Oliver and Luke (Part 2)

Despite my suspicions, Mr. Allen did take me to the restaurant inside the hotel, though it was completely empty at the moment. There were no people at the moment, but everything was there. It was spacious, the floor was of bright red tiles and several chandeliers hung from the ceiling. There was an open area and four other private sections separated by half walls and curtains. There were some supporting poles of dark brown wood around, most of which had speakers at the top, likely for ambient music and the stage at the end.

“What do you think, Mr. Brooks? I’d like your honest opinion, if you don’t mind.”

I’d gotten enough time by now to get my bearings. I could do this. Hopefully. “It’s… a little dark, I think, but I’m guessing that’s the point?”

“Yes. We considered a standard restaurant, but I thought that we should stick to the objective of the establishment and help build the mood for our guests. I want to have soft live music playing, serve good and energizing food and hopefully put on some nice shows in the near future. I want our customers to enjoy themselves to the fullest here.” Mr. Allen spoke with an excited smile on his face. “You see, I decided to build this hotel after going to one in this very town. It was very nice, very clean, very well decorated and it had many amenities. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted a fuller experience, bigger and more intense. Extravagant, undeniably memorable! And well, with nothing like that around, I had to make it myself.”

He chuckled at himself with a shake of his head. “Before I get carried away, let us sit down. I have a strong feeling that you’re a very sharp young man, Mr. Brooks. You know I didn’t ask you to come here with me to chat about dinner, right?”

I followed him and we both took a seat at a small, black, round table for two, then nodded. “I had a feeling, but I still don’t know what you’d want from me.”

“Hmm… Where do I start…?” Mr. Allen lightly tapped his chin, then shrugged. “Would you believe me if I said I have magical abilities? If I said that a spirit that feeds on human greed lives inside me?”

I felt every muscle of my body tense up at the same time and the blood in my veins turn to ice in the span of the 10 seconds it took me to process what I’d just heard. My face froze, which in this case was almost a good thing. I was looking at Mr. Allen with the same, innocently curious face as when he asked me what I thought of his restaurant.

He chuckled again. “A good poker face. That’s a good talent to have. Diana reacted the same way when I told her.”

That broke my immutable expression. I blinked, and the hand on my lap was now tightly gripping my knee. “You told her this?”

“I did, though she prefers not to believe me. My girlfriends know, too, in case you were wondering. They do believe me.”

“...Why? Why would you tell her… this?”

“At first, I thought that Diana was simply a very competent woman. I met her at this very same hotel I just told you about. One of my girls and I were having some issues with the tub and she helped us get it sorted out in less than five minutes. What could’ve been a bad experience was saved because of her efficiency and compromise to do a proper job. Those kinds of people are rare and very valuable, so I offered her to come work for me. Then, seeing her work first hand convinced me she was worth more than simply money. I’m very apprehensive about letting excelling employees go, you see, and I have no lack of competitors in every area. I told her about my abilities and asked her to let me cast a spell on her, a ward to protect her against mental afflictions. Mind control spells exist, too, you see, and it wouldn’t be the first time a rival has tried to take people from me through magical means.”

“...And you don’t use mind control spells yourself?” I asked with skepticism yet playing along with his story.

“I do not. Mind control can alter the personality or take away some faculties. Why would I risk ruining the capabilities of someone I think highly of?” Mr. Allen smiled and shook his head. “That’s the pragmatic answer, at least. In truth, I simply have a distaste for it. I believe people reach their highest highs when they have full agency over their lives.”

“...” Diana spoke of someone she knew that claimed to have magic powers on our first date. So she was talking about Mr. Allen? “And why would you tell this to me?”

“Because, Mr. Brooks, I have been looking for something, something that has eluded me for years.” Mr. Allen sighed and swept his hair to the side with his hand. “The spirit within me calls himself Danglars. As a dragon, he says, his magic is powered by greed. The accumulation of wealth, power and everything the heart desires. The more plentiful and meaningful the things I acquire, the stronger we become.” He grinned. “He wasn’t very happy to find out I’m also a big spender, not big on hoarding for its own sake, but we make it work. I started from nothing and, with his help, have built something of a commercial empire. But the heart’s desires don’t stop, especially when your soul is so tightly connected to that of a supposed dragon.”

I swallowed hard. If I applied what he said to lust and sex, he was basically describing what I went through every day since Frey came into the picture. It was on point. My libido was through the roof, my desire for sex and women didn’t stop, and we only became stronger the more we fulfilled those desires.

“...And what do I have to do with this?” I asked him.

“I wish I did not need to get you involved, Mr. Brooks. One of my abilities is being able to understand the general character of a person with just a look. You’re an honest man, caring, loving, earnest… But also anxious, apprehensive, cautious. But my gut feeling and the clues around you tell me you might be able to help me get this one thing money and magical power can’t get me.”

“...And that is?”

“I wish to experience the powers of a Spirit of Lust, Mr. Brooks. Will you help me?”

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