The view of the city was breathtaking, a forest of shadowy spires dotted with neon stars. Such vistas belonged to a tax bracket I surely wasn't a part of.
"Fancy a drink?" Sade inquired, her own glass halfway poured with some rich, amber liquid, "To properly conclude our business; the credits have already hit your account."
"This is work, not a social call."
"Suit yourself, stud, but I'm not sharing." The resonant clack of heels on marble announced the executive's approach as she flanked my side; golden, biomechanical irises reflected against dark glass.
Sade sipped as we stared at the Night City skyline in silence. The office was overbearingly spacious with a slab of onyx that counted as a desk at it's heart; streaks of garish crimson illuminated the dark interior.
"You have a way of doing business," it was a half-hearted compliment, "quick , effective – ruthless; I appreciate that."
I looked away from the view and met her gaze, curious. "Why invite me up here?"
She smiled, showing off a perfect set of teeth. Sade's eyes glowed like two miniature suns behind black lenses. A manicured hand gestured to my cheek, admiring the jagged scar tissue that lined it. "Something tells me you're more than just another hired gun," her voice was silky soft, almost hypnotic.
There was a certain something about her that had me feeling strangely uncomfortable, and for good reason; Sade was a suit. It wasn't fear or nervousness – it was something else entirely. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on; our eyes met. Hers were calm, but there was a hint of danger in them, a warning.
"I'm quite particular about who handles my business," her fingers traced along my chin and to the base of my neck, lingering at a metallic cyber-node implant; for some inexplicable reason I allowed it. "Tell me more about yourself; what about that scar?"
My people skills weren't exactly refined; 'people-killing' skills another matter, "A man with a knife."
Sade's smile deepened at my blunt, almost sarcastic, response, "You don't talk much, do you? That suits me fine though, makes things simpler." Her hand moved down to rest upon my shoulder, thumb stroking along the collarbone, "What's the story?"
"There is no story."
"Don't be coy."
"I prefer action," I said truthfully. My attention wandered back to the view, the neon glow casting strange shadows across the buildings below. "Seen a lot of it."
"Hmmm." A small sigh escaped her lips, "Well...You were highly recommended. You don't look like much, but then again, you aren't really human anymore; looks can be deceiving." As with most who had undergone extensive cybernetic enhancement, angular lines of chrome traced geometrically across my face, hands and much of my exposed flesh; Sade was no luddite herself. "How about you show me some action? Right here, right now."
The exec's half-lit figure was certainly appealing: a streamlined neo-contemporary business dress that hugged the narrow curves of her figure. Ebony locks, accented with streaks of crimson, shielded half of Sade's face in a drapery of bangs, adding to her mystique. In the treacherous world of mega-corp politics, beauty was most certainly a weapon and Sade boasted an impressive arsenal.
Her hand snaked