Terrence imparts some wisdom.

After strapping Gus into the front seat, you and Terrence sit in the back and take in the sights of the city as your cab weaves in and out of traffic. But you have some suspicions about Terrence. He seems to be very used to what happened and was almost like he was expecting it. "Terrence, do you do this often? Go on work trips like this?"

"Yeap," comes the lazy reply.

"And those women. Were they...?"

"Yeap."

"And does this always happen on work trips?"

"Nine out of ten times."

"What happens with the tenth then?"

Terrence slowly turns to look at you, lips pursed tight and eyebrows furrowed. "You're starting to harsh my buzz, man." He sighs loudly and leans back. "To answer your question, we get the job done, and if they ever want us back, I decline the invitation."

"You can do that?"

"Perks of working your way up the ladder and getting results," he smiles, before cracking an eye open and sizing you up. "Well, since your head's clear and I'm supposed to be teaching you anyway, I'm going to let you in on how things work at this level. What's the most important thing in business?" You rattle off a few concepts and he just shakes his head. "Making money. And you do that with the right customer/client relations." You scratch your head and tell him that's obvious, but you're not quite sure where he's going with this.

"You want returning customers, right?" he begins, "and you do that, by keeping them happy. And how do you do that? Give em' what they want. But you give em' a bit more, and they'll keep coming back to you even if someone else has got a better deal. The reason why I get to have a little say in what companies I want to work with is because every time we have international clients come over to us, I always get them to seal the deal and keep coming back to us. And a fact of life is, is that men think with their dicks. Get that sorted out and the head on top can do what it needs to. Look at yourself for instance," he says, pointing at you. "From the time when we took off til the time we got to the bar, you were looking and feeling like shit. Now? You're feeling looser, got a little spring in you and about ready to pass the fuck out. And that's what she wants. When morning comes, she wants you refreshed and ready to take on the job 110%, jet lag be damned."

Djal looks from him to you and nods. "He's not wrong. You humans do tend to perform better once your need to mate has been sated."

Ignoring him, you ask Terrence "And you do this with all your clients?"

"Every time."

"And they... accept the...tour guides?"

"Every. Time."

You sit in silence and mull it over when the cab starts taking you through familiar looking streets. "How does that work exactly?" you blurt out, "In terms of accounts and the logistics of arranging it."

"Huh?" Terrence blinks awake. You repeat the question to him. "Oh. That goes under entertainment and client relations. And logistics wise is where it's on whoever is hosting. Let's say you've got a job somewhere else, and in the email chain, just mention tour guides or something. Usually, the other guy will be thinking 'Right, work trip. These guys probably won't get the chance to come here again, so might as well show em' around.' Nothing wrong with that. But if you're lucky and you get someone who knows what they're doing, they'll try to find a way to get you to stay an extra night and show you some very interesting ceilings, if you catch my drift. Now, if you're really lucky, and get someone like me or that one, they'll ask you some questions and make sure you go to sleep with a smile on your face for as long as you're there."

The cab finally pulls up at your hotel, and while Terrence deals with the fare, you throw Gus over your shoulder, and the two of you dump him in his room. "He's going to have a beast of a hangover in the morning," Terrence remarks, fishing out his room key. "Anyway, breakfast at seven, local time. I want us ready to leave by eight. You a gambling man by any chance?" You tell him not really and ask him why. "Shame. Could've used that grand. Was gonna bet you that before we leave, me and that Dominique woman were definitely going to get down, and it was going to be nasty. Oh and last bit of advice. Just lock the doorknob. Don't put the chain on. Night."

Djal opens your door and pokes his head out. He looks at Terrence's door and then back to you. "Why did they pick you instead of him?"

Without a hint of sarcasm, you agree with him, before hopping into the shower, changing into your sleepwear and going to bed.