Honeypot (WAYHAUGHT)

The Serpent ate the last few mouthfuls of a light lunch in his Hong Kong penthouse. He had earlier concluded a large drugs deal. Big enough for him to start looking for another penthouse to add to his growing property portfolio. Young, touching thirty. Reasonably good looking. Well-dressed. Wealthy, immensely wealthy. A career in buying and selling everything. You name it, if it was illegal he was involved somewhere online.

If Bobo was bad, this guy was pure evil. Why? Fuck knows. A miserable childhood. No. A broken heart. No heart to break. A desire to hurt people. Definitely. From an early age he could watch dispassionately as school bullies went about their business. He liked the power bullies wielded over their victims. Was he a bully? He never did the dirty work. He never got his hands dirty. One of his obsessions. Being clean. On the outside, at least. It didn't matter how dirty his soul, as long as the soles of his feet, his body were spotless.

He had had people killed for business and for pleasure. He enjoyed the luxury of being able to order anything he wanted and have it delivered. Anytime, anywhere. Sick would not be the word to describe the Serpent. Sick implies the potential, the possibility, for recovery. To get better. The only thing the Serpent got better at was building his dark empire. More power. He wanted it all.

How do you describe someone who is beyond sick?

Soulless.

The Serpent ran one of the larger online black markets. The Garden. An innocent name for a soulless marketplace. Anything for sale. Anything. The name, his own depraved twist on the world. Forbidden fruit. The Garden wasn't the first online black market. The Farmer's Market in 2006 selling illegal drugs, moving to the Dark Web in 2010. Silk Road in 2011, the first using Bitcoin, shut down by the FBI. Silk Road 2.0 in 2013. Shut down. On, and on, and on.

Why bring London to its knees?

He rather liked London, but only if he was there. He rarely visited these days, preferring his Asian hide out, staying in his luxury apartment. He liked the city's status in the world. Its iconic power. What better way to demonstrate his own power. Status. Switching off a major city at his command. To show the world just how powerful he was. How clever he was. In reality, how fucked up he was. Megalomania on steroids. Convinced of his greatness. Pathological. Certifiable, if caught. Utterly deluded.

Power. Baby.

Waverly hopped out of the taxi in front of Nicole's place. An art gallery. Impressive, she thought, as she rang the bell. Nicole appeared. She was wearing more casual clothes. Still gorgeous. She motioned for Waverly to follow her.

"You live in a gallery. That's not what I expected."

"I can show you around if you want."

Nicole explained some of the pieces she particularly liked. Waverly listened. She really did like her accent. A lot. They made their way upstairs. The aroma of food hitting Waverly as she entered the kitchen.

"Smells good. Better than my efforts."

"I took lessons. I was a lousy cook until I met Shae. She didn't cook, so I had to."

Waverly looked confused. "Shae?"

Nicole realised they knew very little about each other. "Sorry. My Ex. We were together four years. She's with someone else."

"Right. OK. For a moment I thought."

"No. I'm definitely single if that's what you're wondering. Shall we eat?"

They sat chatting, eating at the kitchen table. Relaxed. They filled in the blanks of their lives. A real meeting. Waverly liked Nicole. She sensed Nicole was holding back. She saw the sadness in her eyes when she spoke about Shae. She didn't want to pry. She guessed it had not been an easy split. For Nicole, at least. You rarely have those eyes if you are over someone.

It was getting late. They both had work in the morning. They had moved to the lounge, Nicole pouring two large G & T's. Waverly could see Nicole wanted to ask her something. She was fast realising she would have to be the one to nudge things along. She didn't mind. And, she was sitting in Nicole's flat afterall. Nicole had made a move.

Waverly got up. Stretched. "I really need to be going. This was lovely. Thank you. My treat next time."

Nicole got up. Scared. Fuck it, she thought, nothing ventured. "You could stay? I have a spare room. It's got a terrace. Great views."

Waverly gave Nicole a coy look. "I don't usually. Not on a first date. But, for you, I'll make an exception."

Nicole approached. Her hands lightly touching Waverly's waist. She gazed into her eyes. Their lips touched. Both felt the electricity between them.

Power. Baby.