The art of negotiating

Miranda didn't like the sound of any of this. Get down to business? And the way Wan-Chih looked at her made her feel like a piece of meat. She squirmed uneasy in her seat beside him. "I'm here" she retorted. "You said I would get to see my daughter if I followed your instructions. I want to know where Abby is. I want to see her before I agree to anything else."

"I thought you would say as much" Wan-Chih smiled. As he spoke, a scantily dressed waitress came over to their booth. She was tall and blond, and made for sex. "May I take your order?" she politely asked. "Of course you can. I will take the liberty of ordering for the lady. Two sloe comfortable screws, please. Easy on the ice." The waitress walked off once again, leaving them alone. "Let's relax and enjoy our drinks first" he said, returning to Miranda. "You'll see her soon enough. She is here, in the back."

"I don't want a drink. I want to see my daughter right now" demanded Miranda.

"You, my dear, are in a position to demand nothing. I am in a position to grant nothing" he sneered at Miranda. "You simply have ****. We hold all the cards, and you hold nothing. You will get to see Abby if you behave."

Miranda sighed. In her heart she knew he was right. They had Abby, Wan-Chih had the video of her fall into debauchery, and she had absolutely nothing to bargain with. She couldn't even bargain with her own body. For all intents and purposes, Wan-Chih owned her at the moment. She had to figure out some way to get herself and Abby out of this mess. Until then, all she could do was bide her time. "All right, what it is it you expect of me?"

It was at that moment the tall, sexy blond waitress returned with their drinks. She smiled at Wan-Chih as she sat them on the table. "New recruit, huh?" she asked.

Wan-Chih stared at her. "You know better than to ask, Ophelia. I will let you slide this time. Yes, you could say she is. You may end up working with her from time to time."

Ophelia looked at Miranda, and smiled. "I think you're very sexy. I hope you like women, because I like you. I want to taste you, and make you come like no one else has ever done." She caressed the side of Miranda's face. "I could fall in love with you."

Miranda didn't know how to respond. Part of her wanted to smack this girl into next week, while another part of her wanted to kiss her. She was afraid to do either, so she sat there and allowed Ophelia to continue. "Tell me your name, sweetheart."

Miranda looked at Wan-Chih who simply nodded his head yes. "Miranda" she slightly stammered.

"Well it's nice to meet you." Ophelia bent down, and kissed Miranda's forehead. "Mind if I call you Andie for short? I think it suits you nicely."

Wan-Chih laughed. "You say that to all the girls, Ophelia. But I might let you have a go at her later on. Right now we've got business to discuss. I also thank you for giving me a good idea for her stage name. I think she will be known as Andie from now on."

"Well, I'll leave you two at it" said Ophelia as she picked her tray up off the table. "I hope to see you soon, Andie."

Miranda took a long sip of her drink, which she found to be quite good. She puzzled silently over what might be in it. She knew orange juice for sure by the color, but what gave it the reddish tint? Grenadine? But it didn't taste like grenadine. It wasn't overpoweringly sweet. She took another long sip as she she started to feel warm all over.

"Here is the bottom line" Wan-Chih spoke. "You will do whatever you're told to do. No street work. You won't be exposed to the public. You and Abby both will work inside various establishments we own. You may also be called upon to do some acting for various video projects we have going on. If you do as you're told, I promise you and Abby will always work together at the same place. Do you agree to these terms?"

"Yes" Miranda reluctantly answered. "I agree to everything. As long as I know my daughter is not harmed, and that I will get to see her, and work with her. I have no other choice."

"Good" Wan-Chih smiled. "Let's finish our drinks, and we'll go see Abby."