Luke, Oliver and Diana (Part 1).

“...So you see, I had this incredible idea,” Luke said, keeping his hands in front of himself as if said idea was a box he was holding. “We can’t exactly produce the elixir by the gallons, correct? It’s not a matter of raw materials needed, but the complexity of the process and what comes out of it. Even if we could, flooding the market ourselves with such a rare and desired concoction would be an awful strategy.”

I nodded along, following his train of thought. Across from us, Diana had her arms crossed and listened closely as well. She was in her work clothes since she was on a late shift.

Luke had called me to the hotel to discuss some stuff, mainly things regarding the start of the construction of the house. Before that, though, he wanted to show me the finished lounge bar, the thing Diana had been working on for the last couple of months.

It was surprisingly small when you considered the size of the restaurant. You could probably only seat around 20 people at most. The rooms did have either their own bar or a mini-fridge, so if you wanted to drink something straight, you could do it there. This was a cocktail bar, a place you came to get a fancy drink and have a more relaxed experience.

The place had dark red carpet and brighter red walls, all shaded in dark purple with the soft neon lights on top. The mahogany counter was long, in itself enough to seat eight people on the tall, dark wooden stools in front of it. Behind it, bottles and bottles of liquors of different colors. Golden, red, green, brown and others clear like water. There were four black tables along the wall across from the counter, small but enough for two people, with dark wooden chairs with red cushions.

Then there were the two cubicles along the furthest wall, almost in a whole new are. Their entrances covered by dark purple curtains, they each had a table and two couches, enough for four people, maybe five.

“So… Do you expect people to…” I had asked Luke when I saw those.

“It’s for a bit of privacy, mostly,” he told me. “People come here to get intimate. I’m here to provide. Of course, sex here is prohibited. That’s what the rooms are for.”

Couldn’t help but wonder if the curtain would make the cubicle be considered a ‘closed space’ for the purposes of the Silence rune. Probably not.

“It looks really nice,” I told Diana. “And you chose everything here?”

“Mostly,” she said, tapping the mahogany counter. “This one is Luke’s own property.”

“Bought it at an auction on a whim. Finally have a good place for it.”

So basically, this was the place I’d be working at soon. Despite the relaxing vibe of the place, I felt pretty nervous at the prospect.

Anyway, as I sat beside Luke at the counter with Diana behind it, he continued telling me about his idea. “So I was thinking, how about a weaker, more affordable version of the elixir? I rejected the idea at first because purposefully making a lesser version of it would be a waste of time, effort and resources. But then I thought… What if we mixed the elixir with something else? Say, what if we made wine with it and sold it here as a house specialty?”

Diana stroked her chin. “Thus giving customers yet another reason to prefer this hotel over others. Drink a miraculous wine with strong aphrodisiac effects, then head right over to the room for an unforgettable night.” She sighed. “You really know how to squeeze every out of people, don’t you?”

Luke waved his hand with a small, proud smile. “The trick is to have them feel like it was completely worth it. That way they come back again.”

“I could’ve never thought of something like that…” I admitted with a faint chuckle.

“Better that way,” Diana told me. “Leave the shrewd business stuff to him. You keep yourself innocent.”

“Hah! Innocent,” Luke said, laughing. “If what you two are doing is anywhere near what the elixir lets me do, then I’M the pure and innocent here.”

“True,” I told him.

“Well, anyway. The production of the elixir is becoming more streamlined and the quality is improving with every new attempt. With you delivering so well on your part of the deal, Oliver, I must continue to deliver on mine as well. I give the specifications of your requests to the construction company and they’re drafting plans already. They’ll be sending them the day after tomorrow.”

“Ah. That’s…”

“Yes, I remember,” Luke smiled. “That’s prom night, isn’t it? You have a reservation for that night here.”

“I still think we should pay like everyone else…”

“Nonsense!” Luke said, lightly smacking the counter. “You, my friend, along with your girls, will enjoy the full hospitality of Pleasure Lake Hotel! And it’ll all be on me! My treat on such an important day. The room you enjoyed before? It’s waiting for you once more! Unless, of course, you’d like the whole top floor for yourselves.”

“Um…”

“Don’t, Oliver,” Diana said, shaking her head. “It’s too big. That’s for parties of around 15 people.”

“Ah, then yes, that’s too much. But thank you.”

“And you, Diana,” Luke addressed her with a very noticeable wink. “You only have one job that night. After you’re done, you’re free to join them.”

I saw Diana trying to hide a smile, which wasn’t exactly difficult for her. Really, it was mostly me sensing her good mood that gave her away. Other than that… It was pretty suspicious.

“By the way,” Diana said. “I hope this won’t be weird to you, but… Thomas and Maria have a reservation for that night here as well.”

“That’s…” We were going to the same hotel? That was… I shrugged. “Eh, whatever.”

“Ah, a friend of yours? If you’d like, I can give you all a bigger room to…”

“No, no. That’s fine,” Diana said before I could get a word in. “We’re not that kinky. I… Think?” she looked to me as if looking for confirmation.

“I don’t know, but please keep them in their own room.”

“Alright, just thought I’d extend the offer.”

Having sex in the same room as Thomas and Maria? Oddly enough, while I wasn’t into the idea, I didn’t find it as repulsive as I thought I would.

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