. He stood next to the screen again, pushing a button on his remote control. The screen blinked and showed a birds view of a building plan. Bold letters next to it informed it was FLOOR 1.

“Well then. Let’s properly begin this meeting.” Alexander’s smile was big, stretching his face. Many people would probably say how charming he became with a smile like that. Not Maie. Surely not now.  More than anything else, it reminded her of Joker.

Then his presentation began.