The Naked Countess II Ch. 06

Chapter 6: Business with Pleasure

The sun was setting behind the office's windows, engulfing the streets below in orange light. San Francisco seemed both big and small from this height, with the entire city in full view of the guests. The delegation was waiting here for almost an hour, but nobody complained. The office was spacious and good on the eyes with its dark colors, while the furniture was better than many could ever see in their own houses. It was clear it wasn't meant for a regular employee.

"Ha-ha-ha, look at them. Oh help me, Many-eyed!" Leo said as she scrolled through social media on Arnold's laptop.

It took the countess a moment to master this new technology, but, being a highly intelligent and educated being, she soon learned what all the buttons did and began giggling in front of the screen like a child watching Cocomelon. The media she watched was centered around one topic only: Textilian women running around naked in public. Their skirmish was only an hour ago, but it already went viral with photos and videos of the poor, embarrassed protesters filling the web.

It turned out that while some of them had husbands or friends who lent them clothing, others either came alone or were so panicked they separated from the group, now forced to streak through the busy streets and cause even more raised eyebrows than Leo herself. The countess thoroughly enjoyed this irony. In fact, she couldn't get enough of the unlucky girls' jiggling butts and rosy cheeks as their figures scuttled around the city with their hands clutching their privates. Lala stood beside her in silence, with a deeply hidden empathy for the girls' shame.

"So this is a network that allows people to comment on everything that's happening right now?" Leo pointed at the black-and-white logo. "Huh, what a trinket! My world also might need one of those."

"Uh... No, trust me, you don't," Arnold said this so firmly he surprised even himself.

It surprised the agent that Sanflarians didn't have internet. Well, they had a similar technology allowing them to freely share information, but it was much more strictly regulated and meant mostly for governmental or business needs, not entertainment. When Arnold asked how regular Sanflarians lived without it, Leo explained that everything they needed could be found on separate data modules, which they'd connect to their appliances.

This way, a Sanflarian could easily get access to all of their nation's literature with the local version of an ebook or upload useful functions to a spherical computer labeled by the locals "infocore" that most upper-class citizens had on their person, but these modules were premade. Folks with tech smarts could customize them, but it was implied that Sanflaria chose specific content to shelter their citizens from informational garbage and keep them from finding something they didn't need to.

Likewise, most communication within the network itself only concerned narrow, professional topics, so hobby communities or Sanflarian version of "fandoms" gathered offline. As a result, their information field was clean and to the point, never reaching levels of chaos that one Google search could've brought upon an unsuspecting user from Earth. It was efficient but strictly regulated, not allowing one to stray from the course too much. Just like Sanflaria itself.

Speaking of strictness, Araman just walked into the room, to which everyone got up and greeted him. The baron waved them off and briefly pointed at the door. A second later, another figure entered the room, all eyes on it now. It was a short, somewhat stocky man past his prime. He had a blue suit, a briefcase in one hand, and, clearly, a wig meant to hide either graying or balding. The man's face was adorned with a wide smile.

The whole delegation straightened their backs in reflex. This unimposing man might've been mistaken for some lawyer or salesman to others, but they knew him as Mr. Maitre, a millionaire, politician, and one of the three investors Kir'ador was about to work with on the documentary. Maitre politely greeted the guests and wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief, panting a little.

"Can you believe it? We're in the most important building in San Francisco, but even here we can't escape the breaking elevators," he said with a jest and walked right to the main table. "I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting. But, as you can understand, this was neither side's fault. Force majeures happen, but I'm sure those textians, or however they call themselves, will soon feel the consequences."

"Some of them already did," Leo said with a giggle, closing the laptop.

Mr. Maitre looked up to see the two naked girls standing right in front of his workplace and said something in French, clearly enjoying the view. Leo winked at Araman and puffed out her chest in a newfound boost of confidence. Even this fat cat wasn't immune to her and Lala's charm.

"Will the other two of our investors not come today?" Araman then asked.

"Unfortunately, since we couldn't meet in time, they've already left. We millionaires are busy people, you know," Maitre chuckled at his own joke. "For now, it's just me. But no worries; I shall give you all the necessary contact information so you can discuss everything with Mr. Gelbstein and Mr. Luxe later."

"Alright, let's go one at a time, shall we?" Leo leaned forward towards the man, letting her large breasts bounce right in front of his face. Lala awkwardly followed her lady, forcing a wide smile that looked more creepy and demented than alluring.

"Of course. Please have a seat," he seemed completely unfazed by this showcase of female beauty.

Leo must've misunderstood his previous gesture, then.

"Oh, I'm sorry, not to insult you," Maitre said, noting the blonde's dissatisfaction, "you two are remarkably beautiful women. But, let's not beat around the bush, I'm gay. I can only admire the aesthetic aspect of your forms, which, let me say, is simply stunning! But I do apologize in advance if my reaction to you isn't what you came to expect from our men."

Araman grinned--for the first time since their journey began--when he saw Leo pout as she realized her magic won't work this time. It looked like this time, she'll have to play by the rules.

Surprisingly, the negotiation that followed went quite well. Both Leo and Lala came to appreciate their investor's lack of sexual interest since the conversation with him flowed very naturally, reminding them of how Sanflarian males who saw naked women all the time would treat them--like women who were beautiful, but not out of the ordinary. The bodyguard was especially happy about that, though still dreading the thought of walking back through the entire tower and exposing herself to its numerous workers.

Overall, Mr. Maitre seemed already interested in the idea of a Sanflarian documentary, so the delegates didn't have to do much convincing. Instead, Leo and Araman focused more on the series' general direction and points they were trying to make. Arnold was surprised at how well the two coordinated their opinions despite them being different. Even if they had some squabbles, they didn't let them overtake their common goal.

The investor liked the approach that'd make people understand the depth of Sanflarian culture and promote tolerance of their traditions to the masses. That way, he said, they could effectively lay the groundwork for future cooperation. He carefully listened to Leo's words about the appeal female nudity could have on Earth and agreed with her.

However, he also urged them to focus on how free and liberated it made Sanflarian women feel, stating that this fell in line with an agenda he was already trying to push and that naked girls didn't need to be emphasized to be appealing. This seemed perfectly reasonable to Leo. She thought she'd have to fight for a possibility to show her female compatriots as personalities rather than just pieces of bare ass, but Maitre suggested it himself. It looked like a win-win situation, at least at the moment.

When they walked out into the main building's hallway system, with Leo proudly walking first and Lala nervously stepping beside her with an unhealthy smile on her lips, Arnold took the countess by the hand and whispered:

"Listen, I... I just wanted to say that I wouldn't put my full trust in him. Mr. Maitre is a political heavyweight, and they always seem to find ways to, y'know..."

"No worries, my fellow warrior, I understand," Leo replied. "Don't you underestimate us just because we're not of this world. Both Araman and I are very careful with what we say and what we hear from these moneymakers. For now, though, we'll have to work with Maitre the best we can while looking for contact his two friends. Then we'll think about our general strategy regarding this trio."

It didn't take long for the delegation to establish contact with Mr. Gelbstein. He called himself while they were driving back to the hotel, albeit indirectly, through his clearly underslept assistant. Her tired, monotonous voice rang out through the van's speakerphones as she relayed what her boss told her:

"Mr. Gelbstein is very sorry about what you had to endure. However, he couldn't skip his next meeting and couldn't wait until your issues were resolved," she said with a surprisingly stern tone. "That said, he is still interested in financing the documentary you're planning to make. Considering he has the largest capital out of the group, his investment will be quite noticeable. However, he'll only take part in this deal under one condition."

"And that is..?" Leo, being honest and direct, couldn't stand such long preambles.

"It must be profitable."

The delegates looked at each other in confusion. A second ago, they expected an obscure demand like making it only in certain locations or including an endorsement of that man's company, but this was so simple it threw them off a little.

"We hope it will be, as Sanflarian culture receives peak interest from the general public right now, owing to the Interworld Cooperation Act of 2025," Araman said in response.

"Unfortunately, hoping is not enough. You see, Mr. Gelbstein never worked with Sanflarians before, and the lack of previous media with your involvement makes it impossible to..." she stopped to yawn and kept reading her prepared statement, "impossible to predict the commercial value of this venture. Especially with the social backlash such as one you've encountered today from the so-called Textilians."

It took the Sanflarians a minute to decipher that corporate speak, but Leo understood what she meant by pure instinct and began speaking first:

"Alright, we understand that being a millionaire requires you to care about money. But did Mr. Gelbstein think about the opportunity to expand the Earth's understanding of Sanflaria? To be one of the first people associated with the new age of interworld communication? To do other great things, all of your shareholder people seem to like so much? We had a lot of offers, you know, including from your government. Though that one turned out to have too many strings attached, there are still options to choose from."

Mr. Gelbstein's assistant sighed, unsure of how to deal with this resistance.

"Listen, I understand that you're serious people, and my boss wants to work with you. He just wants to be sure it'll suit him. If you can find any proof that people are willing to pay for Sanflarian culture and not just read about it online for free, we've got the deal."

They argued a bit more, but soon it became clear to both Araman and Leo that keeping Gelbstein in the deal was worth more than letting him get out, so they grudgingly agreed. The countess would've probably ended up breaking the speaker and challenging Gelbstein to a duel if she had been by herself, but her cool-headed partner convinced her to use a softer approach. Though it did make her a little mad, she was still thankful to Araman for preventing her from losing her head.

"Well, it looks like your charms were countered again, my lady," Arnold jested. "Not only was that assistant a woman, but she also couldn't see any of you through that speaker! W-what? Don't look at me like that. I just mean that you should be ready for things like that and not let them get to you, is all!"

"Who said anything about that getting to me?" Leo raised her eyebrow with a smirk. "Laugh while you can, boy. The last of the three will surely fall victim to my allure!"

Arnold simply nodded, realizing Leo will win this argument through her attitude.

"What, you want to make this a bet? I'm ready!"

"A bet?"

"Yes, a bet. If the last guy falls to my feminine charm, you'll have to... um, let's see."

She fell silent for a second, then clicked her fingers so loudly Arnold jumped in his seat.

"You'll have to convince a girl to strip naked in public! A complete stranger from your own world, mind you."

The agent felt his cheek become rosy and his hand begin to tremble as soon as he imagined this scenario. Him walking on a street and asking a random beautiful girl to strip for him? That'd probably end up with him getting called a pervert, embarrassing himself, and possibly wanted by the police. Still, there was something in Leo's eyes, a hidden challenge that didn't let Arnold back down so easily.

"And if you lose?" he suddenly exclaimed, causing the countess' grin to become even wider.

"Choose whatever punishment you deem necessary!"

"Any restrictions?"

"Try me!" she asked, glaring at him with mystery in her eyes.

Suddenly, Arnold felt a lack of words. Leo's smug look made him want to ask for something equally humiliating for the girl, something that'd make her blush just like he did a second ago. But what could it be with such a shameless, fearless amazon? One would naturally think about sex, but it felt kind of cheap and, surprisingly, didn't seem that enticing compared to what Leo was already doing in front of him. So Arnold buried deep into his perverted fantasies and fetishes, fishing out the spiciest public stunt he could've thought of. Within the realm of possibility, of course.

However, when he whispered it to Leo, she simply laughed at the suggestion.

"Walk me on a leash like I'm your pet? Okay, okay, you're not so simple as I thought you were," the blonde whispered back and bit her lip in excitement. "Alright, have it your way. I'll even act like a doggie as much as you'll like if you win this one."

With that, they shook hands, both anxious and eager to see where this impulsive decision would lead them.