grand opening

Mikhainon neglected to tell Chloe about his new brothel. On the whole, he neglected to tell Chloe about a lot of things, but this one was especially deliberate. He thought she'd get quite a kick out of it. Chloe was turning into a fine young woman, who had high goals and growing independence. He liked to think most of it was due in large part to his influence and connections. It wouldn't be long until the girl had power on her own. She should learn how to have fun within that power, and he was determined to teach her that.

And so, right then, Chloe held in her hands a Free! Coupon for anyone she chose. She didn't know what it was for yet. It was going to be a surprise.

"But you're going to love it," he said, with absolute certainty. He got ready to go, new suit slick and tidy, and Chloe he urged to dress just as nice. He picked his keys and wallet from a bowl and led her to the black sedan parked in front of the main doors of the mansion.

Mikhainon got into the driver's seat, urging Chloe to sit shotgun. Blue jumped out of the back to surprise Chloe, giggling all the while.

"And, Blue's coming." He smiled softly, starting the car up and driving off. "She said she misses you and she's hyped to see how you like the surprise."

Blue waved from the back, giggling. "Nice to see you, hun."

"Oh, I'm just tagging along. I'm pretty darn hype for the... whole thingie, too. Gabey said he'd let me come with you guys." Blue raised an eyebrow at Mikhainon, pouting. "But only under the condition that I don't spoil anything. He thinks you'll love it, but I think he's just being weird again and you're going to make that strained, patient smile you always do when you realize you're caught up in one of his antics."

Mikhainon rolled his eyes. "I can hear you, you know. Personally, I think gifts aren't that good if the receiver already knows they want it. There's no element of surprise. The best kind of gift is giving them something they didn't know they wanted to add a little self-discovery to the mix."

Blue stared at him incredulously. And then, she laughed, hugging him half-heartedly from behind and kissing his cheek. "Your god complex is very cute, boo boo."

As soon as they left the Residential area, Mikhainon turned right straight into the Strip. He passed by several fancy establishments to park in front of a black, Gothic Cathedral. At first glance, it didn't seem like the sort of place Mikhainon would even look at. Upon closer inspection, there was a bright, red neon sign on the side that said "Temptations." Around the walls, roses grew, and they were a very familiar Rosales type of rose.

"We're here," he said, turning off the car engine and gesturing for everyone to follow him. He trailed behind a passing crowd hoping to get inside, too. "It's the grand opening, Chloe. Take a look."

"Oh, it's so much more than that," he said with a grin. He shooed the guests away from the main path and threw the double doors open.

If there was one word to describe what happened to the old cathedral, it was blasphemous. The lovely interior was preserved and repaired, but it wasn't a church anymore. Along the alcoves were giant statues of angels and saints, sexually provocative, naked and committing sexual acts. The main seating area became a dining room. The altar was a bar. The servers were sexy men and women dressed up in skimpy demon outfits. People were eating barbecue. Some of them were going down a back door.

Mikhainon beamed at Chloe. "Surprise. It's the grand opening of my brothel. Well, mine and Klaus's. Since I remember your run with the strippers at Gomorrah going so well, I figured you'd learn to take to this just as easily. You already have a free coupon."

Blue squealed, throwing her arms in the air. "Oh my GOD! This is the best place I've ever SEEN!"

Neon, one of the bartenders, currently serving drinks walked up to them with a tray of champagne. He offered it to them. "Mr. Baltimore, Ms. Black. There's a table ready for you. Please follow me." With that, he turned enough and led them to a round table near the bar that said VIP.

Mikhainon knew what those facial expressions meant. Chloe was uncomfortable, but she'd been uncomfortable with strippers before, and other aspects of her new lifestyle. But she liked and grew accustomed to them eventually, didn't she? She was going to like this. Maybe eventually she'd learn her place in the world, and acted appropriately for someone of her stature, mortal conceptions be damned.

So, with a smile, Mikhainon said, "You're welcome, honey," and ordered the three of them the house special.

Blue was in her seat, taking snapchats of the statues with her phone with funny captions. She took a photo of an angel being taken from behind with the caption, looking like she was rather bored, and put the caption "tfw cushion too much for the pushin'." Without warning, she raised her phone and took a photo of the three of them, saying "Smiiiile!"

Click.

"Oh, Gabey, you never look bad in photos," she said with a giggle. "How do you do it?"

Mikhainon looked at Chloe, grinning. "If you look over there at the bar, there's a high counter." He pointed at the altar/bar. "That's where you order the prostitutes. First floor's humans. Second floor's special humans/humanoids. Third is... Well, there are things there that may be considered illegal. So, don't hold back. What do you think?"

Neon came back to their table not too soon after, three sizzling hot ribs on his tray. He set the dishes down for the three of them. Blue rubbed her hands together, licking her lips, and saying with a sing song voice: "Dig in~!"

Sensing Chloe's distress, Neon smiled sympathetically, shaking his head, and came back with more champagne for the three of them.

Mikhainon reclined in his seat. "Sentient animals. Shapeshifters that can look like your family members. Vampires who turned as children. Aliens with legal sex slavery in their home planet. Oh, there's also some kelpies ready to vore people who are into it — that's a fancy new addition." He waved a hand. "They're all consenting adults, but you know. We don't want the police on our backs."