The Negotiator

“You’re three minutes late, Stratton,” Bianca Zuccaro declared.

“There was an accident. It delayed traffic,” Lacey explained, as her group joined the dark-haired dancer in the alcove to huddle away from the whipping winter winds.

“Unacceptable. That’s why you should always leave early,” her family rival pointed out.

“Don’t give me that. You know how hard it is to wrangle Yums away from treats,” Lacey reminded.

“More like you two got caught up in pestering strangers to fall in love,” the youngest Zuccaro sister speculated.

“Don’t worry. We won’t bother with your stone-cold heart,” Amberly shot back.

“Don’t test my patience, Abbington,” Bianca growled.

“Ooh! She’s purrfect for Xenia Onatopp!” Yumi exclaimed. “Bianca can easily play diabolical and deadly.”

“Look, I don’t need to deal with Rocco’s…What did you just call me?” the dance captain asked.

“That you’re a Slutcarro who likes to be on top,” Amberly stage-whispered. Fortunately, Yumi was already lost in her fictional spy mission, peering out from the alcove with her fingers raised and cocked like a gun.

“Long story short, we told Yums that we’re meeting our contact. Somehow you turned into a villainous Bond girl with Ambs as Honey Ryder and me as Strawberry Fields. Yumi said that she’s Jinx,” Lacey rattled off, hoping to move the conversation along to their primary purpose. “So is there a problem with your cousin–”

“I do love Halle Berry. That’s why I picked Jinx. Do you remember we were little and went to see X-Men? The scary one where people died?” Yumi asked. “We had a supergroup with us!”

“It was a terrible movie,” Bianca responded. “I don’t know why Mom took me along.”

“I got a tummy ache from Dots,” Yumi added about when they were six-year-olds.

“That seems to happen a lot,” Amberly noted.

‘Don’t get her started,” Lacey whispered before raising her voice. “You were saying something about your cousin?”

“Rocco is my dad’s cousin, and you know that,” Bianca stated. She had a point. Their families could probably list a whole family tree of the rival side.

“It’s a term people often use about their second or third cousins,” Lacey hissed, already on edge. Sensing her old partner’s mood had more to do with than Bianca, Amberly jumped in.

“What seems to be the issue, Zuccaro? Is his club a viable option for us, or are we all wasting our time?”

"I don't…Honestly, I don't know. My mother set up this meeting. It sounds like we'll need to convince him to hold your dumb thing here. Rocco is still upset about Beal's fight over winter break. You might need to put on your negotiator hat for this. He can be kind of a jerk at times."

“Don’t look at me. We were at Whitney’s cabin that week,” Lacey reminded Amberly. “Think good thoughts, Yums.”

The caring cheerleader nodded, blinking away any moisture from her eyes over Whitney’s near-death experience on that trip. However, she immediately found a reason to be distracted.

“Leave it to Katie and fucking Palmer to make this harder,” Amberly groaned.

Neither Lacey nor Bianca corrected her language around Yumi; they both nodded in agreement. Then, they caught sight of Yumi’s face. Lacey swiftly apologized, but the sweet girl shook her head, indicating something else was wrong.

“Um, are you constipated?” Lacey whispered. “That was a big breakfast.”

“How much did you feed her?” Bianca challenged, suddenly horrified by the sugar rush that might be coming.

“Don’t you get it? Phooey!” Yumi cried, stomping her foot in a rare display of disgust. “That was my I’m-mad-as-heck-and-not-going-to-take-it face. Darnit! I just can’t quite get Rory’s training right.”

“Wait, are you trying to look angry?” the petite redhead checked.

“It’s sooo hard! Rory says that acting isn’t lying; it’s playing a character, but it’s hard not to see it as lying,” Yumi whined, appearing confused.

“Why do you want to look angry? Did meanie over there pick on you?” Amberly asked.

“I would never!” Bianca roared. “Our mothers are old friends.”

“I’ll need to fudge it a bit,” Yumi said to herself, then perked up. “Does anyone have a magnifying glass in their purse or car? No? How about eyeglasses?”

“Hold on. What are you thinking?” Lacy inquired, worried about the guess floating around inside her head.

“Yeah, I got a bad feeling,” Bianca mumbled after moving closer to her long-hated rival.

“You need to make a deal. I can do that. I’ll be the negotiator!”

Bianca glanced off to the side and down at the pavement. Lacey appeared to have swallowed something sour.

“Did Rory teach you that look?” Yumi questioned, pointing at her friend’s expression.

“This should be delightful,” the out-of-town buttery blonde remarked, ignoring Lacey’s glare. “We did bring her along for a reason.”

“Does anyone have white gloves? No?! I should’ve come prepared,” Yumi berated herself. “Even if I didn’t know I’d have this role. It’s unacceptable.”

“Don’t get yourself upset. Amberly and I can handle negotiations if it comes down to that,” Lacey reassured.

“You don’t want my help?”

Recognizing the loaded question, Bianca stepped forward and knocked on the glass door. “We don’t have time for this.”

Amberly added a loud bang against the large plate-glass window while Lacey worked quickly to soothe Yumi’s fears. It worked, and the sweetest cheerleader whipped a notebook out of her purse. A pen followed, and she clicked it open.

The combined knocks brought a brown-skinned woman to the door, who gave a polite smile when she saw Bianca. Opening the door, Chavelle Cox greeted her boss’s relative and ordered her to hurry out of the cold. A no-nonsense woman with very long, straight black hair, brown eyes, small-to-medium breasts, and a toned ass, Chavelle could often come across as a hardass. This midday, she gawked in shock when her eyes slid over the three young women with Bianca, especially the petite redhead.

“This is quite the mix. Is the world ending?”

“I don’t believe so,” Yumi answered honestly.

“We’re meeting Rocco about a school event; semi-school event,” Bianca corrected, after Lacey flashed her green eyes in the dancer’s direction.

“I wouldn’t use the term high school around the boss. He’s still fuming after that kid dripped blood everywhere,” Chavelle warned, inadvertently leading Yumi to frown at the description of Will’s injury.

“What is this?” the sweet cheerleader questioned, pointing at the front windows. Jotting down several lines, she looked up from the notebook to stare at Chavelle. “Has your employer never heard of Windex?”

“What?” Chavelle replied.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry–” Bianca began, aware of how feisty Chavelle could get.

“Don’t you see these smudges? You must be blind not to. There are fingerprints everywhere on these windows,” Yumi announced, slowly walking along the windows to gesture at the marks. “Either this is a foolhardy attempt to frost the glass, or it’s shoddy cleaning. That’s one demerit!”

Amberly grinned at the flourish Yumi displayed as she made a checkmark in the notebook. Lacey bit her lip in concern while Bianca merely shook her head at the performance.

“You’d better let Rocco know that we’re here,” the dance captain suggested, which Chavelle agreed to by walking toward the club’s rear.

“Don’t get carried away. Be nice,” Lacey hissed. “This is our best option.”

“I think it’s our only option,” her matchmaking partner added.

“Are you accusing me of overacting?”

Bianca snorted while Amberly stifled a laugh at Yumi’s expression of pure indignation. Rather than say anything, the former led the foursome further inside the potential location of the Valentine’s Day mixer.

A two-story club, Metropolis consisted of three dance floors and two bars. The largest main dance area sat on a sunken floor, four steps down, in the middle of the room. Guardrails and small circular tables lined three sides of the main dance floor. The main bar sat back from the stairs, allowing a nice view of the action. Near the front entrance and in the back of the room, two smaller raised dance floors gave dancers space to show off their moves to other patrons. Video boards lined the walls, providing live images of the dancing. Upstairs on the second level, a lounge lined with couches and plush chairs allowed tired patrons a chance to regroup and chat in a slightly quieter atmosphere. Or they could use one of the two billiards tables. A smaller bar provided clubgoers with refreshments. If those on the second level wanted to watch the goings-on downstairs, they could choose several monitors or look over the railings that lined two large openings in the floor.

A man in his early thirties with short black hair appeared as Yumi slowly gained distance from her friends. Appearing exhausted, Rocco Zuccaro greeted his cousin Benny’s daughter.

“When did your operating hours cease last night?” Yumi asked, interrupting the family discussion.

“I’m sorry, what?” the club owner responded, glancing at Bianca in confusion.

“What time did you close last night?” Yumi questioned, running a piece of facial tissue across a railing.

“The usual 2:30.”

“It’s well past lunchtime, yet your floors are sticky, and your railings are dirty,” Yumi revealed, holding up the piece of Kleenex. “That’s two more demerits for this business.”

“What the…Is this one of your friends?” Rocco asked Bianca.

“Focus on me, sir!” Yumi snapped. Walking toward the main bar, she added, “I’m the woman you’ll be dealing with. Hello, Evelyn.”

Evan Naylor's older sister, a friendly, outgoing girl with neck-length black hair, light brown eyes, medium-to-large breasts, a toned ass, and pale skin, greeted Yumi warmly. She even stepped aside to allow the sweet girl to walk behind the bar.

“Eve, don’t let her do that!” Rocco admonished, throwing out a hand.

“This establishment seems ripe for fruit flies in the bottles,” Yumi stated, lifting one bottle to peer through the colored glass. “I’m sure I will find them buzzing around.”

“Hey! Don’t touch that! You can’t be back there. You’re not old enough,” Rocco yelled, hurrying over to the side of the bar opposite the investigating girl.

“Sir, your business is poorly maintained. Not only should the county health department be notified, but this will affect our interest in renting the club in two weeks,” Yumi declared. “You ruin the good Zuccaro name with this behavior.”

“When did the gangster family get a good name?” Amberly asked.

“Shut it!” Bianca growled.

“Who the hell is this girl?” Rocco demanded to know. “I don’t know her.”

"Your rude behavior is also noted," Yumi said, making a big deal of the insult as she added it to the notebook.

“She's Felicity Witt’s daughter,” Bianca disclosed.

“I don’t care whose kid she is; I’m not putting up with this shit.”

“Disrespecting a potential client displays poor business skills, sir,” Yumi said, slamming a coaster down on the bar top for effect. “Don’t you like money?”

“Calm down! Please?” Lacey interrupted. “Can we try again and start this conversation over? Please?”

“That’s an excellent idea!” Bianca agreed, mentally kicking herself. Not only had she put herself in this situation, but she also felt a wave of sympathy at her rival’s pleading. “Let’s try sitting down and talking this over like adults.”

“I think I’ve had enough of this crap,” Rocco grumbled.

Unspoken communication between three girls sent Lacey off to quiet Yumi before she could say anything else; Bianca moved over to warn her father’s cousin not to piss off her mother; and Amberly asked Evie about which table they could use.

“Fine. Let me get my material,” the club owner reluctantly agreed. He almost reconsidered, catching Yumi placing a napkin down on a chair before she sat down. Muttering to himself about family and teenagers, Rocco headed for his office.

---

“Karaoke is fine, but you’ll need to place it in the corner of the second floor. I don’t want that music interfering with the dance floor music for my other customers,” Rocco said.

The owner of Metropolis had spent the last fifteen minutes listening as Lacey and Amberly explained their plans and goals for the holiday mixer. Grumpy and annoyed at first, the enthusiasm of their pitch slowly brought him around. Once tempers stopped flaring, Bianca focused more on her phone than on the conversation.

More willing to consider the rental, Rocco handed over the price list for a room, snacks, and drinks five minutes ago. Since then, Yumi had focused on the prices and amenities while the two matchmakers haggled with the dance club owner over their planned events.

“That’s fine with us,” Lacey swiftly agreed. They needed this deal to go through. Most bars and restaurants were already booked solid for the busy holiday.

“I have a question,” Yumi announced. “What’s this about other customers?”

“Yums, it’s alright,” the petite redhead reassured.

“Your group will also be assigned colored wristbands that signify the difference between those who can drink alcohol and those who can’t. Furthermore, the second floor will be roped off at the bottom of both staircases. There will be zero tolerance when it comes to underage drinking. Additionally, I don’t want any troublemakers in attendance. A repeat of December will result in immediate shutdown of your event,” Rocco said, listing his conditions.

“Agreed!” Lacey rushed to approve, as her desperation grew.

“My question was not answered,” Yumi pointed out, continuing to play the role of negotiator. “We entered these discussions with the understanding that our party would be the sole group in attendance.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not shutting down my whole club on a weekend night for a bunch of high schoolers. Your group can’t even purchase liquor,” Rocco responded dismissively.

“We fully understand,” Lacey stated.

“No, we don’t,” Yumi announced. “I don’t appreciate your tone, sir. You’re treating us like second-class customers. We’re only interested in renting the entire club, not a portion.”

“No, we’re not–”

“Actually, I believe our negotiator may be correct,” Amberly said, cutting off her partner. “This is not a hook-up event; it’s about creating romantic connections. Having horny, sleazy older men around might make some of our peers feel uncomfortable.”

“Speak for yourself,” Bianca commented, still focused on her phone.

“It’s a safety issue. No disrespect intended toward your staff,” the buttery blonde added.

“Nope. Not happening. Your type of clientele won’t meet the projections I need for a weekend night. Not unless you’re willing to play a higher rental agreement and guarantee a certain number of guests,” Rocco argued.

“I don’t know about–”

“We can guarantee a minimum of 150 customers, with a solid chance of reaching 200,” Yumi stated, cutting off Lacey, who gasped at the large numbers. “Face it, Valentine’s is a date night. We know your regular customer numbers will be down that night.”

“Yums, we not expecting anything close to–”

“Not only will you have paying customers, but our event will also offer you free publicity from across the region,” the role-playing cheerleader announced. “We’ll have several prime regional celebrities in attendance to draw male and female suitors through your doors.”

“We will?” Lacey questioned, glancing at Amberly in confusion.

“We will. Sir Sean Tarver, the current hero of Honey Hollow, is a family friend of Miss Stratton. He’s currently the most desirable bachelor in town under twenty-five. Similarly, Whitney Diamond will have men jostling to take her out onto the dance floor. No fighting, just aggressive suiting.”

“I don’t care about the latest Nosy Nectar gossip–”

“Miss Abbington here has also promised to bring Brittany Rachford along with her. Not only is she the It Girl of Blackbridge North High, but she’s also the It Girl of the three other high schools down there. Boys will drive the distance for a shot at her hand,” Yumi continued.

“I think they usually want more than her hand,” Amberly muttered, with Bianca nodding.

“That’s not all. Miss Stratton and Miss Zuccaro have connections from cheer and dance camps with squad captains in Arbor Corners, Rattle Ridge, Moose Point, and Grassy Valley. Those captains will act like Pied Pipers, bringing boys and girls to Metropolis who’ve never experienced a dance club like this one,” the negotiator speculated, adding to the sales pitch. “If you doubt us, then you need only look at the Guzzle Crossing cheer and dance squads, who traveled to Honey Hollow last night. Their appearance alone raised interest levels in several events last night. Imagine at least a half dozen of those schools sending students and prospective customers this way.”

“I’m doing what now?” Bianca asked, finally abandoning her phone.

“You’re guaranteeing these other students?” Rocco challenged, sounding intrigued.

“We will, and here’s our price,” Yumi said, ripping a piece of paper out of her notebook. Placed with the writing facing down, she slid it across the table.

Silence followed from the other three teens as the club owner flipped the paper over. Staring in disbelief, Rocco opened his mouth twice, closed it once, before reacting.

“This is…ridiculous!”

“It’s our price. You’ve failed to understand, Mr. Zuccaro, we’re not selling you our event; you’re selling us on the reasons we should hold it here,” Yumi explained.

One hand, then two, covered Lacey’s forehead as she realized they wouldn’t be renting Metropolis. Amberly wasn’t quite as sure, while Bianca merely watched her relative in amusement.

“I’m pitching to you? Preposterous!” Rocco roared. “And what’s this crap at the bottom? Lumin what?”

“Before signing any agreement, we’ll need a team to search this club with Luminol. Our friends and guests would prefer not to sit or eat off any traces of blood residue.”

Rocco exploded, verbally and physically, out of his chair.

A wave of expletives filled the dance club; naughty words that Yumi didn’t hear after placing her hands over her ears. She removed the earmuffs only after Lacey tapped her shoulder.

“He’s gone. Let’s go.”

“I think we should wait. He might reconsider our offer,” Yumi suggested.

“Doubtful,” the other sweet cheerleader replied, rubbing her face in concern.

“Highly doubtful. He scoffed at whatever threats my mom might make after this,” Bianca revealed. “I don’t know whether she’s going to be pissed or laugh hysterically. Considering that you’re the source of the trouble, I'm leaning toward her peeing her pants while laughing.”

“I know that I should’ve recorded this meeting,” Amberly said, mumbling at her mistake.

“C’mon, let’s go,” Lacey ordered, nearly yanking her fellow cheerleader from the seat. “What were you thinking?”

“His prices were unreasonable, so I lowered them.”

“You lowered them down to us having nothing,” the ginger complained.

“It happens. Rory said that not everyone–”

“I’m going to have a talk with Aurora. Whatever these acting lessons are, they’re over now,” Lacey growled before softening her attitude. "You have Cat's etiquette classes to focus on anyway."

"Rory's classes are informal," Yumi argued. “I can do both.”

“No!” Lacey exclaimed, then turned toward her rival. “Uh, sorry about all this.”

“Don’t be. The next holiday gathering should be a blast. Teresa is going to be so pissed that she missed it,” Bianca laughed, pushing the outside door open.

“Great for you. We’re shit out of luck.”

“Lace!” Yumi admonished in horror.

“Don’t Lace me. That was our last option. We’re out of any bars, restaurants, or halls,” Lacey explained.

“Is that all? No problemo!” Yumi exclaimed. “I made a list while Mr. Z rambled. I have the most awesome location ideas! What’s our catering budget?”

“Catering? We don’t have a catering budget!”

“Maybe we should,” Amberly responded, turning to face the sweetest girl in Honey Hollow. “What do you have in mind?”

“Only a place with a capital F-U-N for us!” Yumi cheered as Lacey’s phone buzzed.

"Oh, gawd. Now what?" the petite redhead moaned, reading the message. "Ambs, can you give Yums a ride home? I need to stop at school."

“What happened?!” Yumi asked. “Was it the JV game? The Babybees?”

“Whoa! If drama went down, I want to see it,” Amberly admitted. “I need my honey fix.”

“I don’t,” Bianca said. “I can give this one a ride before the sugar rush kicks in.”

“I want to go too!”

“Actually, if she had ideas about other locations, then we’ll need her along,” Amberly pointed out.

“I swear, somebody is going to end up dead soon,” Lacey grumbled, marching toward the car.