PART 15: "When the night has come"
Yet another fancy event taking place in one of Manhattan's most famous restaurants; an extravagant event to a common person but an ordinary, daily event to any of the rich and powerful people who usually attend such parties.
Lara arrived with a half an hour's delay at this event in her fancy black limo; but she didn't worry in the least about that. Important people such as herself should let themselves be waited for.
After presenting her invitation at the door, Lara stepped inside the restaurant followed by her best friend, Leah. At such events she usually went alone, or with Leah, because she didn't want to make the front page of every tabloid in the city by appearing in public alongside a man. Not that she had a man to go to at such events. She almost burst into laughter thinking how it would be to go with Bullseye at a party like this, him wearing his usual outfit.
The two women made their way through the crowd, both in very expensive and elegant outfits, greeting to their left and right various acquaintances, while heading towards a table where Lara had spotted Wilson Fisk.
"Good evening Mr. Fisk," Lara greeted him alone, as Leah had been retained by an old friend.
"Wilson," he replied while standing up and kissing the hand she had originally stretched out in order to shake his.
"Good evening Mr. Wilson," she answered, never ceasing to be polite.
He smiled at her response but didn't insist further on and pulled a chair from the table, inviting her to sit down, after which he resumed his place at the table as well.
"Are you here alone tonight?"
"No, I am with Leah, Leah Lail, you remember her."
"Your assistant, right? The blonde girl."
"Yes, the blonde girl."
Lara reached for her purse and took out a cigarette.
"Allow me," Fisk offered himself to light her cigarette.
"Thank you."
"So where is Leah?"
"She was with an old friend ...... but now, it looks like she is with a new friend," Lara told Fisk after spotting her friend in the crowd.
Fisk looked back in the direction Lara was looking and saw Leah Lail dancing with his attorney and right hand man, Wesley Welch.
"Well what do you know!" Fisk exclaimed, appearing to be quite amused seeing the two of them together. "Did they know each other from before?"
"I do not think so. I guess it must be love at first sight."
Fisk was even more amused by her comment and glanced once more at the dancing pair. Lara took a drag from her cigarette after which she drank half of the content of the champagne glass she had just been brought.
"Would you care to dance?" Fisk asked all of a sudden, after finally taking his gaze from Leah and Wesley.
Lara chuckled at his question and got closer to him, almost whispering the words out.
"Mr. Fisk, we are both important people who are here tonight without an escort and the place is crawling with press representatives. I think we should keep a low profile. We don't want the tabloids to start rumoring all sort of things now, do we?"
"You're exaggerating. There's nothing wrong with two people dancing at a party. Come, we can't just sit here all night," Fisk said standing up and stretching out his arm to her. She took his hand and stood up, following him to the dance floor.
"And besides, you're the only woman I've ever danced with who I can almost look straight in the eyes."
At his impressive height of 6'5 feet, Fisk had hardly ever met someone of his stature. Of course, Lara was not as tall as he but at 6 feet tall and with high heals as well, her forehead almost reached his eyebrows.
"Aren't you married?" she asked while they were dancing.
"Was. She died almost half a year ago."
"Oh, yes, I remember. Tragic accident. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he spoke closer to her ear, as if to assure himself that nobody could hear what he was saying. "It wasn't an accident. She had found out about my real business and wanted to turn me to the authorities. Of course, I could not allow something like that."
"See, this is what I cannot understand. Why don't men like you marry women who accept them for what they really are and support them?"
"You mean women like you?"
"No. There are no women like me. I am unique."
Fisk looked a bit surprised at her new attitude but she smiled and quickly explained herself.
"I was referring to my special abilities ...... and my claws. You do remember the trip we made a couple of days ago, don't you?" she whispered near his ear and he smirked.
"I'll take your offer into consideration."
After a couple of minutes of dancing without exchanging any words, Fisk was the one to break the silence.
"I understand you saved Bullseye using your powers. Why? Do you care so much for him?"
Lara's smile faded as she looked Fisk in the eyes.
"He has impressive skills and I thought I could use him. The organization is always looking out for new members or at least people who are willing to occasionally lend us their services, in exchange for a good sum of money," she told him, giving him a look that made him understand she didn't quite like him asking her that question.
For the next half-hour that they spent talking at the table with Leah and Wesley, who had joined them soon afterwards, Lara was pretty quiet and her thoughts seemed to be wondering off in other directions.
"Please excuse me, but I must go. I just remembered something ...... it is an emergency. I am sorry," Lara just stood up all of a sudden, surprising everyone. Before Leah or anyone else could say anything, she rushed towards the doors. Fisk looked at Leah questioning but she just raised her shoulders, being as amazed as they were.
"Are you sure you wanna go there ma'am? It's kind of a dangerous neighborhood," Lara's driver asked after she told him where to take her.
"Yes. And hurry."
Sitting in the back of her limo and looking out of the window, Lara thought at what had determined her to do this. It was something that Fisk said at one point about people like them having to seize every opportunity and act without thinking twice as they might not have another opportunity. Thus, she decided to get over her prejudices once and for all and do it. Plus, she really wanted to.
"Do you want me to wait for you ma'am?" The driver asked when they reached the destination.
"No. I will call you to come and pick me up. Most likely it will be tomorrow morning so you can go home and rest."
"All right ma'am. Take care."
"I will. Thank you Dave."
Later that night, Bullseye got back to his rented apartment quite drunk. After spending countless hours practicing his deadly skills on poor, unsuspecting drifters roaming along dark back-alleys at night or showing off at dart games in various bars, while drinking and smoking, the human side of this invincible killer finally got the best of him and he felt the need to forget about everyone and everything and just lay in bed.
In the state that he was, it took him ten minutes just to find the key, to try and stick it into the keyhole and finally open the door. He didn't bother to take out the key and lock the door from the inside; after entering his apartment he slammed the door shut with one hand and made his way to the bed. He was not extremely drunk but his movements kind of betrayed his state.
He looked dizzy and his feet could barely sustain the weight of his body. On his way to the bed he removed his cap and his leather coat, throwing them to the ground, one to his right and the other one to his left. When he reached for the buckle of his belt in order to remove it as well, he suddenly stopped, acknowledging the presence of someone else in the room. He raised his head and looked towards the bed, where he saw, through the darkness of the room, the shape of a woman's body.
"I could help you with that if you want," the woman stood up, approaching him and he immediately recognized Lara in her breathtaking evening gown. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she asked, placing her hands over his, which were still on his belt.
Bullseye looked down at his belt, then back at her and a wide smirk appeared on his face. Afterwards, he took his hands from hers and placed them on her wrists, tracing his fingers up her arms.
"Baby, ...... I don't know why ye came here tonight, especially dressed like ...... "he took a few moments to admire her "...... oooh, this , but don't think ye're getting away this time. Not my fault ye're looking for it baby, coming here like this."
She didn't seem upset, irritated or even offended by his words, but she suddenly pushed his arms away and took a few steps back. Apparently, the state Bullseye was in at the moment did not permit him to move faster and keep her in his grasp.
"Darling, it appears to me that you have misunderstood my intentions. I am here to give you a test."
Bullseye thought for a moment and remembered the other test she had given him, when he had to kill Li Sang.
"Whatever. I'll kill whomever you want me to but this time it ain't for free baby. So how about you be a nice girl and pay me in advance, now that ye're here? And I don't want money," he grinned and reached out his right hand to grab hers, but just as he was about to step closer to her she lifted her right arm, motioning him to stop.
"Did I say something about killing anyone?"
Bullseye was intrigued by her words and stopped. There was very little light in the room, except for the one coming through the window from the other buildings around, so Bullseye could not really make out what Lara was doing. Suddenly, he saw something falling down and landing around Lara's feet, something that may have been her dress. Then, she turned and stepped into the light, leaving him breathless when he saw her wearing nothing more than a pair of bikinis.
"It has been such a long time since you and I have last ...... been together, and I was wondering how much progress have you made in ...... that domain."
Bullseye's smirk grew wider and wider and he could not help roaming his eyes up and down her body.
"I knew you couldn't resist me and come to me willingly."
"Are you going to talk all night or are we going to get down to business?"
With a swift movement Bullseye came forward and put one hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"You won't be so lucky this time. Get ready for the wildest night of your life."
Yet another fancy event taking place in one of Manhattan's most famous restaurants; an extravagant event to a common person but an ordinary, daily event to any of the rich and powerful people who usually attend such parties.
Lara arrived with a half an hour's delay at this event in her fancy black limo; but she didn't worry in the least about that. Important people such as herself should let themselves be waited for.
After presenting her invitation at the door, Lara stepped inside the restaurant followed by her best friend, Leah. At such events she usually went alone, or with Leah, because she didn't want to make the front page of every tabloid in the city by appearing in public alongside a man. Not that she had a man to go to at such events. She almost burst into laughter thinking how it would be to go with Bullseye at a party like this, him wearing his usual outfit.
The two women made their way through the crowd, both in very expensive and elegant outfits, greeting to their left and right various acquaintances, while heading towards a table where Lara had spotted Wilson Fisk.
"Good evening Mr. Fisk," Lara greeted him alone, as Leah had been retained by an old friend.
"Wilson," he replied while standing up and kissing the hand she had originally stretched out in order to shake his.
"Good evening Mr. Wilson," she answered, never ceasing to be polite.
He smiled at her response but didn't insist further on and pulled a chair from the table, inviting her to sit down, after which he resumed his place at the table as well.
"Are you here alone tonight?"
"No, I am with Leah, Leah Lail, you remember her."
"Your assistant, right? The blonde girl."
"Yes, the blonde girl."
Lara reached for her purse and took out a cigarette.
"Allow me," Fisk offered himself to light her cigarette.
"Thank you."
"So where is Leah?"
"She was with an old friend ...... but now, it looks like she is with a new friend," Lara told Fisk after spotting her friend in the crowd.
Fisk looked back in the direction Lara was looking and saw Leah Lail dancing with his attorney and right hand man, Wesley Welch.
"Well what do you know!" Fisk exclaimed, appearing to be quite amused seeing the two of them together. "Did they know each other from before?"
"I do not think so. I guess it must be love at first sight."
Fisk was even more amused by her comment and glanced once more at the dancing pair. Lara took a drag from her cigarette after which she drank half of the content of the champagne glass she had just been brought.
"Would you care to dance?" Fisk asked all of a sudden, after finally taking his gaze from Leah and Wesley.
Lara chuckled at his question and got closer to him, almost whispering the words out.
"Mr. Fisk, we are both important people who are here tonight without an escort and the place is crawling with press representatives. I think we should keep a low profile. We don't want the tabloids to start rumoring all sort of things now, do we?"
"You're exaggerating. There's nothing wrong with two people dancing at a party. Come, we can't just sit here all night," Fisk said standing up and stretching out his arm to her. She took his hand and stood up, following him to the dance floor.
"And besides, you're the only woman I've ever danced with who I can almost look straight in the eyes."
At his impressive height of 6'5 feet, Fisk had hardly ever met someone of his stature. Of course, Lara was not as tall as he but at 6 feet tall and with high heals as well, her forehead almost reached his eyebrows.
"Aren't you married?" she asked while they were dancing.
"Was. She died almost half a year ago."
"Oh, yes, I remember. Tragic accident. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he spoke closer to her ear, as if to assure himself that nobody could hear what he was saying. "It wasn't an accident. She had found out about my real business and wanted to turn me to the authorities. Of course, I could not allow something like that."
"See, this is what I cannot understand. Why don't men like you marry women who accept them for what they really are and support them?"
"You mean women like you?"
"No. There are no women like me. I am unique."
Fisk looked a bit surprised at her new attitude but she smiled and quickly explained herself.
"I was referring to my special abilities ...... and my claws. You do remember the trip we made a couple of days ago, don't you?" she whispered near his ear and he smirked.
"I'll take your offer into consideration."
After a couple of minutes of dancing without exchanging any words, Fisk was the one to break the silence.
"I understand you saved Bullseye using your powers. Why? Do you care so much for him?"
Lara's smile faded as she looked Fisk in the eyes.
"He has impressive skills and I thought I could use him. The organization is always looking out for new members or at least people who are willing to occasionally lend us their services, in exchange for a good sum of money," she told him, giving him a look that made him understand she didn't quite like him asking her that question.
For the next half-hour that they spent talking at the table with Leah and Wesley, who had joined them soon afterwards, Lara was pretty quiet and her thoughts seemed to be wondering off in other directions.
"Please excuse me, but I must go. I just remembered something ...... it is an emergency. I am sorry," Lara just stood up all of a sudden, surprising everyone. Before Leah or anyone else could say anything, she rushed towards the doors. Fisk looked at Leah questioning but she just raised her shoulders, being as amazed as they were.
"Are you sure you wanna go there ma'am? It's kind of a dangerous neighborhood," Lara's driver asked after she told him where to take her.
"Yes. And hurry."
Sitting in the back of her limo and looking out of the window, Lara thought at what had determined her to do this. It was something that Fisk said at one point about people like them having to seize every opportunity and act without thinking twice as they might not have another opportunity. Thus, she decided to get over her prejudices once and for all and do it. Plus, she really wanted to.
"Do you want me to wait for you ma'am?" The driver asked when they reached the destination.
"No. I will call you to come and pick me up. Most likely it will be tomorrow morning so you can go home and rest."
"All right ma'am. Take care."
"I will. Thank you Dave."
Later that night, Bullseye got back to his rented apartment quite drunk. After spending countless hours practicing his deadly skills on poor, unsuspecting drifters roaming along dark back-alleys at night or showing off at dart games in various bars, while drinking and smoking, the human side of this invincible killer finally got the best of him and he felt the need to forget about everyone and everything and just lay in bed.
In the state that he was, it took him ten minutes just to find the key, to try and stick it into the keyhole and finally open the door. He didn't bother to take out the key and lock the door from the inside; after entering his apartment he slammed the door shut with one hand and made his way to the bed. He was not extremely drunk but his movements kind of betrayed his state.
He looked dizzy and his feet could barely sustain the weight of his body. On his way to the bed he removed his cap and his leather coat, throwing them to the ground, one to his right and the other one to his left. When he reached for the buckle of his belt in order to remove it as well, he suddenly stopped, acknowledging the presence of someone else in the room. He raised his head and looked towards the bed, where he saw, through the darkness of the room, the shape of a woman's body.
"I could help you with that if you want," the woman stood up, approaching him and he immediately recognized Lara in her breathtaking evening gown. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she asked, placing her hands over his, which were still on his belt.
Bullseye looked down at his belt, then back at her and a wide smirk appeared on his face. Afterwards, he took his hands from hers and placed them on her wrists, tracing his fingers up her arms.
"Baby, ...... I don't know why ye came here tonight, especially dressed like ...... "he took a few moments to admire her "...... oooh, this , but don't think ye're getting away this time. Not my fault ye're looking for it baby, coming here like this."
She didn't seem upset, irritated or even offended by his words, but she suddenly pushed his arms away and took a few steps back. Apparently, the state Bullseye was in at the moment did not permit him to move faster and keep her in his grasp.
"Darling, it appears to me that you have misunderstood my intentions. I am here to give you a test."
Bullseye thought for a moment and remembered the other test she had given him, when he had to kill Li Sang.
"Whatever. I'll kill whomever you want me to but this time it ain't for free baby. So how about you be a nice girl and pay me in advance, now that ye're here? And I don't want money," he grinned and reached out his right hand to grab hers, but just as he was about to step closer to her she lifted her right arm, motioning him to stop.
"Did I say something about killing anyone?"
Bullseye was intrigued by her words and stopped. There was very little light in the room, except for the one coming through the window from the other buildings around, so Bullseye could not really make out what Lara was doing. Suddenly, he saw something falling down and landing around Lara's feet, something that may have been her dress. Then, she turned and stepped into the light, leaving him breathless when he saw her wearing nothing more than a pair of bikinis.
"It has been such a long time since you and I have last ...... been together, and I was wondering how much progress have you made in ...... that domain."
Bullseye's smirk grew wider and wider and he could not help roaming his eyes up and down her body.
"I knew you couldn't resist me and come to me willingly."
"Are you going to talk all night or are we going to get down to business?"
With a swift movement Bullseye came forward and put one hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"You won't be so lucky this time. Get ready for the wildest night of your life."