"You know how insignificant he was when I found him? He practically pried the door to my car open to get what I offered. Oh he was so eager to snort coke off my dick then, but now? He thinks he's too good to ANSWER MY CALLS!"
Another gunshot resounded through the room, followed by a dull thud as one of Vox's ex-employees fell to the floor. Blackened blood formed a macabre heart from the pattern of bullets lodged in their chest, before it quickly spilled over and pooled onto the floor. They lay just beside their fellow coworker, whose body had grown cold in the time Valentino took to get to his latest victim. While Vox would normally applaud his stamina in more intimate scenarios, he had long grown tired with his persistent discontent in regards to one of his own employees.
As promised, he had called the most inefficient of his workforce for an impromptu meeting at V Tower's penthouse. They believed they had been summoned for their stellar performance in the recent quarter, and expected to receive compensation for their efforts. Which, in a way, wasn't a lie. It amazed Vox just how much these three in particular dragged his sales down compared to their contemporaries, and he believed they deserved recognition for their ineptitude. It's their fault if they didn't appreciate how he showed it.
However, that supposed they could express any emotions other than the deadpan stare they faced Valentino with as he shot them down one by one. Another technological invention courtesy of VoxTech. All employees are required by contract to be chipped before they accept the position. It helped regulate sleep so they could work 24/7 without breaks, kept their minds clear of unwarranted thoughts, and made them wholly compliant to his will. If he wanted them to jump, they'd jump as high as he desired, and if he wanted them to stand still so Valentino could use them for target practice, it was good for that too.
"Sounds like a real pain in the ass, Val," Vox responded from his laid-back position on the nearby sofa. "Makes you wonder why you keep him on the team."
While he had feigned interest in his business at first, as any good partner should, he dropped all pretenses by this point. Ever since the stupid slut of a spider entered Valentino' life, he had become an unwanted wedge in their relationship. Whether he recognized that or cared, Vox couldn't tell anymore, and his less than subtle insinuations towards that fact had gone clear over his bald head. So he responded only when required, but otherwise passed the time with his third game of solitaire on his internal display.
Valentino dropped his gun arm and cast a look over at Vox, who to him appeared to stare off into space much like the drones he used to blow off steam. His finger curled around the trigger, tempted to aim it at Vox, but he thought better of it and relaxed with a barely-controlled exhale.
"He's still under contract because he is still useful to me. He isn't like one of these," he waved his hand at the remaining body, "drones sin sentido you employ in your division. You can't slap what he has on just anyone and expect it to work. Trust me... I've tried."
Black heels sharply snapped against the linoleum floor as Valentino walked in front of the remaining employee. He cradled his gun in his hands, and admired how the rhinestones that adorned the side glittered his name in the overhead lights.
"Tony is like a clay, and I am his sculptor. He possessed talent, and I shaped it into something meaningful. We've seen that for ourselves. Without me, he was nothing, and if he thinks he can continue to ignore me, he will be nothing again."
Vox paused his digital game and returned his attention to the world around him. It was rare for his partner to display such a level of insight, and he couldn't help but raise a brow. His interest piqued once more, he raised himself up on his elbows and looked at Valentino.
The moth stood just in front of him, yet his eyes never left his gun. His grip on it seemingly tightened, then he threw his arms out to either side.
"I mean I made him a star, god dammit! Where's my fucking respect, huh? If that fucking slut thinks he can blow me off like this, I'm going to make him get on his hands and knees so he can remember how to do it properly. I could film it too, been a while since I starred in one of my own movies."
Vox tuned out his subsequent chuckle and rested back down, disappointed that he even gave him the benefit of doubt. But before he could relaunch his game, he saw Valentino look down at him.
"What do you think, baby? Still got another performance in me?"
Finally, something somewhat unrelated to Angel. Vox smiled and stood up. "Do you really have to ask? Or do I have to play you last night's recording?"
Valentino feigned a shocked gasp. "Voxxy! You didn't tell me you recorded that!"
While he appeared bashful, the look he gave Vox as he approached was anything but. So when the media mogul extended a hand, Valentino gladly accepted it with one of his own, before he got pulled into his embrace.
"I record everything, Val, you know that. Don't want to forget a single moment of our time together. I even have a server dedicated to you."
He raised his other hand to cup his cheek and the moth happily rested his head against it. A blush rose to his cheeks that made Vox's heart skip a beat. For as much as he would openly express his disinterest in his affairs, he could never lose his fixation with this man. He reserved a spot within him beyond that of his hard drive space.
These moments where there was no one else but them, where they held each other in equal captivation, were most serene. But, unfortunately for Vox, they never lasted long.
"Well, if I'm that good, perhaps I could do something with Angel-"
Vox flinched at the name. No, he wouldn't allow it this time. "Or," Vox grinned back at Valentino, "how about we go out? I'll treat you to something nice, then after that we make something of our own?"
Valentino bit his lip at the idea and shifted in place. Behind his heart-shaped lenses, he looked down between him and Vox. The televsion demon followed his gaze, and from the corner of his eye he saw he held a phone in one of his lower hands. He quickly looked back at Valentino before he realized, and the lustful sinner subsequently pocketed the device.
"Well, since my Angel doesn't seem to be answering my calls, I wouldn't mind going out. Been a while since that's happened too."
Although Valentino held no malice behind the observation, it grated on Vox nonetheless. He didn't let that show on his face, however, as he shifted his hands down to Valentino's waist. Then he reached back and stroked the inside of his wings, taking delight in how he shivered and moaned softly.
"Let's see if we can fix that, shall we?" He asked cockily.
When he glanced up at him, the moth held a hand over his mouth as if to block the sounds that fell from his lips. Vox didn't stop his touches until he had been left visibly shaken, at which point he replaced his hands on Valentino's hips. The moth released a breath he had held as he dropped his hand to join another on Vox's shoulders. He let them hang loosely while his lower hands similarly took Vox's sides to reflect how he positioned his hands on his body.
"You're such a tease," Valentino squeaked, which elicited a chuckle from Vox.
"Only cause I know you love it. Now, before we head out, you mind closing business for today?"
Valentino gave a confused hum and raised a brow, to which Vox subtlely tilted his head towards the employee who blankly watched their exchange unfold. He followed his gesture, then gave a soft noise of understanding; as if he had been reminded about neglected housework. Then he unceremoniously lifted his gun again and fired it once directly into the man's head.
Rather than form the same, beautiful heart pattern that the bullets made as they spread out from the gun, their impact caused his head to explode into a fine, black mist. He flew back as if hit by a car and toppled to the ground only a few feet away from the other two. Blood spilled quickly over the tiles and formed a thick puddle around the corpse. With that, their meeting had concluded.
As Valentino pocketed his gun, satisfied, and took a delighted Vox's hand, the twin doors that led into the room burst open.
"Aight, what the fuck is goin' on? When I heard the first gunshot I thought Valentino finally put one in ya, Vox. After the second, I thought he did 'imself in. So you mind tellin' me-"
Before she could rant any more, Velvette walked in far enough to see the small staging area where Vox had set up his veritable range for Valentino to use. The sight of those three bodies on the floor barely registered in her eyes. What caught her attention, however, was where they had been positioned.
"Oi, oi!" She snapped her fingers with an incredulous look and pointed at the corpse closest to her. "What the bloody hell were you thinkin' doin' this here? You see how close you are to the carpet?"
While the both of them looked down, Vox subsequentlu raised his head and flippantly hand-waved away her concern.
"Relax, Vel, their blood won't even be able to reach the carpet, I made sure to position them accordingly to avoid that."
"You better hope so, Vox, otherwise you're payin' to replace it, and not for cheap neither." She shook her head, then pulled out her phone and pointed its camera at the pile of bodies. "I assume the pissbaby is satisfied now?"
Valentino scowled at her. "What the fuck did you call me, puta?"
Vox raised a hand in front of his face and stopped him before he got riled up again. "He will be, later."
The insinuation caused Valentino to stammer and he turned his head away with a blush. His wings quivered behind his back.
Velvette grimaced as she tapped a new post into her socials about Valentino's latest temper tantrum. "I didn't need to hear that. Just as long as he won't shoot another one of my damn employees, it doesn't matter how he's feelin'."
Before Valentino could provide a rebuttal, Velvette turned on her heel and walked back to the doors. "Speaking of, gotta head back and clean up those messes 'fore they get any ideas to trudge around their disaster pieces in public. Later, V and V."
Vox and Valentino reciprocated with a similar, "Later, V," as she pushed through the doors and left them alone once more. Vox could tell the conversation only helped to undo some of the progress he made with him. His hands felt tense in his grasp, and he practically heard the wind that exhaled from his flared nostrils. And he didn't have to ask to know that he had thoughts to take up arms and blow off steam in a more personal way with a certain arachnid.
Fortunately he had him to rely on. He gave his hand a gentle squeeze and reminded him, "So, how does dinner sound?"
Valentino took a long breath through his nose, then sighed. "Sounds perfecto, my love."
Vox gave a self-satisfied chortle, then pulled Valentino down to his level. He placed a peck on his cheek that made the moth's eyes widen, before he let him stand back up to full height. A soft smile came over the moth's features, then he wrapped his arms around Vox's slim bicep. The magnate led them out in a close embrace, which left the carnage behind them to be disposed of by the tower's internal systems.
By the time they came back the floors would be clean, the corpses incinerated, and they'd be halfway into Valentino's room for their newest shoot. All in all, a very productive meeting.
