A PENTHOUSE IN LONDON – NIGHT
The view of the River Thames from the enormous, ornate penthouse is extraordinary. A small pool party is in progress on the balcony below.
A MAGICIAN is entertaining guests. Playing cards and coins appear and disappear in his nimble hands.
Jack Harkness stands at the window, impassively looking down at the party. Jack is a handsome, well groomed man of around forty. He looks tired; the kind of fatigue that can't be cured by a night's sleep.
Jack smiled as he watched and picked the left pocket before the magician as he recognised the tell.
And indeed, down below, the magician pulls the coin from the left pocket of the shrieking woman's silk blazer. And everyone laughs as they applause.
The penthouse was luxurious. Everything decadent and rich, chocolate and cream furnishings with just a splash of deep plum. Warm and safe as a woman's pussy is what John had called it first time he stalked through the rooms.
The impromptu meeting behind him around the glass dining table has been going for some time.
"Our investors certainly don't want to discourage Harkness Enterprises from investing in Cardiff. We think this is a great new venue for you but you've got to understand the mergers and acquisitions market is changing." The shifty little man adjusted his tie and looked nervously at the man ignoring them across the room before continuing to speak to Jack's partner John Hart, "With the upswing in inflation we have to make these offerings tempting to offset the risk."
"Look, we're talking about hard assets and a straight liquidation." The other suit parroted for the third time in an hour and Jack felt John bristle, "We have over a thousand man hours in this deal."
This is a "no brainer". There's no risk for you." John snarled as he shifted in his seat wanting to throttle the smug little prick opposite him, "no one has ever lost money backing Mr. Harkness."
"Not yet. But Tourism is a new endeavour for you..." shifty prick two started to wheedle.
"Come on. You know we're not going to go into Tourism." John sneered, "Besides, you're the ones with the fuck-up track record, not us!"
"John, be reasonable. If you're really going to digest Tardis Industries that quickly eighteen should not be such a problem." Prick number one scoffed as he took a swig of his drink, "Besides, I don't think there's anywhere else you can go for the money in the time you have."
"It's unacceptable." Jack spoke for the first time as he turned form the window to stare at the suits. "Traymen Deux has offered me seventy-five in the pool at fourteen and a half. I can secure the other half personally. You have until tomorrow morning to make me a better offer."
Everyone stared at Jack as he walked as fluidly as a big cat from the window to the table and as he lend o the table suit number one swallowed nervously,
"The meeting is over, gentlemen." He said quietly before turning back to the window with indifference.
They rise. Silence as they exit. When the door closes. John exploded with laughter. "Hah! Did you see the look on their faces?"
"You don't think we pushed too hard?" Owen bolted from the other room with the listening devices trailing behind.
"NO way! They'll come back. They can't afford not to." John laughed, "Jack, that bluff was beautiful."
"Maybe I should have made it rhyme." Jack said staring out into the dark beyond the window.
As Owen scoffs and double checks on his PDA that Tosh had everything the needed as John stretched pulling his t-shirt up to expose his stomach.
He looked hopefully at Jack but he was still oblivious to his advances.
"Well! It's late. We've been at this long enough." Jack suddenly announces and makes a flapping motion with his hand signalling an end to the evening.
"Gentlemen, enjoy the party. The magician's wonderful." Jack smiled as Owen wiggled his eyebrows and pulled John towards the lift.
As they leave Jack calls after them "Watch your left pocket."
After Jack has finished his drink he leaves the apartment and we see him drive his convertible out into London traffic.
ooOoo
Ianto turned and stared at himself in a grainy, cracked bedroom mirror. He is twenty five years old and a prostitute. Make-up applied to give him a hard, older look doesn't quite succeed. He'd be innocently beautiful without it.
He is wearing tight black jeans that hug every curve and bulge with a tight muscle-T and thigh high boots. He stares at himself, not really liking what he sees. After a moment he sighs, and walks out of the bedroom.
Faded, peeling wallpaper. Thread bare, dirty carpet and only a single bed and a set of drawers for the whole room. Ianto locks his apartment door and starts down the dingy piss scented hallway.
A door suddenly opens, startling him. An unshaved, enormously fat man in a stained t-shirt stares at Vivian with his filthy eyes.
"Ianto!" the fat pig grunted stepping onto his way.
"Yeah, what?" Ianto was examining a stain in the carpet.
"Rent. You're late." He licked his lips as he took in Ianto's clothes.
"Don't give me that. Lisa gave it to you yesterday," he growled trying for a defensive stance, "cash."
Lisa give me nothin'." He scratched his stomach and leered more.
"You bullshittin' me?" Ianto snapped, he knew he had given his share to her. Fuck!
"Of rent I do not bullshit." The pig called after Ianto as he scurried off down the hall. "By the end of the week or you're outta here."
'By the way, you look very nice tonight!" he calls with a rub of his grain as he goes back inside is office.
Ianto re-entered his apartment and pulled a coffee can from under his bed with shaking hands. He pulled off the top. It was empty. He rushed from his apartment and froze as he looked down the hall at fat pig man who was talking to an equally disgusting old woman. Fuck, the owner.
Ianto didn't want to deal so he sneaks out the fire escape and into the night.
As he stalked along the sidewalk looking for Lisa's usual haunts. Bitch, what was she thinking?"
A dark car crawls alongside Ianto and the window comes down to show a fifty something man with obvious hair plugs.
A prostitute steps from the shadows ahead and stoops to look into the car, "Hey, baby, you lookin' for a date?"
The woman slips into the passenger seat flashing her gold sequined shoes and they speed off as Ianto heads toward the river.
Ianto turned into a fish and chip shop to slip behind the counter and into the office out back.
"Chance, you seen Lisa tonight?" Ianto asked the fish doing the books with a pencil absently scratching his gills.
"Hi, hi! No see nothing." He snorted.
"You do, tell her I'm looking for her." Ianto placed his last twenty on the table and the fish grunted as he pulled the note into his pocket.
Ianto slowed as he saw a police car parked at the entrance to an alcove. Also, an ambulance. A CROWD has gathered. A man with a "I Love Pussy" t-shirt and a POLICE OFFICER were engaged in tense conversation.
"They just pulled her out of a dumpster in the back. Now talk to me." The cop demanded.
"I tells you, bruv, I don't know who she hanged with." The chav shrugged eyeing Ianto as he slowly sauntered past.
"She have a handler?" the cop persisted.
"man, she a strawberry. She be out on these streets, day in, day out, tradin' her sorry ass for crack. And now she dead from it."
Ianto dropped to join the outskirts of the crowd as the body of a young woman is pulled out of an open dumpster and carried towards the waiting ambulance. For a moment Ianto sees the dark skin and thinks it's... no, Ianto turns grimly away as a gold pump falls into the street.
Ianto surveys the store windows as he walks past and stops as he sees who he's looking for, ducking into the shop he steps in front of Lisa as she turns to look at bright yellow shades in the mirror.
"You spent it on shit again didn't you" he accused as she squeaked with surprise.
"There as a Viton sale, you know I needed a new bag baby" she whined.
A middle aged man came over and asked Lisa if Ianto was annoying her. Ianto snorted as he saw a mark and started to leave.
"Calm down Yan, it's only money" Lisa laughed choosing more frames.
"Fine Babe, just don't expect me to be waiting when you go home," Ianto snarled stepping into the doorway.
Lisa grabbed his arm but he shook her off the walked into the dark. Lisa ran after him forgetting the frames and fat cat she had to leave behind.