Participants:
| Scene Title | Ah Have a Plan |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Tape recorder in tow, Kay approaches Kain about his and Mischa's little mess. |
| Date | September 23, 2008 |
Dorchester Towers — Kain Zarek's Penthouse
Right from the doorway the sheer size of this penthouse seems designed to impress. The walls and ceiling are painted in a soft eggshell white that seems to only enlarge the perception of the living space, with lightly-stained hardwood floors reflecting the daylight spilling through the partly closed blinds. Immediately across from the entrance is a raised living room with three shallow steps leading up to the carpeted landing it sits on. A plush white sofa covers one wall, with a long glass-topped table between it and a matching chaise lounge. The entire opposite wall to the side of the sofa is a gigantic window that affords a view of the nighttime skyline of New York. Sliding vertical blinds are drawn drawn closed, but twisted so they remain partly open, giving a slatted view of the New York skyline. Up against the window is a jet black leather sofa with a tall lamp with a ball-shaped shade.
Further into the penthouse, there is a large open kitchen that is in plain view of the sitting room, a black marble-topped island divides the kitchen from the main floor, and beyond the island more counter space and brushed-metal faced kitchen appliances fill the walls. From here, a hallway can be seen that is lined with four doors; one leading to an office, two more to bedrooms, and another to a bathroom.
He lives in the same building as the woman he allegedly assaulted, that can't be coincidence.
Kain Zarek is anything but ordinary, judging from the difficulty in finding out any information on the man. A public face for the Linderman group, he's a veritable ghost on public records until he pops up on the corporate radar shortly after the bomb devastated Manhattan. Now you can hardly go anywhere in New York's upper social circles without hearing Zarek's name or seeing his face. A regular at the posh and expensive Orchid Lounge, and a respected VIP guest at Rapture on almost every night of the week. Corporate celebrity is the title most give to him, and his playboy lifestyle is reflected in his choice of living space.
Dorchester Towers is a thirty-two floor building resting in one of the nicest neighborhoods in the post-bomb reality of New York. Kain just so happens to reside atop the crown of the apartment building, an exquisite penthouse apartment with its own private elevator. Getting up to see Kain Zarek was, presumably, going to be the hard part. But when a leggy blonde asks for the elevator, security seems to buckle to Kain's rather explicit warnings about guests — Only colleagues and attractive women may approach the penthouse unannounced. It just so happens that one Kaydence Lee Delacroix-Damaris fits into one of those very categories. It is with this reckless disregard for security that she exploits Kain's private security, and rides the long elevator to the top of Dorchester Towers.
The long ride does not stop once on any of the other accessible floors, rising up through the towers until finally the digital readout displays, "Penthouse" and the doors chime as they open into an elegant hallway. It is a second layer of security to the penthouse, as the elevator opens into a glass-walled hallway looking into the expansive residence. One emergency exit leads directly out onto a terrace on the roof where the stairs are located, and a double-pair of glass doors — securely locked — afford both a view into the livingroom and entrance to those who are welcomed. The intercom to the side of the door is all that stands between her, and the man with the Devil's smile.
Some habits just die hard. Or don't die at all. One thing Kaydence Lee learned how to do during her time spent on Vice was how to dress to impress. These days, she dresses in suits and practical shoes to impress Commissioner Lau in hopes of a promotion, but her Vice days were spent impressing men with certain appetites. Hair swept up and done in what she likes to call Vice Squad Barbie Blonde, wearing a teal, silver-sequined microdress, she looks ready for the club. She's not surprised when she's granted access to the penthouse without question. Rule number one of being a good cop, know your suspect.
On the "visitor's" side of the glass, Kay hits the buzzer for the intercom. Her tongue sticks out between her lips slightly as she does it. She's maybe not three sheets to the wind, but she's one or two. At least, that's how she appears. "Hellloooooo~ Anybody home? I didn't miss you, did I?"
There's silence, no sign of any movement in the apartment visible through the glass walls. The buzzer rang out, and Kaydence can hear her voice echo on the other side of the glass. But there's no reply. The doorman for the penthouse had said Kain was home, but on first attempt that seems to simply not be the case. A few minutes go by, and still no sign of anyone.
Kay frowns and taps her foot lightly. "You're not going to make me wait out here forever, are you?" She puts on her best pout. He must be watching from somewhere, right? "I'll get bored. But I suppose I can entertain myself." She hums a quiet tune to herself in time with the tapping of her foot before slowly swaying her body with that music.
After a few minutes, there's a muffled sound from beyond what can be seen from the entrance. A loud clunk from the hall barely visible beyond the kitchen. A few moments later, movement, and Kaydence gets quite a bit more than she may have bargained for coming out of the hall. At first he's mercifully blocked by the island in the middle of the kitchen, towel slung around his shoulders and hair slicked back from what clearly was a shower occupying his time. Kain, for the moment, seems woefully unaware of anyone being at the front door, strolling across the living room through the slatted light filtering through the blinds — Clearly the towel around his neck being his only accessory at the time.
There is a long, awkward pause as Kain slowly cracks the ice cube tray in both hands. He manages a grimacing smile, trying to act calm and collected as he puts two cubes in the glass, followed by a splash of vodka, and then removes the towel from around his shoulders to tie around his waist. Muttering and clearly blindsided by the presence, Kain makes his way over to the door, brow furrowed and a bit tense looking. He presses the intercom button, voice coming over the external speakers.
«You forget your purse or something?»
Kay holds up her matching purse for him to see and shakes her head. Not Stacy. "I'm your fantasy. You can call me whatever name makes you the most happy, handsome." She smiles coyly and traces a finger over the glass between her form and his, clearly following the path she'd like to take over his skin.
Kain quirks his head to the side, looking back over his shoulder with a baffled expression. While he doesn't have the button depressed, Kaydence can clearly make out a very clear line of confused profanity on Kain's lips. He looks back, eyes narrowed as he depresses the button again, "Did…" He hesitates, "Did I order you?" He doesn't sound entirely certain, as if he has a good reason to doubt his faculties.
"No, sir," Kay muses, that smile still firmly in place. "I'm… anticipatory." She leans closer to the glass so he can get a good view of the lightly exaggerated pout of her lips as she speaks, "I work for free for a good cause. And I do believe I saw a very good cause just a minute ago." She shamelessly glances down toward the towel and then back up again. He has the Devil's smile and she has his eyes.
Kain's brows tense for a moment, and he opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again. This abortive attempt at some form of logic to apply to the situation comes twice, and then finally he just stares at the young woman through the glass. There's a long, somewhat inquisitive and slightly less hopeless expression on his face, and a different button is depressed, followed by a buzzing sound and a click as the glass doors unlock. Kain is already moving away from the door by this time, without opening them, clearly an invitation. He makes his way back up into the kitchen, all in clear sight thanks to the open design of the apartment. Behind the island, he finishes fixing his drink, eyes focused on the doors.
Kay pushes through the door and makes sure it closes behind her with an audible click before she strides any further into the apartment. She strides up to the island and rests her hands against the edge, leaning forward slightly to give him a nice view. "You look even better without all that glass in the way," she teases with a slight drawl.
Kain smiles, but it's a thin, hesitant smile as he lifts the glass of vodka up to his lips, taking a slow sip. His eyes wander exactly where Kaydence has intended, and there seems to be a willing indulgence on Kain's part, one hand slowly sliding the drawer in front of himself open, "So there, sticks," His brows raise, looking back up to Kay's eyes, "exactly what brings a girl like you 'round these parts unexpectedly. You ain't ringin' any bells," He quirks his head to the side, smile growing, "And Ah'm pretty sure if Ah'd seen legs like them before, there'd be ringin' like noon-time at a church, darlin'."
"Well, ya have, though." When he starts talking, her own accent starts to thicken up. "You've just only seen 'em woefully hidden by suit slacks." She turns her back to the counter only to rest her palms flat against it and then boost herself up to sit on the island, crossing one leg over the other. "But now, you get to see the whole package. D'ya like what'cha see, sugah?"
Kain halts his hand, slowly pushing back in that drawer he was sliding open, but not all the way. He regards Kaydence again, searching now that he's picking up on the accent more. His eyes drift away from her, down to his drink, then back up to her again, "Do Ah know you?" His eyes narrow again, and there's something hesitant and anxious about the way Kain's tone of voice goes, as if that southern drawl is intimidating in some fashion, like an unwanted piece of history coming up when least expected.
The blonde reaches into her purse and procures a tape recorder. She presses play and lets the tape run for all of five seconds before clicking stop and holding it just out of reach for now. Just long enough so he can hear his own voice. Any pretenses of being drunk have been dropped now. "You've gotten sloppy, Zarek. D'ya have any idea how hard it's gonna be for me ta clean up this mess?"
Kain's eyes go wide as he hears the sound of Mischa's voice shouting on the recorder, and his pained groan from the kick to the face she had delivered. The drawer opens the rest of the way, a smooth and quick motion, and all of that confusion on Kain's face drains away as a large pistol is raised from the drawer he had been fidgeting with. The hammer clicks back with a roll of his thumb, blue eyes shadowed by the lowering of his brow. "You got about till the count of ten to explain yerself, dollface, before I go and need to call a dry cleaner." Zarek's hand holding the gun level is shaking, a bead of water rolling down the side of his face from his wet hair, a few stringy blonde locks now unkempt from the rest, hanging in front of his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"
"Mister Linderman will be very upset if you waste me. He likes having cops enforcing the Act bearing his name in his pocket." The tape is tucked back into her purse and she quirks a brow. "Call me Kay."
Kain tilts his head to the side, looking at Kay, then down to the purse, "Bullshit." Kain snorts out, slowly circling around the island with the gun trained on the blonde. "I ain't got a call from anybody 'bout you being on the way, and where the hell did you get that tape?" His eyes narrow again, hand still trembling slightly. Kain backs towards the middle of the living room, keeping Kaydence in line of sight as he crouches down, picking up his cellphone in his free hand, flipping it open without looking at it as he does, then rises up to stand straight again. His eyes dip down to the screen, no missed calls. He looks back up again, watching Kay with a wary expression, waiting to see how she explains this.
"You didn't get a call because Ah haven't told anybody yet, Zarek!" Kay tilts her head to one side, unruffled by the gun, it would seem. Then again, when you work anti-terrorism, you get used to people wanting you dead. It's just another day at the office. "Ah didn't figure you wanted the headache that comes with having to explain yourself. How some reporter managed to get a tape of you and that whore. You see, Ah was assigned to Miss Hamilton's case, and she gave me this tape. Only she and her lawyer have heard it. Oh, and me. Ah just… haven't turned it over to Commissioner Lau yet."
"Son of a bitch!" Kain lowers the gun, throwing his phone at the sofa, "That little…" His fingers curl around the handle, knuckles whitening before he storms back over, "How the hell'd you end up with the tape? She just up and gave it to you? And son of a bitch she has a lawyer?" Kain reaches up to run one hand through his hair, franticly pacing back and forth through the living room, rubbing at his temple with the barrel of the pistol before waving it animatedly at the window.
"You go to anyone else with this yet?" Kain finally recollects his faculties, looking back to Kaydence, but all of the happy charm he had has drained from his face. "Just you, me, an' that little bitch and her lawyer?"
"Just our happy little foursome." Kay sways her legs back and forth, casual as you please. She watches Kain pace like a cat watching a canary. "Calm down, Zarek. The girl should be easy enough to handle, but the lawyer… Ah can't just feed her a cock and bull story about how the tape won't stand up in court. It might. Depends on which judge catches it. But we do have other options." She sighs. "Options that don't involve killing anyone. Put the gun down, for God's sake."
"Killin' people's what solves things!" Kain shouts while swinging the gun around, "God damnit," He hisses thorugh his teeth, finally easing the hammer back with his thumb. "That stupid bitch was suppos'ta get all scared outta' town, not go tryin' t'get herself killed." With a heavy sigh, Kain stalks back over to Kay, "Hand it over," He demands, holding out his hand, "We'll figure out a way t'explain how it got lost after." His fingers flex, a clear gimme motion. "Why'd you come on over and handle this personally anyway, why din'you take this straight up t'Dan?"
"Ah already know how it gets lost." Kay moves her purse around behind her back. My show, buddy. "And Ah would rather you owe a favour to me for this than get nothing from Mister Linderman. Does he need to know that you and his little pet cocked up? No. He doesn't need that kind'a concern." She raises her brows, "Would you calm down already? If Ah didn't have things undah control, Ah wouldn't be talkin' ta ya right now. I'd be talkin' to the bossman." She grins, "Mister Linderman employs me because Ah don't need to come to him for answers. Ah can clean up messes well enough on my own."
It all seems reasonable enough. Reasonable enough to calm Kain down some. He walks back into the kitchen, sliding the drawer open and depositing the handgun back where it was taken from. "Man, ain't this just a kick in the teeth." Shaking his head, he grabs that glass he was drinking from and pounds down the last of the vodka in it, then slams the glass down on the counter top, hunching forward and grumbling as he runs both of his hands through his hair, still dressed in but a towel after all of this. "So you're with housekeeping?" One brow raises as Kain regards Kay again, "Kay, was it?" He snorts slightly, muttering to himself, "Son of a bitch."
Silent for a time, head held in his hands, Kain finally starts to rise up again, leaning one hand on the countertop as he looks at Kay, "Got me right by th' short and curlies then, darlin'." He has such a colorful way with words, "What's your price, and Ah'll see what Ah can do 'bout it."
"A favour to be named later. Ah don't need anything from you right now." Kay smiles sweetly, "But Ah do know you'll come in handy." She tips her head in his direction, still clearly in control. "Ah have a plan."
Kain cracks a smile, finally starting to relax as he leans on the counter, forearms resting on the polished marble top, "Well now, that's two fine women that Ah'm in a debt two in as many days. Somethin' tells me Ah'm jus' a little slack these days." Brows raising, Kain shoots a side-long glance over to Kay, looking her up and down again. "Alright sugarlips, you wanna' let me in on this here plan, or am Ah just goin' t'sit here and look half-dressed?"
"You're goin' ta listen to mah plan and sit there and look half-dressed. Ah like you that way." Kay adjusts her seat on the island, sliding to one edge so that she can leave one leg to dangle off the side and settle the other long leg along the length of the surface in what she hopes is a distracting manner. "How's your right hook? Solid? Can you drop a man in one punch?"
Kain's eyes follow directly as intended, clearly distracted enough that he doesn't even hear her question completely. Looking back up, he manages enough of a charming grin to pass off his ignorance as thoughtfulness. "Ah can take care've m'self if it comes down to it. If they don't stay down on the first swing, tha's what the good Lord gave us feet for." He cracks a teasing smile, shaking his head before looking back up to Kay, "How's about you? Can you drop a man in one blow?"
A laugh is snorted out as Kain straightens, turning around towards the open-faced cabinets to grab another glass, bringing it over to the counter. Two ice cubes are dropped inside with a soft plinking sound, and he fills that halfway with vodka, and refreshes his glass while he's at it. The second glass is, of course, pushed across the counter top towards Kay with one hand.
Kay takes the glass and sips. "Ah'm more a gin girl, but this isn't half bad." She shrugs and takes another longer drink. To answer his question, she plucks a floating cube of ice from the glass and slides it past her lips. Can I ever.
The space of time it takes to crunch the ice is used for thought. "D'ya think you can drop me without breakin' mah face? Not that Mister Linderman wouldn't take care of me, but we are trying ta keep him outta this equation."
Kain takes a sip of his drink, then watches as the ice-cube vanishes, only to wince and then give an appreciative inclination of his head at the crunch of the icecube. It's Kay's question, however, that elicits both a smirk and then a look of confusion from the roughly unshaven criminal. "Now why would Ah go and want to dirty up a pretty face like that?" One brow raises slowly, "Exactly how is me knockin' some teeth outta' you a part of any good plan?" He grins, eyes shifting to the side, "When Ah've got so many better ways t'take you offa' yer feet." He can't help his nature, even when his career is on the line. Such is Kain, it seems.
"We'll get ta that, honey. You can't rush a good thing." Kay smirks and tips back some more vodka. "Ah need ya to leave some bruises so Ah can explain why Ah managed to get the tape ripped outta mah hands. Ah did think about just having some sort of unfortunate accidental erasing back at the precinct, but Ah suspect the little reporter may have made a copy. If she thinks you're gutsy enough to fuck with one of New York's finest, however…" No double meanings there, no. "She might think twice about tryin' ta point fingers. If Ah hadn't been assigned her case, Zarek, Ah wouldn't care what happens ta her. But it doesn't help me if mah witnesses end up dead. It makes me look like an incompetent cop. And if Ah lose my position, well, Mister Linderman won't be a happy man. So the girl and her lawyer are off limits."
Kain purses his lips in thought, watching Kay for a short time before breathing out a heavy sigh, "I ain't havin' no cop come waltzing outta' my apartment building with a shiner." Kain takes another sip of his drink, walking across the room back to the sofa, crouching down to pick up the phone he discarded, flipping it open again as he flips through the directory, "Ah'll ring up Manny, he's got gorilla hands anyway, may as well put'em t'good use." Searching through the list of names, it seems to be taking Kain a while to find the number, "He can meet up with you somewhere, maybe with witnesses. Ah'll have 'em get dressed down like some big ol' cromagnon purse napper or somethin'…"
"We ain't gonna do it here, sugah." Kay reaches out and pats Kain's cheek. "Ah didn't get this far by bein' as dumb as this hair colour suggests." She watches him scroll through his phone list. "Not gonna get your hands dirty? Ah understand. Ah was thinkin' Central Park might be a safe bet."
"Works." Kain says quietly, finally finding the right name and dialing. After a few moments, a baritone voice rumbles enough over the speaker that Kay can hear the sound of it from where she sits. "Jesus King Kong you gotta yell?" Kain rolls his eyes, walking back towards the kitchen. "No Ah ain't on mah way down to the club, Ah jus' got out've the shower and a problem came on up t'mah door and Ah need you t'punch someone." Pausing, Kain clicks his tongue and groans, "No not me y'big dumb ape! There's a broad here — works for Linderman — Ah jus' need you to knock her out and snatch her purse. She'll be down in Central Park," His eyes shoot over to Kaydence, "Hour an' a half." He makes the time-frame for her.
Kain grows quiet, listening to something for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, she works with us, housekeeping." He nods his head twice, "No you ain't gonna find out why she needs a punch and no Ah don' need you gettin' Grape Ape in on this. Just you, y'got me!" Kain strains a sigh, one hand covering his face as he leans against the island. "Jus' get your fat ass down t'Central Park. Leggy blonde, blue sequin dress, carryin' a purse. Give her a shiner, but try not to damage the good, as it were, and then make off with the purse. Do it in plainclothes." He looks back over to Kaydence. "Yeah, hour an' a half." He pauses again, "Manny, Jesus Christ, Ah' don' give a shit if y'got some last night." Kain flips the phone closed with a click, still shaking his head.
"If your thug breaks mah face, Ah'm takin' it outta your hide, you got me?" Kay slides off the counter after knocking back the last of her vodka.
Kain smirks, shaking his head as he walks over to where Kay slid off of the counter top, "Ah'll be takin' it outta' his hide too, you can trust me on that." Only stopping once he's standing beside her, Kain's eyes wander up and down Kay again, a crooked smile crossing his lips. "So," He says quietly, "Y'got about an hour t'kill before you have a date with Sasquatch." A laugh slips past, and Kain's eyes divert down again, lingering before looking back up. "Ah've got a few plans've mah own, if you follow?" He eyes the door, then back again, "Unless you got better things to be doing?" Kain raises his brows, a smile spreading from ear to ear.
Kay holds up her left hand where a diamond ring glitters on the fourth finger. "I'm a married woman." The drawl slips away some as she turns somber, "But you… are quite the good-looking man." Suddenly, that calm demeanor is shaken and Kay's cheeks flush a faint shade of pink. Her gaze is apprehensive.
Kain takes a look at the ring, then takes the hand gently by the wrist and pushes it aside, moving in to stand a bit closer, "Ain't the first ring I'd tarnish." He says with a lopsided smile, looking down at Kaydence with one brow raised, "Ah am, aren't Ah?" Kain's smile remains strong and confident as he eases that acquired wrist down, stepping in a bit closer, "Now how's about we compare notes on our plans?" A smile is flashed, something a mix of predatory and promising.
The woman's eyes widen just the barest bit. Fight or flight instincts are trying to kick in. Mostly flight. Kay's head turns so she can glance toward the door, but she finds herself quickly looking back at Kain again. "Shit." Her eyes turn skyward and she whispers, "Forgive me," before reaching up to rest her hands on either side of the man's face and press her lips to his passionately.
Kain lets out a quiet sound, and the whisper for forgiveness only seems to make him enjoy what comes next even more — forbidden fruit is always the more sweet. The hands on either side of his face meet with the rough and mostly unshaven skin, like he's gone a day or two without cleaning himself up. He leans in at the invitation, one hand moving to settle at the small of Kay's back, drawing her up against him, the strength in his arms evident from the way in which he commands her slight frame. His other hand keeps her wrist restrained, perhaps with a bit more force than he had before. Not enough to hurt her, but perhaps enough to remind her that he's in control, or perhaps to let her give in and allow someone else to take control. It is always the woman who have power who seem to want it taken away, in Kain's experience. "Ain't no need," he whispers against her lips, breath warm and heavy, "for forgiveness."
Kay simply shakes her head after the kiss breaks away. Oh yes, there is plenty of reason for forgiveness. She may have only vowed faithfulness 'until death do us part,' but that doesn't make this feel any less like a betrayal in her heart. If only the rest of her didn't want it - need it - so badly. She doesn't fight him for control, but she hasn't exactly relinquish it, either.
The lack of contesting to his control affords Kain a modicum level of confidence, restored from the level of doubt he had been knocked down to after the revelation of Danielle's clever trap. He turns one shoulder, moving Kay's wrist as he does, turning her around to rest her back up against the countertop, leaning in to push her head to one side with his nose, "Ain't nothin' wrong… with givin' in." He continues, voice a low and growling whisper, and Kaydence can feel the rough texture of his stubble against her cheek, warm breath on her neck as lips move down the side of her throat, a heavy and heated breath rolling over her skin. "This makes me want to come to work more often."
Kay's eyes roll back, corresponding with the tip of her head and further exposure of the length of her throat. "Oh, my God." She moves her free hand to tangle in that still-damp hair. Pressed up against the counter, her mind races. Is this what she wants? How did she let it come to this? What would happen now if she said no? "Please…"
"Please?" Kain cracks a smile, hesitating there, one hand moving down from the small of Kay's back, brushing down across the curve of her backside, then down along the soft skin of her legs. "Please what?" He asks in a hushed voice, letting his lips linger just a hair's bredth away from her skin, letting Kay feel the brush of hot air over the side of her neck. "Please?" He asks again, leaning forward against her, lifting up with that hand holding down on her thigh, as if to urge her up to sit on the countertop, "All you gotta do, is ask." Now he's playing a game, all the more to entertain himself.
All Kay manages in reply is a low, needy groan. She shivers under his breath and quivers under the touch of his fingers. When he urges her up onto the counter, she goes without hesitation. For a woman so calm and confident before, she's the opposite now. Her eyes, fixed now on the ceiling, are almost frightened and she's most assuredly uncertain about this. And yet — God help her — she doesn't ask him to stop.
All it brings from Kain is a predatory smile, hidden over Kay's shoulder as he lifts her up onto the countertop, blue eyes peering side-long at his latest aquisition. While the matter of the day may have proven to be too much for Kain, a slip up in an otherwise orchestrated plan, he was moving to make changes, fix the problems. The way is quickly turning around for Kain, and as he eases Kay up onto the countertop, he can't help but marvel at how quickly it's turning around. "That'a girl." He says in a low, rough voice, his hand moving slowly up along the side of her leg, gently pushing that blue sequined dress up as he does. There's no God here to help her, only Kain, and the Devil's smile.
 September 23rd: Scission |
Previously in this storyline… Next in this storyline… |
 September 24th: Small Favor |