Simple disguises

Melissa's suggestion was how Juliet ended up bringing Maria with her when she was supposed to meet up with Richard to go over the contract. She wasn't the first person Juliet would've chosen, but she was the only one who had been available on such short notice and who also had experience to understand the language on the work contact Richard was expecting her to sign.

Richard didn't seem thrilled that she had brought someone new to the club with her but didn't verbally protest it or tell her that her friend wasn't welcome as he had noticed Juliet didn't seem exactly thrilled with the situation herself.

His mood hadn't been helped by the fact that Daniel had no information for him on how or if he had been drugged the previous night and if so, who would've done it.

"Melissa contacted you I see to suggest you bring a friend." Juliet only nodded in response to the question as they approached the bar where he was standing drinking a deep amber liquid. She wasn't sure if the presence of Maria meant that they would be talking out in the main part of the club versus the VIP section as Maria hadn't been granted access.

"Is this the guy you were telling me about?" Maria asked as she looked Richard up and down. From what she could tell, he seemed stiff but not exactly like he was a bad person like her friend had made her believe.

Richard replied with a quick introduction before Juliet could respond and offered his hand to be shaken by the other. It seemed like he knew how to deal with strangers after all Juliet mused as she watched the two interact.

"Are we going to be talking out here today since I brought my friend with me?" Juliet asked making Richard turn his attention to her. He shook his head slightly as he finished the rest of his drink and motioned for the bartender to refill his glass.

"No, but I have to wait for Daniel to finish some other work first. Maria has to sign some nondisclosure papers before anything happens However so there's no reason to be impatient."

"I'm not being impatient. I just want to know how this is going to go since I don't have a lot of free time." Juliet replied in a defensive manner, turning to the bartender, she ordered drinks for her and Maria who's eyes were lighting up the more she looked around the club. She was evidently liking the look of everything she was seeing. The music playing wasn't half bad either, more of her style than it was Juliet's.

"Daniel is?" Maria asked after thanking her friend for the drink and taking a sip.

"The club owner." was the response Richard gave. Maria wanted to ask more but she got the feeling the person before her wasn't in much of a mood to talk.

Richard, who had chosen to sit down now that the two women arrived was hoping that Daniel would finish up what he was doing sooner rather than later. The longer he sat there, the more likely it was that female guests who start to approach him and attempt to convince they should come with them to have a good time.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have minded that, but tonight he was there purely for work reasons and didn't have for messing around and fun and even if he was waiting on Daniel to get anything started. He was tempted to smoke again, but knew he would get called out by Melissa if she was here tonight and he smelled of cigarette smoke.

It didn't very long before Maria decided that Anne was going to join the dance floor of the club rather than standing idle while waiting for Daniel to appear. She had dressed up after all and with it being very rare that she got the chance to have a fun night on a weekday, she didn't want to waste.

There was silence for a minute or two following the absence of the friend before Richard spoke.

"Sit down." He told Juliet who was still standing by the bar. She glanced over at him.

"I'm comfortable standing right now, thank you." She replied as she turned her attention back to the main floor of the club. She might've been there for the potential cover job, but any opportunity inside the club gave her a chance to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

"And I'm telling you to sit down." Richard replied, even going so far as to pull out the stool next to him and motion for her to sit. At times like this, he wished he chose someone less stubborn to work with.

"Why are you being so adament about this?" Juliet asked turning to face as she felt herself becoming more annoyed by his behavior.

"Because, the more crowded the club gets, the more likely women are to be come over and bother me. I wouldn't care under normal circumstances, but I'm only here for work tonight and don't want any extra unnecessary hold ups." Juliet stared at him like she couldn't believe he just explained such a thing to her. He didn't know if he should take her response as offensive or perhaps a unexpected reaction out of respect.

After a moment of silence, a half smile appeared on her face, but she didn't say anything as she shifted her pursue so that she could rummage in it.

Richard froze when without permission, Juliet placed what he assumed was a baseball cap, most likely a dark red one based upon what he could see of the rim on his head. She even went as far as to pull up the lapels on his jacket collar so that based on the way he was sitting, it would be hard to see his face without coming near him.

"This is why simply disguises exist." She told him once done, seeming to feel pleased at her work.

Richard on the other didn't share in her pleasure at having his appearance messed with without being asked.

"I don't need a disguise if you'd just sit down next to me like I said. No one would bother me if it looked like I already had a female companion sitting here and talking with me." He retorted, not trying terribly hard to keep the irritation out of his voice. He kept a variety of different items in his wardrobe at home, but one item he refused to incorporate was a baseball cap. He hated them.

"I don't feel like sitting down right now though, so this will have to do if you're really so worried about getting bothered." Juliet replied as she crossed her arms, still refusing to sit down and take the sit next time.

There were a number of comments that Richard wanted to say to her in response to her attitude, but he knew she would get the wrong impression if he said them before they had a chance to get through everything.

"Another thing, while I appreciate what you were attempting to do. Next time you want to alter my appearance, ask before you just begin."

"Does someone have personal space issues?" she was curious to know, but because of the baseball cap and the way he was sitting, she couldn't see Richard's face to see if she had guessed right or not.

"It's a matter respect, not personal space." He replied back after a few seconds. "I'm sure once we talk tonight, certain things will make more sense to you, but to briefly explain- I come from a lifestyle that is built around more boundaries and respect than most people are used to. It's a shift for some people, but I'm sure it won't be too hard for you to adjust since your reason for working for me is so important." Richard had more to say but paused when his phone dinged to let him know that he got a text. "And you should go fetch your friend so we can get this sorted out because Daniel is finished and ready now." Juliet didn't reply and if Richard hadn't glanced over to see if she had left, which she had, he wouldn't have known if she was there still or not. Perhaps he had said too much again.