Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
"I don't think I'm his type."
Benji blinked, eyes narrowing as he looked up from the laptop he was crouched in front of in the van. Luther was seated near him at his own laptop.
"What do you mean, 'not his type'?" Benji said incredulously, the first of their team to have replied.
"As in, he's batting for the other team," Zhen Lei hissed impatiently.
Benji held his hands up at the agent's acerbic tone and looked to Luther for sympathy. Luther rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Why don't we send in Ethan or Brandt?" Luther suggested.
"Does this mean I get to seduce the rich guy?" Brandt's voice sounded through the comms.
Ethan, who was posing as a waiter glanced over at their target. Samuel Casagena was politely conversing with several of the other party goers, the beautiful scenery of the south Atlantic backdropping them. Casapueblo was indeed beautiful.
"We can try that," Ethan replied, not sounding completely sure.
Brandt shrugged from where he was standing with a glass of tannat in hand. Ethan said nothing, even if his gut was telling him that Brandt wasn't Casagena's type, but that he was a lot closer than Lei.
"Why not?" Benji said, also shrugging his shoulders from inside the van that was parked at the foot of the hotel, a small dirt road very close to the lapping tide.
"Why wasn't this intel included?" Luther queried.
Ethan was moving closer to Casagena when Luther spoke. It was Zhen Lei who responded, the woman having slipped back into the crowd to keep an inconspicuous eye on their target.
"We don't have much on Casagena, he's a private man," Lei replied.
Casagena held the fiscal accounts of many of the big time criminals in South America. If they could get access to the accounts they'd have the proof necessary to bring a large number individuals to justice.
Brandt approached and everyone waited with bated breath as the two engaged. Casagena was a tall, broad shouldered man; handsome and well built, he was a bit intimidating despite having a calm manner. The exchange went tolerably well, Brandt flirted and Casagena seemed to enjoy it but there wasn't anything that indicated Brandt could get him in a room alone. Finally Brandt disengaged, seeing that it wouldn't go anywhere.
"Well, what do we do now?" Brandt said, a bit waspish that he'd been turned down.
Rather at their wit's end, everyone waited on Ethan for guidance.
"Benji, how soon do you think you could get up here in a tux?"
It was dead silent.
"W-what?" Benji spluttered.
"That might work," Zhen Lei admitted, surprised admiration coloring her tone.
"Seriously?" Benji cried, again looking to Luther for sympathy.
Luther shook his head, obviously as dubious about the plan as Benji.
"Are you sure Ethan?" Luther asked.
"Yes," Ethan replied, watching Casagena out of the corner of his eye, "get Benji up here quick."
Five minutes later Benji was in a linen suit, casual but classy as Luther had commented, when he'd stepped out of the van. Now he was standing at the party feeling a tad awkward. Usually he mentally prepared himself for things like this, being thrown head first in wasn't exactly his favorite thing, especially since apparently he was to be "seducing" their target. Benji recalled exactly how those lessons had gone, after a few abysmal performances the teacher had said he'd probably never have to worry about it. Too old and not exactly a classic handsome.
Forty six only, Benji had spluttered, and he thought he was his own sort of handsome, thank you very much. Looking around he spotted Ethan in a corner with a platter of alcohol, Brandt leaned up against the bar talking with someone and Zhen Lei carrying on conversation with another woman. Then there was Casagena.
The man was bloody huge, he looked like he lifted elephants for weight training.
"You sure he's of, you know, that persuasion?" Benji hissed into the earpiece.
Going into a bedroom with Casagena was the last thing he wanted to do.
"Pretty sure," Zhen Lei said dryly.
"Maybe he just doesn't like ethnic girls," Benji said, hoping he could weasel himself out of this.
At that moment Casagena looked at Benji and Benji saw the man's eyes sparkle. He cussed. Casagena was moving over to him, briefly excusing himself from the people he was talking to. Benji struggled between flight or roll over and die when Casagena arrived.
"Hello, I don't think I've seen you before," Casagena said, voice low and smooth.
Benji smiled falteringly.
"Yup," Benji replied, absolutely tongue tied and terrified.
Casagena could break his neck with one hand. Instead the man was leering at him in a way that gave Benji the willies.
"Shy, aren't you?" Casagena said, moving in and coyly brushing Benji's arm.
"Yup," Benji replied, gulping.
"You're doing great Benji," Brandt said sarcastically, "'yup' is a sure fire seducing tactic."
Benji grit his teeth, he was going to punch Brandt in the face when this was over with.
Casagena leaned in, mouth coming right next to Benji's ear.
"Why don't we go somewhere, more private?"
Benji smiled weakly, and sort of nodded his head. Casagena then looped an arm around his waist, guiding him away from the party.
"You're doing great, Benji," Ethan encouraged.
There was a loud snort over the line that was obviously Brandt.
"Shut it," Benji hissed.
"What was that?" Caragen asked, looking at Benji curiously.
Benji smiled.
"Nothing, let's just, uh, continue," Benji managed.
Casagena nodded his head. They continued on into the hotel, coming to a large suite. It was actually very nice and if Benji wasn't currently on a mission, he'd want to vacation there. Casagena wasted no time in moving forward, pulling Benji tight to him.
"Come little shy one, let's-"
Benji stabbed him with a hypodermic. Well enough of that nonsense. Benji watched in satisfaction as Casagena collapsed to the ground. Stepping over the man's body he squatted down and started searching the man. Supposedly Casagena kept all the account numbers and their access information on himself right before and after meetings. Finding a little hard drive, Benji stood up and left the room.
"I think that was rather successful," Benji was saying, sitting in the back of the van along with the others.
Luther was driving and Zhen Li was seated next to him. Ethan was securing the hard drive while Brandt was looking mulishly at Benji.
"You know, I thought it was my turn to seduce the bad guy," Brandt grumbled, looking thoroughly put out.
Ethan smirked from where he was working on the hard drive, not even looking up.
"I'm glad that this time I didn't have to do it," Zhen Lei piped up, "you get sick of being objectified for every single mission."
"Yeah, what is with that?" Benji said, frowning as he looked towards Zhen Lei.
"With what?" Zhen Lei replied.
"Well," Benji said, propping his elbows on his legs, "every female agent I know is bloody gorgeous, but then you've got guys like Luther and I-"
"Watch yourself, Dunn" Luther interjected.
Benji shot him a look and kept going.
"Blokes like us who aren't exactly drop dead gorgeous. Is it like, I don't know, part of the interview, like, you've got deadly skills, check, explosives knowledge, check, bloody beautiful, check, looks like you're hired. I mean, is it something they screen?"
Ethan was barely containing his laughter and Brandt was eyeing Benji with amusement.
"Let's just say all women are, and I quote, 'bloody beautiful', and leave it at that," Luther replied.
Benji shook his head, staring between his teammates.
"I don't know Benji, Casagena seemed to think you were drop dead beautiful, and I think Luther's a pretty handsome man," Brandt replied, spreading his hands.
"Thank you Will," Luther replied, nodding in the mirror.
Brandt smiled in response. Benji was glowering at Brandt.
"Yeah, the way Casagena was all over you, I'd say you're a fine looking specimen," Zhen Lei added, going along with Brandt.
Benji raised his brows, looking between his co-workers. No one was on his side. Finally he looked imploringly at Ethan.
"Guys," Ethan said, casting about a disapproving parental look.
Good, Benji thought, folding his arms with satisfaction. Someone was on his side.
"We shouldn't objectify Benji, it's not his fault he's so ravishing," Ethan said in deadpan.
Everyone broke out laughing and Benji glared about. Stupid teammates.