I make my way to the curb out front, where my Jeep is waiting for me. Adrik is constantly suggesting I use a driver, like Stanislav and Budimir had done, but I refuse every time.
I may be the don now.
But I’m going to do it my way.
It takes me only fifteen minutes to drive from the hotel to my new investment and business venture. It’s a huge plot of land that I bought only four and a half months ago.
The building that stood on the plot was dilapidated to say the least, but with money and manpower, I have transformed it into the night club it is now.
The façade is sleek and simple, almost understates. Then you walk inside and realize just how huge it is. The dancefloor is the central focus, but there’s a separate area for the DJ and a whole section devoted to the bar.
The private rooms are spacious, luxurious, and they’re hidden behind the VIP section.
I hand my car over to the valet and head inside.
The place is quiet when I walk in. Only the staff is present, bustling around as they prepare for opening night.
“Hello, handsome.”
I turn and see Svetlana walking towards me. She looks the part in her figure-hugging gold sheath dress and four-inch heels. The perfect hostess.
“‘Lana,” I greet with a courteous smile.
She kisses me politely on the cheek. “I didn’t expect you here so early.”
“I wanted to make sure everything was ready for the big night.”
“Of course you did,” Svetlana says, rolling her eyes. “The two of you are made for each other.”
I frown. “Is Esme here?”
Svetlana smiles and nods. “She’s in your private rooms right now, changing that little Casanova you have for a son,” she confirms. “She came early to make sure everything was ready for the big night. Sound familiar?.”
My smile gets wider. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Svetlana just winks.
I leave her and walk through the VIP section towards the private rooms, but I veer right from there and keep walking. I hit a black wall that looks like a dead end, but I make a sharp right and find a black door that blends into the wall.
I walk inside and lock the door behind me.
My quarters are meant to function as a meeting area as well as a lounge area. I enter into the office space, and then walk through the trellis partitions to the lounge that I had constructed with Esme and Phoenix in mind.
There are large sofas and recliners in the spacious room. I’ve even had a play space set up for Phoenix. That’s where I find Esme.
She’s got her back to me, as she leans over the cot in the corner, her fingers entwining with Phoenix’s as the two of them coo back and forth at each other.
I stand there silently, admiring the two of them together. Esme looks like a modern-day Aphrodite with her dark hair in smooth waves that fall down to her middle back.
The dress she’s wearing is made of champagne silk, fitted at the bust and held together by a halter neckline that ends in a dramatic side bow. It fans out at the waist, flowing down her soft curves with ease.
“Wow,” I breathe.
She gasps and turns to me with a start. The moment she sees me, her face relaxes and she smiles widely, lifting her skirt a little and twirling around for me.
“You like it?”
The dress’s bodice is worked in the front with tiny seed pearls, and I notice the pearl earrings I’d bought her earlier that month dangling from her ears.