Author's Note: Thanks for all the kind reviews. I know this story is dark, but sometimes I get tired of fanfiction that is all rainbows and butterflies. If you are looking for something more cheerful, please check out my past Dante/Lulu fic.

This note is really just to correct a mistake I have been making. I've been spelling Lesley "Leslie." So, to be true to GH, I'd like to make that correction.

If you find any other inconsistencies or mistakes, please PM me. I am happy to get the feedback.

Enjoy Dante and Lulu's first scene together in this fic and keep reviewing, please.

The Find

Dante arrived at the Le Désir de Vénus or The Desire of Venus after eleven o'clock that same evening. The price of admission was set steeply at $50, bringing Dante relief that Spencer had entrusted him with so much money that he felt obliged to buy a new wardrobe. This was definitely the type of place only the sincerely wealthy frequented, and he was sure the $50 was just to sit inside and didn't cover any of the "services."

Torri's warnings firmly in mind, Dante entered the faux strip club cautiously. It was not dimly lit, as many bars and night clubs were. Instead, Dante felt like he was walking into a genuine 19th century French mansion. Walking past the foyer and into, what must have been in the mansion's past life, the ballroom, Dante scanned the crowd. High class business types sat around groupings of couches and loveseats while a few women sat on the arms or on laps. A few more intimate seating arrangements held lone men, sipping drinks and watching the waitresses saunter around with trays they seem to retrieve from one of the rooms off to the side. At the far end of the large room, a woman, dressed in a blue sequined corset with black fringed skirt, wrapped her leg around a pole and twirled around. Soft jazz filled the air.

Dante seated himself in a corner of the room where he hoped he wouldn't be disturbed too often, but where he could observe his fellow patrons, as well as keep an eye out for anyone that may look like Lesley or Javier.

He eyed one of the waitresses walking by and nodded her over. As she approached, she kept her eyes down, except for a few sultry glances up to meet his eyes through thick lashes. The cat-like brown eyes staring into his own surprised him. The look was sexual, to be sure, but Dante thought he saw something else held beneath the surface that his detective brain tried to grasp, but came up empty. He let his eyes wander to the crimson lips, where not a hint of a smile lurked. He had barely gotten over his initial assessment of her face when she had arrived at his seat.

"Can I get you a drink, handsome?" she asked as she bent herself over to look him in the eyes, leaving her ass high in the air for anyone behind her to admire.

Her eyes, once fully looking at him, made his heart rise in his chest. Remembering to be the suave, collected, businessman Dominic, he smiled crookedly and gave her a wink. "Bet you say that to all the guys, don't you?"

The right side of her lip twitched up just a bit, and her eyes began to shine just a little. Dante bet she was truly gorgeous when she really smiled. Not that she wasn't a looker. He let his eyes continue their initial descent, from her light brown eyes, back to her lips, tracing down her slender neck, slightly covered by the top of her black halter, to the curve of her breasts, down to her narrow waste, to the slenderness of her muscled legs under the tights. He imagined himself unbuttoning the garters and rolling the leggings down her legs, caressing her thighs and buttocks. Suddenly, the reason for his appearance in this place returned to him and his eyes snapped back to hers. To his amusement, she was no longer looking at him, but at a place behind the wall to his left, with an expression that Dante tried to categorize. Boredom? Annoyance? Maybe it was just empty. Like her soul was turned off.

Dante's amused smirk turned to a frown as he placed the waitresses expression.

She had caught the quick movement of Dante's shifting head and the vacant expression quickly became a scowl. Then the sultry look returned and she purred, "Something funny?"

If she could pretend nothing was wrong, so could Dante. He had a job to do, after all. His smirk returned as he asked, "So, how long have you been working here, uh, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"If you're looking for small talk, you're asking the wrong woman. I'm just here to satisfy your thirst, sugar. Now, what can I get you?" Dante could see she was slightly annoyed at first, something that most people wouldn't notice, but his trained ear detected a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Bring me a glass of the best wine you have. I'll trust your judgment. I'm sure you know what's good here." Dante replied coolly while eying her carefully. As she straightened up, he noticed a slight wince and intake of breath.

Reaching her full height, she replied quietly, "Right away," and turned to go.

Dante watched as she walked away, allowing himself to return briefly to the fantasy he had started earlier, then wondering as to the cause of the look of pain when she stood. While completely distracted, Dante didn't notice the blond approach him from the other side of the chair.

"Hey there, baby," she drawled as she slid around him to place both of her hands on the chair arms. She slid them forward and moved in close to Dante and whispered into his ear, "Don't go starin' after Lulu, darlin'. You don't want an old grump like that." She pulled her face back to look at him. "Wouldn't you prefer a fresh young thang like me to keep you company?" She gave him a bright smile.

Dante has smiled back at her, which she took as an invitation to climb into his lap, putting one arm behind his head, caressing his hair. Dante gave a short chuckle. Recognizing that this blond was not the one he was looking for, nor did she seem smart enough to give him the answers he sought, Dante began an attempt to get her away from him, before he really did forget why he was here. "So, Lulu's her name. She wouldn't tell me."

"I told you, darlin', she's a grump. But enough about her. What brings you to town? I never seen you here before." She began stroking his face with her manicured nails, bringing them from his temple to his jaw, then taking one from his jaw to his lip where she began to circle them until her nail pulled his lower lip down.

Dante reached up to grasp her wrist and gently pull it away. "I'm just drinking tonight. Why don't you head on your way now?"

The girl huffed and got up off his lap immediately. The waitress she had called Lulu was standing there. "I see you've met Jasmine."

"Yea, he met me all right. But all he wants is to talk about you and have you bring him drinks." Turning to face Dante, she added, "You come find me when you realize what you really want." Jasmine walked away, immediately finding an older gentlemen and beginning the process all over again.

Dante just smiled as he watched the interaction. "Wow, she really doesn't like, you, does she, Lulu?" he asked while turning back towards his server. A look of surprise briefly filled her face.

"I guess not." Lulu shrugged it off. "Here's your wine." As she began to bend over to set it on the table beside him, Dante stood up.

"No!" The quickness of his movements shocked Lulu a bit and the wine splashed onto her top.

She cried out as the liquid hit her chest. Dante immediately took the wine and began apologizing. Setting it on the table himself, he turned back around, took a napkin from the tray and began helping Lulu, who was already blotting, wipe off the blouse.

"I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you." Dante focused his attention on the top.

"It's fine. I've got it." Lulu tried to wave him away.

"No, I'll help. And it's red wine, too. I am so sorry." He continued to wipe at the blouse.

"Well, you're not helping much by wiping. You have to blot wine." She was definitely irritated with him.

Dante couldn't help but smile at this. She was definitely a little feisty one. Lulu turned away, apparently so he would stop "helping."

"What were you doing anyway, jumping up like that?" she snapped.

"I was trying to help. I saw when you had bent over last time that you winced when you stood up again. I didn't want you to have to put yourself in any more pain just to serve me a glass of wine," Dante replied honestly.

Lulu whipped back around and gave him an icy glare. "What the hell are you talking about?" As she raised her voice, several people around them turned to see what the commotion was about. Lulu, taking note of this, changed immediately. Her scowl was replaced by an artificial smile, her face turned to the side, and her eyelashes began fluttering erratically. If Dante didn't know she was angry, he would think this was the sexiest look he had ever received. In fact, knowing she was angry made this definitely the sexiest look he'd ever seen.

While smiling, Lulu said firmly, "What give you the right to think you can do something for me? What gives you the idea that I even need it? I'm fine."

Dante, smirking at her, took a step forward so they were chest to chest, looked her in the eyes and replied, "I don't think you are fine, and if you ever need help, you can count on me to be there." He took a business card for Dominic Pirelli, Wine Importer, with his phone number to the cellular Luke had provided, and slipped it between her collarbone and the halter neck that he had recently ruined.

The two stood there staring at each other; Dante's eyes turned sincere, studying Lulu's. He observed that she looked both confused and pissed. The onlookers had turned away, much more concerned with their own desire than a pair that looked as if they were about to take a trip upstairs to the private rooms.

Lulu broke the eye contact first, backed up and turned to pick up the tray she had set aside to blot down the wine spill. Dante reached the tray first and handed it to her.

"I'll," she cleared her throat and taking the tray, "I'll just go refill your wine, sir."

"Actually, what would help me more," Dante's childish grin returned to his face, "is if you could point me to the owner. I'm a wine importer and I was hoping to chat with him about adding to his selection. You were helping me taste the competition. Do you know where I can find him?"

Lulu's eyes turned down. She looked around a little to see if anyone was paying attention, then returned to looking at the carpet. "He's away tonight on business." She added carefully, almost in a whisper, "But you don't want to do business with a guy like him." Then she turned and walked away to group to retrieve empty glasses and take another drink order.

Dante turned back to his seat. Took the glass of wine in his hand, drank what remained in the glass and looked around the room for any other blond that he may have missed.

As Lulu turned to walk back to the side room to retrieve drink orders, Dante walked up to her, set down his empty glass of wine on the tray with the other empty glasses, and took her arm to stop her from walking on. Standing along her side, he leaned in to whisper, "I'll be back tomorrow." He turned his face to look at her profile. She stared straight ahead, icily, as if she didn't even recognize he was there. Then, he released her arm and she walked away.

Watching her go, Dante wondered what it was about her that made her so fascinating to him. Then he walked in the opposite direction to leave.

Lulu reached the side room, set down the tray on the counter, then went over to stand next to the wall. Leaning her back and head against it, she closed her eyes and rubbed her arm where Dante had touched her. Then, remembering the business card, she quickly stood up, retrieved it from her shirt and looked at the name.

Dominic Pirelli, New York Wine Imports, Inc.

What was a wine importer from New York doing in New Orleans trying to help whores?

Typically, she was so indifferent, she never let the customers get to her. So, why did this one infuriate her so much?

She tucked the card back into her shirt, and went to go switch out the old glasses for fresh drinks. She wouldn't think about it now. Tomorrow. Tomorrow on her morning walk she could think about this. But right now, she had to get back to work.