There was no malice or volume to the words, just confidence. If you hadn’t been standing next to him at the bar you wouldn’t have even heard him. He was propped against the marble and cedar, his thick thighs straining against the pants of the well-tailored suit. It was dark, as were his eyes, but even in the dim light of the lounge you could tell it was expensive and custom made for his frame. That tall, massive, and sturdy frame. Your mouth felt dry suddenly and you wished the bartender would hurry up with your drink.
“I’ll make an exception this time. Bring me my money and bring it now.”
This time you heard the bite to his voice. Beneath the beautiful accent that made you tingle a little more than you cared to admit, you could hear what could only be described as a controlled growl. The bartender, one that seemed to be there expressly for his service, gulped and disappeared into a door marked Employees Only. The man, the cowl of anger now dissipated, rotated until his lower back rested against the bar rail, his hand wrapped around a tumbler of amber liquid. He took a sip and the scowl returned. Before you had a chance to draw another breath, the glass in his hand shattered against the bank of liquors neatly arranged behind him. He roared a name, one you couldn’t quite make out through his rage, and the shaky bartender reappeared as pale as a ghost.
“I specifically asked for a double shot of Suntory Hibiki 17 year. This is not that.”
The heavy leather envelope in the shaken man’s hands bulged in his grip. It looked as if he couldn’t lift his eyes, looked as if he was blinded with fear. “We…sir…it is no longer in stock.”
The laughter pushing between a set of beautiful lips was sinister. The calm confidence was back in his voice when he spoke. “I find that to be humorous. Now, I’m sure we both recall when I last visited this hell hole, I ordered a case to be here for my demands and needs. Is that not how our last encounter went, Charles?”
You couldn’t keep your eyes off of the thick digits tapping the cool marble. They were elegant, well-manicured, and made your mouth water. The bark of his voice snapped you back to the present.
“Answer me!”
“You are correct, Mr. Adebayo. It would appear that some of the other staff may have taken it upon themselves to sell it to the general public.” His gaze still hadn’t lifted.
“If my math is correct? $700 per bottle at six bottles per case. You now owe me an additional $4,200.”
He beckoned with his fingers and the oxblood leather envelope was dwarfed in his palm. “This is all of it?”
He tossed it to a figure behind him, a bulky man with gold slugs and a headful of neatly braided locs. “Count it. If it’s short? I’m taking my pound of flesh and we both know that’s not a figure of speech.”
You felt rooted in place, the drink in front of you now warming amid the quiet chaos of the room. People tried to pretend as if they were not entranced by the power and danger radiating off the man standing next to you.
“Charles, you know I’m very possessive when it comes to things that belong to me.”
You knew his gaze had landed on you when heat spiked in your skin. You met his eyes briefly and saw a measure of desire that you’d never experienced. He stepped closer to you, bringing the spice of his cologne and bass of his voice with him. One finger glided down your bare arm.
“For example, if this beautiful creature here belonged to me and you dared breathe in her direction? I’d have you scalped. What belongs to me belongs to me no matter how small or large. Do we have an understanding?”
Mr. Adebayo, as you’d heard him called, let his finger travel in the opposite direction against your forearm. From behind him you heard the equally calm voice of his right-hand man tell him the count was correct.
“Sir, can we make an arrangement for the additional funds? A week to gather it perhaps?”
His attention shifted. It was as if a light dimmed in his eyes. “When have you ever known me to cut deals that do not benefit me? You have until the end of the night. Leave it with her. I’ll be back by closing.”
You opened your mouth to protest. He quieted you with a look. “I want to see you here. You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?”
A quick glance over his shoulder let you see the henchmen shake his head in the negative. You relented.
“Good. I’ll see you at 2:00am, beautiful. Give her anything and everything she wants.” And like that he was gone.
JackburtonSays 