A/N: Omfg guys! Freakxwannaxbe on tumblr made me yet another amazing piece of BEAUTIFUL ART for this story! I could gush for days about how much I ADORE IT but you guys really should check it out over on her tumblr or my tag list for this story and show her all the love, reblog the poop out of all her stellar art and show her some support because she makes seriously amazing things all the time and I'm always over the moon whenever she does a piece for me and this story!

Happy reading!

Elena's blue eyes flickered over to a pair of yellow ones that had been staring her down from across the dance floor.

She felt oddly smug that Bon had been observing her ever since she had exited the longue with Dio, the heat of his gaze practically insufferable from its intensity, as she found herself curiously unaffected.

Perhaps it was due to Dio's intimidating stature or even his earlier 'test of stamina' that left her mind calm as she no longer felt plagued by unpleasant ruminations or terrifying visions of letting Bon sink his manipulative claws into her again.

Either way, it felt like he was upholding his previous promise of safety if the heavy hand planted on her lower back was anything to go by, the weight of it making her feel secure as he guided her through a wave of half-drunk bodies.

"I should pick up some drinks from Steven again, Olani is probably wondering where I ran off too." Elena practically shouted, raising her voice in an effort to be heard over the thumping music as she fumbled with her purse in an attempt to check her phone for the time.

Pulling the device out, she swiped a finger over the screen only to find that it had turned off, the glass remaining a dark black as if it were dead.

Confused, Elena attempted to press the side buttons in hopes of turning it on only to see a red, flashing battery sign appear.

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she tucked it back into her purse, she could have sworn she charged it before leaving the apartment, but proceeded to shove the thought to the back of her mind as she discreetly scoured the club for any kind of clock, only to turn up empty.

She had no idea how long she had been in Dio's lounge discussing their initial agreement to test the waters of their compatibility; however, she did know that it must have been well over an hour, and while she had initially intended for her bar visit to be lengthy she hadn't planned to ditch Olani.

"Already taken care of, Steven delivered the ones you ordered when I came to collect you. I also made it clear that your friends be relocated in hopes of making up for your absence." Dio explained before veering Elena to the side, cutting her off from the bar in order to start guiding her up a spiral staircase reminiscent of a fire escape.

Elena felt surprise at the news, how Dio had conveyed the message to Steven to take care of such things without her notice was beyond her but she also didn't feel the need to question it.

After all, she hadn't retained much of what had been said at the bar after Dio had arrived, her attention had been focused on Bon and she didn't want to have to explain the embarrassment of how little she had bothered to pay attention to anything else.

Carefully climbing the staircase in an effort to not get her heels stuck in the holes covering it, Elena reluctantly put her hand along the thick pillar that the stairs were wrapped around in hopes of keeping herself steady.

"Oh…well, thank you for doing that; I just hope that whatever your bribe was, works." Elena said and Dio simply smiled at her comment, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a way that made him look devious, making her wonder what exactly he had done to make him feel so confident.

Elena knew that Olani was partial to pretty baubles and free upgrades so she was sure that Dio could have whisked her and Cinder into a nicer set up than the booths with a ticket for free alcohol to automatically win them over yet, she wasn't so sure that it would be enough.

Dio could have given Olani the most plush leather seats and all the sparkling champagne in the world and it still might not make up for the fact that Elena had pretty much ghosted her for a good chunk of the evening, even if it had been against her will.

All she could really hope for was that she hadn't been gone for as long as she thought she had been and that Dio's generosity would be enough to ensure that her friends had not felt abandoned while he took her time for himself.

Starting to feel to wound up in her nerves, Elena proceed to take a deep breath, allowing herself a moment to relax as she took the final step up the stairs, her attention immediately captured by a various number of plants decorating the top floor of Midnight Rain.

Small, exotic trees she didn't know the name of and incredibly strange looking flowers that made her feel like she had been transported to an amazon rainforest were strewn about everywhere, encased in glass as a manmade vapor seeped into the cases, creating a fascinating ghostly atmosphere.

Dio ushered her forward as she scanned the surrounding area, admiring the soft pink lights shining down upon charcoal furniture, various loveseats and recliners elegantly sewn with patches of purple leather as several heavy lidded suitcoats and blushing lavish dresses spread themselves along them.

A woman's laughter was heard as they passed by a semi-secluded room that spread out into a luxurious lounge, tall windows surrounding the majority of the room as it peered out into the darkened city, briefly catching Elena's notice.

A gaggle of well dressed women were tucked around a singular man as he drunkenly tipped a bottle of amber liquid to his lips, eliciting a well-timed chuckle from one of his entertainers as she ran a hand down his chest just before a bill was slipped discreetly into one of her chunky bracelets.

Elena quickly averted her eyes, a chill racing up her spine as she tucked her shawl closer around her shoulders as soft sighs and false giggles touched her ears again, enhanced by the man's boorish laughter.

It had been a long time since she had seen a school of piranhas enacting their craft and she felt bile begin to swirl uneasily within her stomach in disgust of it.

It repulsed her that she knew exactly what technique that woman had used, it was an advanced trick, one that she had learned to perfect in order to obtain decent meals or gas up her car. It was also more effective the more women there were, how willing the target was to be touched, and if there was a Payout Girl.

Women like Elena were commonly known as Feeders, quietly eating up whatever the target had on him before he took a rotating Payout Girl for an evening quickie, not realizing they'd been preparing a fertile trap for him, intent on the Payout securing themselves a cushy lifestyle through an illegitimate child.

Unwelcome memories flashed across Elena's mind as she recalled being bent over a counter in some Podunk biker bar with fresh bruises and a massive hangover as she stressed between finding a new mark or ordering food, only to have a beautiful blonde woman, whom she'd come to know as Madam Feelgood, approach her.

The Madam was all fake furs and feathers but held a degree of class as she offered to pay for Elena's meal, only asking that she may poke and prod her for some of the details of her background in return.

It had been a long conversation, one that extended past the initial meal, two desert orders and a cup of coffee before she promptly offered Elena a job, requesting that she learn and work the trade of a prostitute so that she could hire her for her brothel.

Elena could recollect how blunt Madam Feelgood had been about it too, she was honest about her working requirements, what conditions needed to be met and what would be expected of her before leaving her to mull it over for a few days.

At first, she rejected the very thought of having to prostitute under someone, much less inside of a brothel where any man could select her out of many. She had felt that she was doing well enough on her own despite the few incidents she had encountered with her more unstable clients.

Then, an evening came when she realized she needed the protection of something more than just a pocket knife in her back pocket.

The face of the nameless man who changed the outcome of her life flashed through the forefront of Elena's mind as she briefly remembered the weight of the two snakes he had wrapped around her shoulders.

He had promised profusely that his beloved pets no longer possessed fangs and that he would pay triple her rate if she would accept his odd snakeskin fetish before she had reluctantly but foolishly accepted.

Unfortunately, a single, miscalculated bite was all it took to end things.

He died that night, leaving Elena flat broke and with memories she'd rather forget, before she turned to the only other option available to her which was where she remained till she scraped her way back to the spot she was in now.

Elena shivered as she pulled herself out of the brief memory, refocusing her attention to her environment as she became aware of Dio's hand venturing to grip her waist to shift her closer just as a server whisked past.

Then Dio stopped, halting Elena from venturing down a painting clad hallway just as Steven exited a room located in front of them, the bartender's face lighting up upon seeing their arrival.

"Good evening, Mr. Brando, Miss Madonna…" he said before bowing his head politely in turn to each of them, making Elena feel a bit uncomfortable to be greeted so formally.

"How have our guests taken to the new arrangements?" Dio asked, retracting his hand from Elena's waist so that he could cross his arms, only to have Steven nod enthusiastically, perhaps more than was necessary.

"I'm pleased to inform that they've been very appreciative of your generous upgrade to the moonlight lounge, sir. Although one of our esteemed guests has been requesting Miss Madonna's presence quite fervently for the past half hour." Steven enlightened, his face betraying a look of uneasiness as he looked back towards the room he had just come from.

"Rest assured their request has been heard." Dio replied patting Steven's shoulder briefly, as he began to walk past him, before he bent to whisper something Elena couldn't quite overhear which in turn made the man visibly stiffen before he quickly excused himself.

Curiosity bubbled inside Elena over the odd exchange but held her tongue in place as she ventured into the next room only to let out an internal sigh of relief at the sight of Olani tossing a stray olive towards Cinder's mouth.

The green fruit bounced off the bottom of his lip before he caught it within his hand, pitching it into his mouth as Olani began to giggle, a little too loudly, while a redheaded girl that Elena didn't recognize, pulled a knotted cherry stick out of her mouth in a show of triumph.

"Sorry I'm late," Elena started, drawing attention to her arrival as she quickly stepped into the room, making all heads turn in her direction.

"Oh, Elena! We we're starting to wonder if you'd be able to find us but girl, you'll never believe it, we were upgraded by-" Olani quickly cut herself off as she caught sight of Dio whom had stepped forward to join Elena, snaking an arm around her to rest a hand on her hip.

Olani's green eyes swiftly darted back to Elena in question before her expression gradually shifted to the slyest Elena had ever seen it, making her groan internally.

There was no way she wasn't going to be thoroughly interrogated the next time Olani had her alone, she could almost hear her friend screaming 'I told you so' just from her gaze alone.

"Right, sorry I was gone for so long. I ran into Dio and…well, he was kind enough to give you a birthday upgrade on my behalf." Elena said, her voice nonchalant.

"I trust it's been to your liking?" Dio asked, his voice coming out so incredibly smooth that Elena was certain that every woman in the room must have shivered.

"Oh, definitely, it's really incredible, thank you." Olani replied, a little caught off guard as a faint blush dusted her cheeks.

Clearing her throat nervously, Olani turned her head just before her eyes widened in surprise at the red haired woman next to her whom had begun to stand up in order to smooth out her dress.

With slinky motions, the woman maneuvered to a tall bar top just to the left of them, as she surveyed several frost-tinted glasses brimming with an array of colorful alcohol before plucking one out for herself.

"How fascinating, it's been so long since the last time I saw you Elena I almost didn't recognize you, I gotta say it's nice to see you doing so well for yourself." The woman began, her voice sultry as she stirred the misty drink now resting in her hand before taking a sip, making Elena start at the peculiar words, unprepared by the address.

"And, here I was all worried you'd still be a hot mess."

"Um, I'm sorry but…who are you?" Elena asked, her tone uncertain as the woman offered her a hard smile, her dark blue eyes darkening in a way that made Elena's insides shrink with apprehension.

"That's quite a surprise. Surely, you remember me? If not my face then do you recognize the name Molly?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side as she crossed her long legs, the edge of her navy dress skimming across milk white legs.

Elena studied her for a moment, flitting through her memories of her time at the brothel and the many girls there as well as what little she could remember of those she sat next to in college, yet she still didn't recognize this Molly girl's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't. Your face doesn't look familiar to me." Elena replied politely, shaking her head briefly as she watched Molly run a hand through her red hair in frustration before setting down her drink.

"I suppose that's alright. All that really matters is that you know who I am now, and who knows maybe your memory will jump-start in the next couple of seconds." Molly said just as Olani randomly stood up from her spot on the couch, yawning loudly as she stretched in an extravagant manner, garnering everyone's attention.

"Come on, Molly, can't we save all that stuff for later? There will be other times and it's starting to get a bit late." Olani groaned, though a warning was evident in her voice as Molly shifted her gaze back to her drink as if she was genuinely considering Olani's words.

Already Elena was starting to feel an odd slithering feeling move throughout her veins, a slow uncertainty that was starting to make her feel more and more uncomfortable the longer Molly remained in her line of sight.

She couldn't understand why, but whatever it was that this mysterious woman wanted to say, Elena wanted to hear it now.

"Just let her say what she has too." Elena pressed and a grim look crossed Olani's face, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something then promptly snapped it shut before nodding, returning to her seat on the couch before knocking back a shot that had been resting on a nearby table.

"Alright, let's get on to brass tacks then, since you don't remember me I'll try to make this as easy to understand as possible." Molly assured and Elena nodded, a little put off that her expression had turned serious.

"You and I share a common interest, that interest being my husband."

A/N: Oh man, this chapter was originally TWICE as long but I didn't want to put up an incredibly long chapter stuffed with so much info after such a long break in-between this chapter and the last…or extend my editing time by another week! (I'm attempting to get grammarly so there won't be as many grammar mistakes….hopefully this wasn't too much of a mess to read.) So I broke it up to make this a little bit easier to digest for you guys and give me a decent head start on the next upcoming chapter ;D So let me know what you think thusfar and I hope you enjoyed it!