The Cloak and Dagger tavern was full of drunken men by the time Tiffani stepped in the door. The black robe replaced by a short, revealing dress and her dark hair tied up so it fell like a fountain behind her head. The men whistled loudly as she waltzed around the tables, none daring to touch her. By the time she was behind the bar the queue had doubled and the ale flowed for hours. Two men in the corner had caught her eye and during the night she kept looking back to see if they were still watching her. Their eyes never left her, especially not when she danced exotically on one of the regular's table for a large sack of gold.
By early morning, most of the men had passed out and was thrown out the back with the chickens. The two men however were still watching her. She took her little white apron off and walked over to them.
"Tavern is closing shortly, perhaps you'd like to both leave?" she said, not giving them a choice. "I'm here for Mr. Taylor. Is he around?" Charles enquired. Damien who gave her an inconspicuous nod. Her eyes never left Charles' but she nodded in time with Damien. "Yes, is he expecting you sir?" she asked in servant-like tone. "Yah, he is." Charles replied. "I see. Well then come with me and I'll lead you to him." Tiffani agreed and started walking. She glanced back to Damien who was taking his leave.
"Right in here sir" Tiffani motioned, allowing for him to go into the room first. It was a fully furnished office with deep, velvet, red curtains outlining the walls. A large portrait of Tiffani hung above the chair to the desk and a L shaped couch lounged in the corner opposite the desk. The room smelled of cigar and bourbon.
"He won't be long, Charles" she said, closing the door behind them and locking it. Charles looked at her. "How do you know my name?" he asked suspiciously. "Just a guess." she shrugged. She noticed him looking at the portrait. "Admiring my picture?" she asked him, hopping up on the edge of the desk and crossing her ankles. "Pretty painting. How does one get a picture of you?" Charles said winking suggestively. Tiffani slid off the desk and walked over to him, seducing him with her eyes. She touched his cheek and ran her finger down his neck to his tie, untied it and tossed it over her shoulder. He put his hand on her ass but she slapped it away. "My boss doesn't take kindly to those who disobey him." she said. Charles raised his hands to his head.
"Sorry. Forgot. No touching." he said with a toothy grin. She pushed him gently down to the couch, walked to the desk and retrieved a length of rope, dimmed the lights and went back to him. "Do you want a picture of me, or the real me?" she asked with her brow slightly raised and an intriguing smile on her lips.
"Screw the picture!" he said, reaching for her but she moved away.
"Such a naughty boy" she said, wagging her finger in front of her. Tiffani sat on his lap, a knee on either side of him and started binding his hands together while he tried to get a look down her dress. Charles suddenly looked to the door. "What about Mr. Taylor? Won't he be here soon?" he asked. Tiffani shook her head. "He won't be coming." she said, binding his feet tightly. "How do you know? You didn't ask him." he replied, getting a bit worried. "I did ask him and he said he won't make it today." she said, sensing the tension. He straightened his legs out but he couldn't get them apart. "What are you doing to me?" he asked. "Getting what I want" she responded and kissed him roughly. She untied her dress to reveal her undergarments. Unlike most women, she had two dagger sheaths hanging on her sides from her bra.
"Uhh what are they for?" he asked. "Don't you trust me?" she whispered, taking a dagger out. "Yes but not with knives" he said warily. "Watch." she said and got off him. She placed the dagger on the top of his pants and made a long slice down his pants so one leg was bare. She did the same to the other leg and pulled the pants off without removing the rope. He blinked. "What am I going to wear out?" he asked, looking at his cut up pants on the floor. "I don't think you'll need to worry about that." she smirked, replacing the dagger.
She hopped back on him and just as he was starting to enjoy himself she paused. "Don't you have a wife, Charles?" she asked. "I don't want to think about her right now. Don't stop" he replied, his eyes closed.
"Do you love her?" Tiffani continued. Charles sighed and opened his eyes. "No, I don't. I love you though so let's keep going." he said, giving her a grin. She didn't move. "That's a shame. She seemed to be heartbroken when I told her you were spending the night with me." she replied and started moving on his lap again.
He opened an eye. "You're just jesting." he said. Tiffani didn't speak anymore on that subject and once she got what she wanted she hopped off Charles' lap and went to the desk. "Aww come on!" he beckoned to her but she didn't go back to him. Tiffani took out the other dagger and idly twisted it. Dark blood stained it's usually silver shine.
"The vault is behind Tiffani's portrait. If you can kill me, you can have it." she recited. The grin was wiped from Charles' face. She tilted her head back and gazed at him, pulling a letter out from the desk. "Where did you get that?" he asked, his hands writhing with the bindings. "Your darling wife who you care little for showed me." she said, tossing the letter on the desk and walking back to him with her dagger by her side. "And look what she did? She dirtied my blade."
The smirk on Tiffani's face confirmed to Charles that she was enjoying this. It was a twisted, almost sadistic smirk. He widened his eyes as he realised that this woman may have killed his wife. "You're a mad woman! Release me or I'll get the Royal Guards on you." he shouted to her, straining and trying with all his might to release himself. "That's not very nice now is it?" she said, getting sick of toying with him.
She sat back on his lap and put the dagger to his neck. "Any last words?" she asked with a sugary tone. "Yes! Yes, why are you doing this? I never did anything to you!" he said desperately. She pushed the dagger into his neck slightly, just enough to make it bleed. His face contorted to show his pain. "You came here trying to kill me." she said, removing the dagger from his throat. "I didn't!" he protested. "So didn't come here looking for the platinum behind the picture?" she replied with anger in her voice, knowing the answer. "Yes. But not to kill you. Mr. Taylor and I have business. It didn't concern you." he explained quickly, the blood dripping down his chest.
"You see, that's where you're wrong. There is no Mr. Taylor." she said softly. Her dagger easily dug through the flesh in his stomach lining and sliced from his belly button up to his ribs. He screamed in absolute agony, twisting to get her off him. "You and your wife would have been safe if not for you. And if you were faithful.." she paused, ripping the dagger out, "You wouldn't be in this predicament and she wouldn't be dead." she said angrily.
She kissed his lips but he bit her back. She yelped in pain and sat back up. Metal grinded with bone as the dagger broke his ribcage and wedged deep into his heart, blood spurting out from the puncture. "Never anger a woman with a dagger in her hand." she grumbled, hopping off him as he died in pain. She left the dagger in his chest and walked over to the desk where she got a bloodied towel and wiped her hands. She tied her dress back on and walked to the bloodied corpse that once was Charles. She yanked her dagger out and wrapped it in the towel. She unlocked the door and looked out where she saw Damien fast asleep in a chair opposite.
"Sleeping on the job?" she said, folding her arms. Damien's head jerked up in response. "Took you long enough. Is he...?" Damien asked, standing up. "Yes. You can do your job now. I'm going to take a long hot bubble bath. Oh, and make sure this gets disposed off." she said, tossing the envelope to him as she walked upstairs. Damien opened the letter and read it:
Mr. C. Ponstan,
I know you seek revenge for my absence from the night at the pits. The vault is behind Tiffani's portrait. Beat me in a fair fight and you shall inherit it's contents: A sultan's fortune. You have two nights to think on this.
*Signed*
Mr. T. Taylor
Damien walked into the office and muttered. It was his job to dispose of the bodies Tiffani left for him and although he got paid well for it, he wondered if the risk was worth it. Once he had bagged the body and taken the blood soaked couch covers off, he looked to the beautiful portrait of Tiffani. Curiousity took over and he walked to it, peeking behind it. He smirked. "Clever lady.". There was no vault behind the painting.
