“Can I think about it? I just… well, you know how important my bookkeeping certificate is to me, Mel. In fact, it’s everything to me.”
Surely, she can understand that.
And she does.
“Of course. I was just thinking it would be nice to see you,” she says in a quiet voice. “Things here are… hard. Ya know?”
God help my dear friend. I know how things are for her. And my heart is breaking. Life has taken the wind out of her sails, and it isn’t fair. It makes me so angry. And sad.
Which is why I won’t let it happen to me.
* * *
CHAPTERTEN
MAX
Christ almighty.
So that’s what she looks like out of costume.
Lu joins the guys and me in the member lounge. We grab our usual corner seats, private enough for most kinds of conversations, but public enough to be seen. Which is important to us.
We know most everyone in the club. Some people we like and some we don’t. We do business with a lot of the members, and from time-to-time issues crop up, like they do in any business dealing. Though it rarely happens, it’s important for people to know not to fuck with us, because the way we resolve things is legendary. Sometimes we’re nice, sometimes we’re not. It comes with the territory.
I wave across the room at some of the guys from another syndicate, the Russian one that we’re friendly with. They’re decent men, and we’ve partnered on several… projects. I make a mental note to send them a bottle of scotch. See if they’ll drink something other than vodka for a change.
Yeah, right.
And I turn my attention back to our lovely guest.
She’s wearing a mid-thigh dress with a ruffled bottom swinging nicely around her long, toned legs as she crosses the room to us. Cute little platform shoes show off her red pedicure, and her luscious lips are coated in some glossy pink stuff, like icing on a cake.
One that I’d like to have a taste of. But there will be time for that, later.
Greyson, Rowan, and I want to have a little chat with her. Get to know her better. Find out what makes her tick, although we already know what makes her come, that’s for damn sure. I have a feeling we have a new favorite girl, although the jury is still out. Rowan’s the one holding us back. He’s always the one holding us back.
The bottom line is that he’s an asshole.
No one is ever good enough for him.
He’s a successful, good-looking-enough guy, but hell if he doesn’t have a major chip on his shoulder. Something to do with watching his dad get offed when he was a kid. He’s told me the story a couple times over the years, but I have to say, it’s so disturbing I do my best to forget it. Some shit I just don’t need swirling around in my head. We all have our crosses to bear, but his is truly disturbing.
I will say, our business dealings have us doing some fucked up shit. We’ve had to off enemies on occasion over the years. But not in front of their goddamn kids. That’s some seriously sick shit.
So while Rowan makes up his mind, I know what I want. I have for a long time.
I’ve resolved myself to a life spent with women whom I pay for companionship. Not that I don’t have beautiful women interested in and sometimes throwing themselves at me. After all, I’m not a bad-looking guy, and I’ve got a fuck ton of money.
But the women I attract are not the ones I want to wake up next to on a long-term basis. Sure, they’re beautiful and they fuck like champs, but I want a woman who’s not looking for a walking wallet.
Unfortunately, women like that don’t usually go for guys like me. Last woman I dated—I mean, really dated—hit the road when I told her what I did for a living. I wasn’t going to fucking lie about it. Couldn’t blame her, really. It’s all good, though. When it comes down to it, I don’t really give a fuck.
So, Greyson and I are still working on Rowan, who’s basically being a prick by saying Lu was a goddamn virgin or something until he had his session with her the other day.
He’s crazy. Gwen would never hire a virgin for the club. It’s just not done. If Lu got some blood on him, it was probably her period, or he just fucked her too hard.
Something I would not put past him.