as out of it as two of our companions.
One of the Haitian guys who could have been a dead-ringer for Gary Dourdan stood and walked our way. His irises were a hypnotic gray with green crescents surrounding his pupils.
“You want to introduce the newest member of your crew, Finn?” he inquired without a hint of an accent other than pure New Yorker.
“This is Evie, my girlfriend,” he replied in a non-committal tone.
Um, since when did we begin dating again let alone become a steady item? It was news to me but my cheeks burned with pride and my whole body below my waist went all tingly and lit up with a feeling of pure pleasure.
We hadn’t even been in one another’s company for more than a few days, and already, I found it difficult to stay away from this man. He was definitely making it hard for me to wait. As satisfying as my relationship with Amaani had been, I realized I needed a real hard-core cock. Toys were nice and fun but they couldn’t replace a flesh and blood man.
“Nice to meet you, Evie. My name’s Richard but everyone calls me Richie. I’ve been dealing with your boyfriend, Brandon, and Dylan for a while now. They supply a great deal of needed…stimulators for my club-goers. I came from nothin’ so we have that in common. I have built myself an empire so large yet inconspicuous, it would make Tony Montana proud.”
He walked back over to the table and sat down before he sipped on his cognac. “Of course, I have learned a few lessons from my heroes. From New Jack City , I learned if you only narrow down one place to buy the product, it makes it easier to avoid run-ins with Five-Oh, especially if you have a few powerful ones on the payroll. From Scarface , I learned to never get high on my own supply. I don’t use drugs and never have.
“I have nothing against those that do but I believe there is a time and a place. When you are doing a drop, all parties should be drug-free. It’s obvious three out of the five of you have followed this rule but…Dylan, Fiona…why don’t you accompany my girls downstairs. They’ll get you set up in a booth—all nice and comfy…”
I watched as his gray eyes followed his two blonde companions who led my cousins off. He pretty much swirled the cognac around his glass until they were gone.
My heart beat faster as I followed the eye-play between Finn and Brandon. Richard stood again and walked over to me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Finn’s fingers flex, and knew this wasn’t a good sign but Brandon moved quietly to his side, and whispered something in his ear to calm him down.
“You look familiar…you see, I never forget a face and I know I have seen you before so why don’t you fill me in on who you are…rich girl?”
I stared into the Richard’s gray eyes. “My mother is kind of famous. She’s an actress but I’m not here on some kind of power play. Finn really is my boyfriend, and my life is all fucked up. It isn’t as glamorous as you think. I don’t get along with my mom, and I don’t know my dad all that well. Let’s just say I am much more comfortable where I am now than I ever was in L.A.”
He laughed though there was no mocking or judgment in the expression from him. “I can take one look into those hard blue eyes of yours, and know life hasn’t been easy for you. You’re damaged goods, girl, but Finn always has been good at the tough cases. I can see why he wants to protect you. You can take care of yourself—no doubt about that—but there is some part of you that has been hurt…and you’re incredibly vulnerable.”
Richard touched my chin and lifted my face higher until our eyes locked. “I look forward to seeing you again.”
He let me go and walked over to Finn and Brandon. “This has now become a two man operation. I don’t mind Evie comin’ but Fiona and Dylan have to go. I won’t deal with people who are out of it. People who are intoxicated beyond legal limits or high have itchy trigger fingers. I
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes