Virginie had been falling asleep when the shrill ring of the phone interrupted her heavy eyelids from drooping. She picked it up, stifling the yawn that threatened to leave her throat. "Yes?"

"Your friend Robert is here to see you, ma'am," Louie said. "Shall I send him up?"

She did not want that bastard knowing any more about her than necessary. "No, tell him I'll be down in a second."

She grabbed her purse from the coffee table and stuffed her phone in the pocket of her trench coat. She was wearing the same thing she had been wearing all day. All she did was freshen up her makeup and add a pair of lashes.

"I'm leaving to go out now," Virginie shouted, knowing that there would be no response.

She went out the door and down the elevator. When the doors opened, she saw Robert was pacing back and forth. Almost like he was nervous.

For once, he was dressed casually. He wore dark wash fitted jeans with a tight white tee and bomber jacket. He looked like any other guy his age. He looked like a guy dressed for a date with his girl. The sight confused Virginie's feelings as Robert often did because he looked so good but the sight of his frame caused her stomach to twist. Nevertheless, she put on her best seductive smile and cleared her throat as she exited the elevator.

"I do hope I haven't had you waiting for too long," she purred as Robert gawked at her.

"Damn woman," he breathed. "Who knew you could look better in a regular dress than formal wear. With that body, you could make a trash bag look like Vera Wang."

Virginie giggled. "Hello to you too. You don't look too bad yourself, handsome." The look that he was giving her made her skin crawl but she pushed through it, knowing soon enough, everything that he held dear would be taken from him and she would watch his blood splatter on the wall when she slit his throat.

When Virginie hated an assignment, she preferred to slit their throat in the end. The helplessness in their eyes when they realized that their terrible lives were over brought her so much satisfaction. This concept was the only thing keeping a smile on her face at the moment.

She slithered her arm around his. "Let's get going, shall we?"

He nodded, still speechless from her appearance. She waved goodbye to Louie as he gave her a wary eye as if he knew what Robert's intentions were. She wanted to let him know he didn't have to worry but she couldn't.

The New York air was surprisingly warm. The wind was light tonight and the rare sight of stars was in the sky. She didn't get to see much as she was ushered in the car. It was a bright white Mercedes Benz with a brown leather interior. It looked brand new. She was surprised as she was motioned to the front seat rather than the back.

"I thought we'd switch it up tonight," Robert smiled, sitting in the front seat. "I'm going to take you to T.G.I. Friday's and then we're going to see a movie. I hope that's okay with you."

Wow, so creative. He probably thinks he looks so humble right now. "Yeah, that sounds great."

They drove silently into town. The radio softly played in the background as they both stared into the ever animated background of New York City.

After a 30-minute long drive, they arrived at the restaurant. The inside was the same basic design of any Friday's. Corny, fake vintage posters and records on the wall and embossed dark wooden booths.

"I was going to ask for the best seat in the house but my guess is that they're all equally as shitty," he chuckled. "Shall we?" he pointed to the bar.

Virginie fought the urge to roll her eyes. She took her seat at the bar and a red haired woman walked towards her from behind the bar, noting her expensive looking clothing. She placed two menus in front of them, each of them containing different pamphlets of food and drink options.

"What can I get y'all to start?" she asked. Her voice had a bit of a country twang to it.

"I'll have a strawberry lemonade," Virginie replied. She did not drink alcohol. It only inhibited her abilities and reminded her of bad times.

The woman's face twitched with a smile. "Can get you anything stronger, honey?"

Virginie smiled back at her. "No, because somebody is going to have to take this one home." Robert was a drinker; he liked to go all out when he went somewhere and Virginie wasn't going to die because of his drunk driving.

"Unlike this lovely lady here, I'd like something stronger," Robert grinned. "I'd like a wet vodka martini with a twist and keep them coming."

Once she looked at Robert, a red blush spread across her face. She slid over to him, a broad smile plastered on. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, handsome?"

Robert gave her a quick grin, obviously used to this kind of attention. "You aren't too bad yourself, miss."

She winked at him and then began working on her strawberry lemonade. Virginie idly looked around the restaurant, trying to find a couple to analyze. She loved doing this in restaurants when she was on the job to pass the time. She scanned the room and saw a young couple, giggling and gazing into each other's eyes. They couldn't be more than 16 or 17 years old yet they were holding hands and smiling at each other like they had been together for a lifetime. The sight of them confused her.

She didn't understand the hype of loving someone when you were young. She felt that it was pointless. Statistics showed that most people didn't end up with the person they dated in high school so what was the point? Most kids at that age didn't understand the concept of love anyway. They were in love with the idea of it. They tried to date an idea and ended up hurt because human beings aren't perfect one dimensional beings without fault. They only understood the feeling of infatuation, the blind admiration for a person, ignoring their faults and wrongs. The feelings were intense in all of the wrong ways. The relationships ended messily yet people still romanticized their high school relationships and wished they could go back to those days.

She understood how someone could miss the simpleness of it all, the lack of work to be done, the ease of dating, the lack of factors blocking a relationship. You and another person could just be. The date would end when your mother would pick you up from the back of the mall where you were practicing French kissing in the gazebo and you shared one last sweet kiss goodbye underneath the stars before appearing in front of your mother's minivan.

The logic behind the relationships, however, still wasn't sound. What was so special about fantasizing about a lover who didn't understand you and never would? Someone who fumbled around your body like a blind man in an empty room? Perhaps the lack of experience and naïveté clouded their judgement in a haze of roses but Virginie had never been one to celebrate mediocrity.

But Robert didn't seem to want her to muse on her viewpoints about innocence. As soon as the bartender started making their drinks, he turned to her and cleared his throat, breaking her focus. "I feel like whenever we are together, all we do is talk about me. I know nothing about you except that you're a model."

Virginie almost panicked but then she realized that this was the perfect way to introduce the idea of her working for Alex. She needed to gain his trust so she could complete her mission of dismantling his horrifying business. But first, of course, she had to play with him a little bit.

"I don't really know anything about you either, handsome." She turned so she could face him properly.

He looked a bit taken aback but regained his composure quickly. "What do you mean? I talk to you about myself all the time."

He's right, he does talk about himself all the time but not what I need to know. All he talks about is being a hedge fund manager but I need to know about HIM. Once I know more, I'll be able to dissect his psyche and tell the Agency how to raid. "But I don't know anything about you. The man behind those pricey suits." She shoved his knee playfully. "Tell me about yourself."

She already knew all of the information about him that was given to her in his file but she hoped that he would say something other than that to keep her interest. She had to seem like she was enjoying this.

The bartender came back with their drinks. A tall, cold glass of lemonade with syrupy strawberries at the bottom and a vodka martini with a lemon peel. She placed the drinks in front of them and to her surprise, Robert grabbed his and drained it one gulp. From underneath the counter, the adept bartender pulled another one out which he drained in a similar fashion.

Even though Virginie knew him to be a heavy drinker, she had never seen him like this. He did finish his drinks quickly, but it was in a sly way, not so blatant. Am I making him nervous?

"More," he choked out, feeling the effects of the strong liquor. The bartender looked like she had wanted to engage him in conversation but complied. When he turned to her again, the look in his eyes had changed. They were filled with an ugly heavy ardor that Virginie wished that he would go in the bathroom to take care of. "What were you saying?"

Virginie took a sip of her lemonade. The flirty bartender had forgotten to give her a straw in her lust filled haze. It was quite good, though. "I was saying that all you ever talk about is work! I want to know more about the man behind the suit."

"What about the man under it?" He murmured, his arched brow rising.

Her smile didn't falter. "I said what I said." What a pig.

He sighed and without turning to look at the bartender, grabbed his new martini and took a large gulp. The bartender tried to hide her look of surprise but ultimately failed. "What do you want to know?"

She tried to think of a question that would make it sound like she was genuinely trying to get to know him; not just basic surface questions that people usually did on first dates. "What's a movie that you watch when you're sad?"

"Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio," he replied without a second to waste.

She forced herself to laugh. "I wasn't expecting that!"

He looked sheepishly into his empty glass. "It's funny, it makes me smile."

Funny because he's doing some of the same illegal shit that they do in that movie. Except he makes them look like Mother Teresa. "What about it?"

He looked confused. "Have you ever seen the movie?"

She had. "No, tell me about it."

"It's about an investment banker who was on Wall Street but then starts his own firm."

"None of that sounds particularly funny or exciting."

He chuckled, his usual intense and controlled demeanor leaving him as the alcohol took effect. "I'm explaining it badly." He grabbed her by the hands and Virginie stared at him, stunned. Even though his hands were soft, the feeling of them made her instantly want to scream. She focused on keeping the strangled sound stuck in her throat. "Why don't I show it to you?"

"What do you mean? That movie came out like three years ago, it's not going to be shown in the theatre no matter how rich you are."

He looked at her hazily as if he was only now seeing her for the first time. There was another couple sitting next to them, having their own conversation. Robert took both of their shots and downed them at the same time. The man glared at him as Robert dropped a $100 bill in their place. He then took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. "Come home with me. I have a home theater there and we can watch it, without anyone to interrupt us. My chef can make amazing mozzarella sticks." He slid his hand up her thigh and the hair on her neck stood on end. She thought of the contents of the file that Colette had been so worried about earlier.

But she had to put her personal feelings aside. She was here for the girls that he was selling. She could take care of herself. "That sounds great," she smiled, removing herself from the stool. "But I'm driving." She began playfully reaching for the keys that hung on his belt loop but he grabbed her hand.

"No." His eyes were filled with an alcohol fueled fire.

Virginie sighed. She was in for a long night.

✕

The ride to Robert's house was long. Harrison wasn't close to Manhattan by any means. Robert seemed to be in control of himself for the most part, but the looks he kept giving her when he thought she was looking out the window made her shiver, and not in a good way. He sped the whole way, going 100 mph the entire ride.

It must've been 10 o'clock by the time that they arrived. She pretended to fall asleep but she had been actually surveying the area to see how she would make an escape if anything backfired. There was a tracker in her bra disguised as a diamond so if anything, the Agency would be able to extract her.

Robert spoke in Spanish through the speaker at the gate as Virginie was in awe of the estate. The driveway was immense and lengthy. The gates were large and black with a vine like design. She could see the outline of a house in the distance with glowing lights. The gates lurched open and Robert hit the gas.

The mansion was enormous. It was covered in different shaped grey stones and huge white columns protected its entrance. Above the intricate detailing of the golden metal piece that was in front of the double entry doors was a large window that showcased an immense chandelier with lights that looked like candles in it and it was adorned by crystals which sparkled like they were in the sun. All of the windows had a candle in them, giving the entire house a vintage, soft feel in the winter night. The area in front of the estate was paved with stones, similar to the mansion itself. In the middle of this area was a spouting fountain with rich green foliage wrapping around it like fingers.

The doors opened and a man dressed in butler attire came out, ready to receive the car.

Robert pulled up and the car jerked back, startling Virginie. "What are you waiting for?" He muttered, his hands motioning towards the door. "Let's go!" He sloppily got out of the car and walked inside, only acknowledging the butler by dropping his keys in his hands. It was like he didn't exist.

Virginie opened the door and stepped out. She gave a quick glance to see her surroundings and walked towards the door. She looked at the man standing near it.

The butler stood at a distance. His firm stance showed that he was used to guests and Robert ignoring him. He seemed to know that he was only to stand there for show and then bring the car to its rightful place. But Virginie knew that he was worth more than that. It was the people who worked in the background, butlers, maids, cleaners, janitors that saw and knew everything. They would be the key to finding out where Robert kept the girls. Plus, being nice to them was just basic human decency. Because of most people's unfortunate manners to the help, her being kind would be seen as something amazing. She wasn't a society airhead so she smiled at the butler. "Hi, how are you? What's your name?"

He looked confused and looked around, only to find Virginie's smiling face. The man's body was built like a security guard but his jawline was soft with a slight stubble. He had green eyes, short lashes, and brown hair in a comb over. "Ma'am? Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

He was speechless.

"So, what's your name?"

"My name is Brian, ma'am. Enchanted to m-meet you." He bowed before her.

Virginie giggled. "Now you're making me feel like a princess."

He beamed at her. "Why thank you. I aim to please, ma'am." He stopped for a second, gathering his thoughts. "May I ask for your name?"

"Of course you can. My name is Virginie Methót. I'm a guest of Robert's." Brian's face flinched at the name for barely a second. If you weren't keen with your eyes, you would've easily missed it but Virginie was an expert at reading people. She had found her golden ticket. This man obviously held some disdain for Robert and she could use that to her advantage.

"Carina!" Brian and Virginie both turned to look at the door where Robert was standing, looking radiant in his white v neck under the glow of the chandelier with a bottle of Dom Pérignon in his hand. "Why are you talking to him? Come in, my darling."

Brian steeled himself and bowed to her. "He's right, I need to go and bring his car back to the garage." He turned to go to the car but Virginie grabbed his arm. He looked at her, stunned.

"I hope I see you again soon," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She squeezed his arm and turned away, a mischievous expression on her face. Hook, line...

"Me too, ma'am." He bowed again, a blush spreading across his face.

Sinker.

Virginie turned on her heels. "Coming, babe!"