A/N: For real, this story is turning out to be really, really, really long. It might be my longest one yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

-MalRev

Spectre

18

Amidst dilapidated buildings and shattered sidewalks, Goten's little side business stood out like a sore thumb. I couldn't believe it avoided detection.

It looked like a fancy hotel—there were four floors and it towered high into the black sky, nearly cloaked in darkness due to all the curtains being drawn in every window. Passerby would know something was up, though. It just didn't fit where it was. The building was painted a shade of tan that reminded me a beach house rather than a cesspool of debauchery.

Bulla pulled into the small roundabout and dropped her car off out front, casually throwing her keys to a chauffeur dressed in black and gold trimmings. He nearly bowed to her as we walked by and quickly took her car away without saying a word. It wasn't what I expected when she said "prostitution."

We walked through a beautiful garden where an older lady was humming to herself as she plucked weeds to throw in her basket. There was even a small fountain with benches and a cherry tree that offered shade when the sun was up. I rubbed my arms nervously as Bulla led me onward. The sun was setting, which meant Goku was going to start worrying.

Two big men in black suits stood outside the intricate front doors with their arms folded. Bulla cleared her throat and they stepped aside, bowing deeply like the chauffeur had and opening the doors for us. I was becoming more and more incredulous by the second. This was all a joke. He had to own a nice hotel. There couldn't be hookers in such a nice place.

The inside of the building took my breath away.

Bulla politely stepped to the side to text a few people while I gawked at the sheer magnificence around us. The floors were hard wood, glossed until they reflected light from the huge chandelier overhead. The rest of the room was lit minimally with lamps on the walls to keep a comfortable ambiance. A huge desk was sitting front and center with a pretty woman behind it, talking to a person through her Bluetooth. Two elevators were set into opposing walls but I couldn't see anything else due to a solid wall behind the desk. There was a door that I assumed was locked.

The receptionist looked up from typing on her keyboard as Bulla and I approached the desk. She smiled brightly and pressed a button on her Bluetooth to end the call. They all gave Bulla their full attention.

"Hey, Amanda," Bulla said. "This is Marron. She's VIP so let's all treat her that way. No need to beat around the bush with her—she gets the full tour."

Amanda beamed at me. "I've heard so much about you! I'm glad you get to see our entire facility instead of the boring stuff Mr. Son normally shows people. It's much better behind the wall.

"So… you're hiding everything?" I asked.

"Duh, how else would we get away with it when people come snooping?" Bulla leaned on the desk, examining her nails. "We give all of them the same bullshit excuse that all the other space is where we live. Goten owns the building so it's none of their business."

"But Mr. Son is in talks with the chief of police," Amanda said. "Hopefully after this meeting we won't have to worry as much about the police. They're up in his office right now so you can show her around until he's ready to see you. I'll page you."

Bulla thanked her and brought me around the desk to the locked door, which she promptly unlocked with a golden key. She pushed it open, allowing me to enter first, and followed close behind.

The lights were even dimmer. A small lounge area was set up in the front with two leather couches, a coffee table, and a flat-screen TV. A bar with several patrons drinking quietly was off to the left side of the room and the bartender also nodded to Bulla when she passed. We walked down a narrow hall to yet another door that required a different key and moved to the next part of the building.

This hall was brightly lit, revealing row upon row of doors that all had cutesy name tags on the outside. I counted the number of doors as we walked—there was twenty; ten on each side—and I could hear peals of feminine laughter every so often. My stomach twisted as I realized they had to be where the prostitutes took their clients. Ugh.

"These are their apartments," Bulla said. "Not all of them live here but most do. They don't bring men down here, though. This is a place for them to relax when their shift is over. They all get a kitchenette, personal bathroom, bed, and closet. If you keep walking to the end of the hall, there's a small general store for all of their needs, whether it's for birth control for work, a movie, or dinner."

"Are you serious? This is not what I was expecting."

"If you invest in attractive women and make them happy, they make customers happy. That's how Goten sees it. He takes one-third of their pay to cover rent and utilities but everything in the general store is free, and he gives all of them healthcare as well. They make a lot of money and don't have many concerns other than waking up in the morning and looking pretty for work."

"It's still wrong," I said as we reached the end of the hall. "He's trapping them here. They'll never want to leave it everything is free and having sex with men for money isn't exactly a happy life."

The door was flanked by two more elevators, placed perfectly for the working women. Bulla raised an eyebrow at me, pressing the "up" button.

"People have different definitions of happiness, Marron," she said. "These women are more than welcome to leave. There's always people willing to take their places. None of them feel pressured to stay here and conversely, none of them want to go. Would you?"

I felt myself turn red. "Yes! I wouldn't want to have sex with strangers my whole life!"

We stepped on the elevator and Bulla pressed the button for the fourth floor. "Well that's fine. This isn't your happiness. But for some people, this is heaven."

Listening to Bulla talking so wise beyond her years irked me into silence. She always acted like such a ditzy bitch and now she was chastising me for thinking her business was wrong. Prostitution wasn't right. All of these women should've been in college getting an education instead of selling themselves for money every day. They weren't doing anything with their lives.

It contrasted so starkly with my personal beliefs that I didn't know if I could stand being in the building for much longer. It was crawling with women who had no morality; who thought sex was just another means to make money. They were manipulating money right out of men's' pockets.

"The second and third floors are strictly for clients," Bulla said. "Goten wants to add a gym to the bottom floor for the girls so they can stay in shape without having to walk the streets. Every floor has a soundproof barricade like the first one and there are two sets of elevators—one for the women and one for whoever comes to see them. Amanda handles the money."

I didn't want to hear anymore. I folded my arms miserably as we arrived at the top floor and Bulla led me off the elevator. Everything was making me so nauseous…

This floor was carpeted with a plush, neutral fabric that still didn't scream "whorehouse" to me. It was entirely empty save for yet another wall at the other end with a door in it. I wondered what Goten would put on the fourth floor—maybe a playroom for all of the women's children whiles they were busy sleeping with strange men. I was gonna give Goten a piece of my mind about his "business."

Bulla knocked twice on the door, interrupting laughter within. I hung back and fumed as someone rose from a chair to walk over and answer us. He was gonna try to lure me in with false promises and bullying like Bulla kept saying. He would never trick me. What, did I look stupid or something?

The door opened and Goten's huge grin was the next thing I saw.

"Oh, you convinced her to come along!" he said, gesturing at me. "Come on in, I was just talking to Chief Daniels here about offering our business some autonomy."

"It's not our business anymore," Bulla said as she shoved him aside to enter the office.

Goten rolled his eyes and moved to let me into the room. We seemed to be coming in from the back way. The desk was facing a short, chubby man who's grey hair was receding past his ears. He smiled weakly at Bulla and I as we took seats near the window that offered a view of the city, all the way to the rolling hills that signaled the beginning of Mt. Paozu.

"I actually have to get going," Chief Daniels said, getting to his feet quickly. "I'll come down tomorrow to talk to you more about our… arrangement."

The men exchanged a few more words and the Chief was gone, down the elevator to the first floor. Goten straightened his tie and ran a hand through his hair before collapsing in his high-backed chair. He clasped his hands on his desk and smiled at Bulla and I again. I shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you think?" he asked. His black eyes were focused on me, perceptive and penetrating. "Mom has two successful men in the family. Gohan sticks to the rules a bit more but… well, I like my line of work. It's interesting. Dynamic. Interpreting the law must get boring."

"It's ok," I said.

"She's impressed but she won't admit it. She's too stubborn, like someone else I know." Bulla produced a cigarette from her breast pocket and lit it with a flash of energy. She leaned back in her chair with her long legs folded. "I think she imagined you were keeping all of them in a dungeon."

"Are all of them underage, too?" I asked. "I've noticed you're really fond of breaking the law so I wouldn't doubt it. Runaways?"

Goten arranged a pile of papers on his desk. "No, all of them are over eighteen. You and Bulla are special circumstances. I would never let any man touch either of you."

"Except you," Bulla said pointedly.

He shrugged. This wasn't a big deal to him. He had no moral complications when he considered taking advantage of high school girls. "I'm a special circumstance, too. Both of you can trust me."

Bulla laughed to herself and rose from her chair. "Well, I did what you asked so I'm going home now. You two kids have fun. Oh, and Goten, I'm sure Goku will be out looking for her soon. It's sort of in his nature to worry. I found that out the hard way when he almost snapped my neck this morning."

She was leaving me alone with Goten. I watched her walk past me to get to the elevator and disappear inside with a conspiratorial smirk. When the elevator descended, Goten shook his head.

"Ignore her," he said. "She's jealous. Now you and I can talk and perhaps reach an agreement."

"No. You should do what she said and bring me home before Goku gets mad."

"Dad will be fine for a few hours by himself. He's been at your house a lot lately; ignoring mom even more than usual. She doesn't seem to care, though. Normally she calls me three times a day to complain about him because Gohan's too busy in court but… I haven't received a call in a few days now."

"That's too bad. Maybe she knows what you're up to." I crossed my arms, trying to keep my cool. He was on to us; putting the pieces together. "I would be ashamed if my son was running a brothel. But you're nice to them, right? Forget that they have a life of indentured servitude. They can have all the free birth control and Oreos they want."

"All of the women here are free to do as they wish," Goten said. "I even help them pay for college if they want to go. Most of them don't. I know it's hard for someone your age to understand that prostitution isn't always an evil choice, but try to be more open-minded."

I rolled my eyes. We were back to making me out as the bad guy. "You're unbearable."

Goten smiled and got up from his chair, walking around his desk with his hands in his pockets to lean on it. He was tall and lean; completely unlike his father. My cheeks burned with embarrassment and I couldn't look Goten in the eye anymore. I'd been in bed with a married man three times my age doing bad things but here I was condemning Goten for running a brothel.

"Originally, I wanted you because it would cause a media frenzy," he said. "But I can't afford to attract that much attention to my business. Not yet, at least. So I got to thinking: how can I use Marron best? Bulla suggested I add you to our rosters but that's not feasible. I think you're much better suited to act as a magnet—come with me to meetings to attract more customers. "

"No."

"Don't be difficult. All you have to do is look pretty and smile. I'll even pay you for your trouble." He stroked his jaw thoughtfully. "Of course, I'll still expect you to sleep with me but—"

I scowled. "Definitely no. Doesn't it bother you that I'm in high school? Why don't you find someone your own age and leave Bulla and me alone?"

"If I'm going to run an empire, I don't want a normal woman by my side," Goten said. "Bulla's a half-Saiyan, like me, and you're on that neat little line between normality and abnormality. Your ages only complicate things a teensy bit. Besides, we've all been through enough insanity throughout our lives to make you more mature than the average teenager."

"I'm pretty sure I've told you 'no' a thousand times by now."

Goten suddenly lunged forward, grasping both of the arms of the chair and leaning forward until I was forced to press my back against the chair. He smiled icily.

"Do you think I'd be where I am if I ever took 'no' for an answer?" he whispered.

We glared at each other until the phone of his desk started ringing. His smile widened and he pushed away from me to answer it, leaving a cold feeling in my chest. I wanted to go home. Where was Goku? Had he decided to check on Chi-Chi? Were they arguing? He'd probably grown impatient waiting for me and wanted to go home to talk to his wife. They had issues to work out.

I sat stone still, twiddling my thumbs. I wasn't jealous. I had to separate myself from my weird relationship with Goku. We weren't together. If I stepped back and minded my own business, they could work everything out and I could go back to sitting home alone every day after school.

"That was Bulla," Goten said, hanging up the phone. "Dad's here. He's waiting downstairs for you but he's getting impatient. Just think about what we discussed, Marron."

Relieved, I hurried over to the elevator and hopped on. As the doors closed, I saw Goten sitting in his desk staring blankly at the wall.