Chapter 1: Red Lace

Yuri wasn’t the type of girl who partied. She doesn’t like it at all. She preferred gatherings, where you get together with a few close friends over dinner, coffee, or tea, and talk. It was quite liberating. People don’t do that at parties. They just make small talk, flirt, and just have conversations that lead to the bed. Yuri doesn’t like places that. That included discos, and any other similar places, which also happen to include her father’s strip club.

Kwon Enterprises, a conglomerate, by default, operates in many different kinds of businesses. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise to Yuri when she found out about the establishment, but it did.  

“I need you to entertain some guests for me.”

“At the usual place?”

“No, at Allure.”

Yuri frowned. “Allure? I have never heard of that place before.”

“Because I never told you about it.”

“What place is it?”

“A strip club.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“A strip club,” Mr Kwon repeated.

“Dad—”

“I know you don’t like the idea of it Yuri. But sometimes in business, there are things you have to do that you don’t like. Think of it as, just business.”

Right.

Yuri pulled up her Aston Martin at the entrance of the club, rowdy with the weekend crowd lined outside waiting to get in. The valet noticed and tended to her immediately.

“Evening, Ms Kwon. Your guests are waiting inside.”

“Thank you.”

She strode in, and the first thing that struck her was the smell—smoke, alcohol, and arousal. Yuri grimaced. The entire place had a red hue to it, and her eyes hurt. She walked the short corridor to the reception. The manager bowed.

“Ms Kwon, I believe this is our first time meeting. My name is Irene. I’m the manager here. Your guests have just arrived, I shall take you to them. This way please.” She gestured behind her and Yuri allowed the lady to her.

Inside was even more fascinating. Table after table filled with young men and women, old couples, gay couples, straight couples, all around a pole, with topless strippers dancing. Even the waitresses were topless.

As she was led up to the second floor, Yuri noticed a stripper in red lace , hanging upside down on the centre pole. The crowd around the table was the largest in the room. The stripper twisted around, smirking and winking at her audience. She got down from her pole onto all fours, drawing close to a man at the edge of the stage, tilting his chin up with a finger. The man was pushed onto the stage by his companions, his face burning red from embarrassment. Red Lace smirked, slyly, and began touching him, swaying her body seductively, obviously teasing him. The poor man had his hands clenched by his sides as Red Lace d him.

That face— 

“That is our best stripper,” the manager said, breaking Yuri’s train of thought. “Customers have been pouring in since we hired her. Been a good luck charm, that girl,” the manager continued.

“I see.”

“You seem interested in her. Would you want me to send her to your room, Ms Kwon?”

She turned away just as Red Lace sat the man down swung her leg over his lap.

“That won’t be necessary.”

They continued up the stairs and entered the room at the end of a long hallway full of private rooms.

“Send up some drinks,” she told the manager.

“Right away Ms Kwon.”

* * *

Mr Cho, and the other business partners laughed boisterously.

“You’re such a good sport Yuri. Here, another!”

She couldn’t refuse, not when a client offered to pour you another cup of liquor. She smiled and held out her cup as the balding businessman poured her the concoction. He held up his own cup drunkenly.

“To good business!”

“To good business.”

Yuri threw the alcohol to the back of , wincing as it burned its way down to her stomach. 

“Say Yuri, I never knew your father had this establishment,” Mr Kim said.

“Yes yes, quite a surprise. I might actually frequent this place,” Mr Choi chimed in.

“Well then gentlemen, we should enjoy ourselves tonight!”

Mr Cho buzzed for the waitress. “Send in some girls.”

Yuri smiled her business smile, pouring herself another drink.

 Just business.

Business or not, men were all the same—lustful, and lecherous. Yuri doubt they paid attention to the fact that there was a woman in the room with all the comments that they’re making about the girls. She scoffed. 

There was a knock on the door, and Red Lace came in with three other topless girls. One of which walked enticingly towards her, settling comfortably on her lap. The stripper draped an arm around her shoulder and drew herself closer. Yuri could feel her hot core on her thighs and the curves of her s pressing against her through her shirt. 

“Hi there, y,” she said, in a soft, sensual voice. “My name’s Krystal. What’s yours?”

“Yuri,” she said, glancing over towards Red Lace. That face was unmistakable. 

“Well Yuri, we hardly get women here...but I like it when we do…”

Krystal traced a lazy finger along her exposed collar. She moved to her shirt, and Yuri grabbed her wrist in a tight grip.

“I’m not here for your services, and you are not to touch me unless I say so. For now, you can sit on me, and put your arm around my shoulder. Nothing else."

Yuri said it with such authority and finality that Krystal merely complied. The way her smile faltered didn’t escape Yuri’s eyes as she turned back her attention to the conversation.

Mr Cho chuckled. “Well Yuri, now that we’re all settled, let’s talk business.”

Yuri eyed Mr Cho’s roaming hands, touching Red Lace in places no man should touch a woman. She met Red Lace’s steady gaze, there was a flash of recognition in her brown eyes. It disappeared as fast as it came, but that was enough to confirm Yuri’s suspicion. She turned her attention to Mr Cho and smiled. 

“By all means, Mr Cho.”

* * *

Yuri tapped the railing impatiently as the elevator agonizingly moved towards her floor. It slowed to a stop with a ding and she breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly walked towards her office, barely greeting her employees on the way. She saw her personal assistant already at her desk, slaving herself away. She stood as she walked near and bowed.

“Morning, Ms Kwon.”

“Morning Wendy. Do I have anything scheduled for tonight?”

Wendy blinked at the sudden unusual question and scrambled to answer her question.

“Um, yes, yes you do Ms Kwon.” She looked at a timetable she pulled out, her fingers tracing the written appointments. “You have dinner with your father and some other partners at 7:30 tonight.”

“Do I have anything else afterwards? Or any other schedule at night for the rest of this week?”

Her personal assistant shifted her glasses as she looked at the timetable again.

“Yes…” she trailed, “Yes you do, Ms Kwon,” she said with more certainty, “on Thursday, at 9.”

“Cancel it.”

“C-Cancel?”

“Yes, cancel it.”

“But Ms Kwon, it’s—”

“Get Taeyeon to do it.”

When she didn’t get an answer she glanced at her assistant, who had agape.

“Is there a problem?” she inquired.

Wendy shook her head. “N-No, no problem at all. I shall see to it immediately.”

“Good.”

She stopped just in front of her office, remembering something. “Oh, and Wendy?”

“Yes Ms Kwon?”

“Contact the strip club, and ask them for information on their stripper. Do a background check for me.”

“E-Excuse me?”

Her assistant looked utterly shocked, and confused at the unusual request.

Yuri tilted her head in confusion, wondering if what she asked for was not clear enough. “The stripper, at the strip club. Ask the manager, she’ll know who I’m talking about. Do a background check on her. Thanks Wendy.”

Yuri strode into her office without waiting for a reply, dropping her bag and coat onto the sofa. She sat at her desk and opened the folder that Wendy had most probably placed before she came in. She read the report, tapping her pen, wishing that time would move faster.

* * *

Yuri cut the steak in front of her, willing herself to do so slowly, and chewed on the piece of meat as if she was enjoying every bite of it. She took a sip of red wine to ease .

“Yuri, you have been awfully quiet tonight,” her father whispered next to her.

“Have I, Dad? I’m sorry, I’m just a little tired.”

The older man jabbed his piece of fish with his fork. “You can head on home after you’re done with your dinner. I can handle the partners.”

“Are you sure, Dad?”

“I’m sure.”

“Thanks Dad.”

“The talks yesterday went well, right?”

Yuri took another sip of her wine.

“Very well.”

* * *

She felt a little guilty, lying to her father about being tired, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging gut feeling that had been bothering her. Yuri pulled up her car at the entrance of the club, and the valet scrambled to open the door for her, obviously caught by surprise at her sudden visit.

“Ms Kwon, we weren’t expecting you.”

“That’s all right. It wasn’t planned.”

“I’ll take care of your car right away.”

“Thank you.”

The bouncer at the door bowed and let her pass, and even the manager was surprised.

“Ms Kwon.”

“I’ll just be in the VIP room. Send up some whiskey.”

“Of course.”

Yuri stood in front of the observation glass overlooking the floor below. Red Lace was easy to spot, even amidst the myriad of people. There was no way she could ever forget that face. Not in a lifetime.