33 - Andy's Night Club

Pete's POV

"You are so cute!"

"Do you wanna die?!"

"Haha...come on, Pete...you really are."

"I don't get it. Is it a waitress position or a maid position?!"

"Either way, cheer up! We've got the job!"

"I always get the weird disguises. The Chinese assassin in a crop top... the waitress dressed as a maid...just because I'm too ordinary?! Is it a prank from Fate?!"

"Maybe you're not."

"Yeah, right. How about you, Arm?! Where's your outfit?!"

"Mr. Andy (1) is bringing it to me. I'm a bartender, anyway. How weird an outfit could be for a bartender?!"

"Wanna bet?!"

"OMG!!!YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, HONEY!"

Andy, the friendly owner of the night club, accompanied by the kindest young man I've ever met, Tom (2), one of his waiters, comes to the locker room to see if the waitress uniform fits me.

"Wow, it fits you so well, Anong! You're gorgeous! It suits your name!" Tom looks at me amazed.

Gorgeous wearing a maid outfit? Really?!

"Thank you, Andy! Thank you, Tom! I'm sorry, I'm a little hoarse." I try to fake my voice. "Can you speak Thai, Tom?"

"One of our customers teaches Thai to Tom whenever he comes here, right Tom? Andy answers for him.

"Yes, Mr. Andy. But it's been a while since he came here." Tom looks sad all of a sudden. "He's Thai too. Anong means gorgeous woman, right?!"

"That's right!"

Arm chose this name for me. It's the name of one of his cousins.

"Tom has a crush on that Thai costumer."

"Don't say it, Mr. Andy!"

"Why not?! I don't blame you. He's a Thai mafia heir...handsome, young and powerful."

"Ohhh...really?!"

"Maybe you know about him, Anong. Or maybe not. That man despises girls."

Mafia heir...despise girls?!...hmm....I'm afraid I know him...

"Oh, Mr Andy. We don't get involved with the mafia in our country. But who knows?! What's his name?"

"No, Mr. Andy! Don't say it, please!"

"Haha...I'm sorry. Tom is shy. Go get Narong's outfit, Tom."

Arm chose this name for himself...it means one who always ready for war. Bastard. A cool name just for him. We introduced us as siblings from Thailand looking for a job opportunity in Taiwan. As my Mandarin is not good, it would be difficult to hide Thai nationality. That's why our names kind of match... soundly.

"I'll be right back, Narong! You'll look amazing too."

"Oh, great, Thank you Tom!" Arm fakes a smile. He is definitely worried about his outfit now.

"Tom is so nice" I comment.

"Yes, he is...maybe too nice. People like him are an easy prey. But he brings a lot of income to the house. Customers adore him and come often. That Thai client Tom likes...well...he hasn't been around for almost a year. He used to be here every day to see Tom for maybe two weeks straight. And just one day he went back to his country unannounced. This broke Tom's heart. So I say, never believe the pretty words of a handsome mafia heir. They are all the same. They all get bored and change you like changing clothes. Even with all the money he spent here, it was good that boy was gone. He's trouble. Irresistibly charming...soft-spoken... a big walking red flag.

"Oh... a big walking red flag...I see..."

Why does the smirk of Vegas come to my mind?!

"He had a peculiar taste, you know?"

"What taste?!"

"Is it a good idea Anong to hear these things, Mr. Andy?!" Arm interrupts Mr. Andy and looks at me with a worried face.

"OMG! I shouldn't say that to a girl! I'm sorry, Anong! Thank you for warning me, Narong."

"Don't worry, Mr. Andy! Don't listen to my brother! I've worked in some places like this before... like strip clubs and other similar places, just as a waitress, I mean. But I've seen it all. You can tell me anything."

"I love to gossip with girls! Haha"

"Tell me more...Don't hide anything!"

Arm shakes his head at me.

"Curious girl! I like you already, darling! Well...that client is into BDSM...he's a sadist. He had Tom in chains and everything."

...Chains and everything...huh...

"Sadist, you say?!"

"Poor boy. So naive to believe it was love. That he was needed. I've seen it so many times. But my boys never listen to me. They fall to the lips of those seductive shameless young men."

Hmm...seductive...shameless...young man...hmm...

"What's that mafia heir name again?!"

For Vegas sake, I do hope it's not Kornwit.

"Hey, Mr. Andy! Here's Narong's outfit!"

Shit! Could not you take a little longer, Tom?!

"Great. Come here, Narong!" Mr. Andy helps Arm get dressed. "So handsome!"

"Uh...where's the rest of the outfit?" Arm asks, confused. He looks at me embarrassed.

How weird an outfit could be for a bartender, you said?! That's your answer, Arm!

"Bartenders wear nothing but the black pants and this cute bow tie, Narong. Just it." Mr. Andy responds enthusiastically.

"Bare chest?" Arm asks, distressed.

"It would be a crime to hide this strong, sexy chest of yours, Narong. Don't you think, Tom?"

"Oh yeah...Narong has a really nice body." Tom responds all flushed.

Arm blushes even more then Tom.

"Well...I'm going to say it again. You two siblings are well warned! Working here does not mean you will be protected. Girls are more secure because they are not the taste of the majority public...but men...Narong...my baby...the counter can only protect you to a certain extent...I can't do anything against mafia families. The payout here is good, but the risk is high. There is still time to give up."

I like that Andy is honest with us.

Well, it would help if Arm didn't have to stand nearly naked behind the counter.

Arm and I looked at each other.

"No problem Mr. Andy. We are staying. We need the money." Arm answers for us.

"Okay, you're at your own risk, understood?"

"Understood."

...

Arm's POV

In the morning, while we were at the store and Pete was trying on women's clothes, I used the spare credit card Pete brought with him to buy a cell phone and send a text message to Khun Vegas warning him about our safety and the white king, Lian Wang, the CEO of Wang Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest companies in this industry in Taiwan.

Pete seemed to have it all figured out from the start. He brought a cell phone and credit card not traced by the Theerapanyakul family.

Vegas told me that Macau had come with him to Taipei.

My heart was tight with longing and concern for that stubborn boy.

Why did Macau come together?

Why would Vegas allow him to come on a dangerous trip like this in another country?

Logical answer number one: Because Macau came to save me...again

Logical answer number two: Because nobody holds Macau when he wants to save me.

He really likes me, doesn't he?

I regret not going down that alley and talking to him to understand what had happened between him and Porchay.

On the other hand, if I hadn't gone to the Minor Family house, Pete would have come here alone.

Nothing is by chance and everything will work itself out at some point.

Arriving at "De Light" Nightclub, we met Andy, a guy around late twenty's, smart and friendly. He was desperate to hire and immediately took a liking to our looks. He doesn't seem to suspect that Pete is not a girl.

Despite being reluctant, Pete is playing his role very well.

Because of the time when Pete and I followed Tianshi, the Angel, we made contacts in China and Taiwan for forged documents. In an hour we got fake passports.

I went to an internet cafe and created false information about two orphaned brothers, Narong and Anong from Thailand.

I'm quite sure Pete hated these names. I think they are so cute.

Mr. Andy accessed all information about us and checked our passports.

And then he hired us.

In the afternoon we helped to clean the place and in the evening the customers started to arrive.

Now we're focused on uncovering clues about the chess room and why the white king needs Pete.

Apparently, Jade was right. We came to the right place. The night club is already full of Taiwanese mafia elite.

Although small, the club is fancy and well decorated.

The ambience is dark and seductive.

An exclusive clientele frequents the club, which offers good food, good music and moments of pleasure and privacy.

Police seem to turn a blind eye to the place considering the high bribes paid.

There are few women working at the club and in fact no one pays any attention to them. The long black dress covers them from head to toe. It's good. It would be very infuriating to see women suffering any kind of harassment.

However, for men... bold clothes get the attention of the customers.

One would think that men are better able to defend themselves than women, but this is not the case. We're talking about the power of money...the strongest against the weakest...

The power imbalance in the underworld knows no gender.

There are men who actually provide specific services for the pleasure of customers. Tom is not one of them. He is one of the main waiters in the house and instructs the other waiters and waitresses. However, his appearance draws a lot of attention.

Tom is tall and has a nice body, but his delicate features convey an image of fragility. His sweetness doesn't do much to ward off the most daring customers. He looks like an easy prey indeed.

Despite warning us that he could not protect anyone, several times I watched Andy protect his employees, especially Tom. Andy is courageous and costumers seem to respect him.

Tom helps me a lot with drinks, and we work as a team. I keep my eyes on him too. I can't let a nice guy get harassed like that.

Some eager customers also came to talk to me. The counter gives a feeling of protection, but it's not enough. A few daring customers jumped off the counter and I had to politely kick them out.

Because of that, I've got the opposite effect. It increased the number of guys who came to the counter to appreciate my manhood.

Damn.

"How is it going in the counter, Narong?!" Mr. Andy comes over to talk to me.

"A little busy, but I think I've got the hang of it, Mr. Andy."

"Good. You're doing great, Narong. There are many customers ordering drinks more than usual because of you."

"Haha... Are my drinks really that good?"

"Drinks and the bartender." Andy winks at me.

"Mr. Andy manages your business very well."

"I have to do this, otherwise Tang Yi scolds me."

"Tang Yi (3)?"

"Tang Yi is my business partner. He doesn't meddle with how I run the nightclub, but he's a shareholder. Thanks to him I didn't go bankrupt. He's too busy with his other business. He inherited his uncle's mafia business a couple of years ago."

"I see."

"Tomorrow he is coming with some foreign friends. Be ready. Everything need to be perfect. By the way, I must think how to say this to Tom."

"Why?!"

"Remember I talked about the guy from Thailand earlier?"

"Yes..."

"He's back in town."

"Ow..."

Shit. Would it be too much of a coincidence if it was Khun Vegas? I think Pete got suspicious too.

Khun Vegas can't know we're here. Not yet.

"Mr. Andy... I would like to try something new tomorrow...to create an air of mystery as I serve customers."

"Hmm...what do you have in mind, Narong?"

"Well, you mentioned BDSM, so I thought of a few things..."

"Interesting! Tell me more!"

...