All I Need

Chapter 1 - No Innocents

Elias

Drinking was one of the habits I learned from my brother Daniel.

I walked over to the alcohol cabinet in my office and took a look inside. Did I want Jack Daniel's or Crown Royal? Jack Daniel's. You could never go wrong with a classic. Grabbing the bottle and a glass, I sat down at my desk.

Watching as the copper-colored liquid filled my glass, I thought to myself. I did this every night. I drank alone like a sad divorced man, which was extremely depressing. Maybe I just needed some company. Yes, that was exactly what I needed. So I picked up the phone and called my best friend.

"Alex, can you come to my office?"

"Sure thing boss, see you soon."

Alexander Villarreal. I told him countless times that he didn't have to call me boss, yet he insisted. He said it was just 'polite' because he was my employee, but I found it quite unnecessary.

I've known Alex since I was fourteen. We went to the same high school and became friends pretty quickly. I was the loner, while he was the popular outgoing guy, the kind that everyone wanted to know. Our dynamic worked pretty well considering, six years later he was still around.

It took a long time before I could open up about the family and our business. I was afraid he would be inclined to disown me, but it turned out to be the opposite. After some strong convincing, my father actually let him work for us.

My office door swung open, and Alexander's tall figure came into view. Dark red curly hair was tousled around on the top of his head. Along with his soft brown eyes, tan skin, and a sculpted jaw. He was a handsome guy. Girls would trample over each other just to have a chance with him, something we didn't have in common.

He took a seat in the chair on the other side of my desk while I stood up and retrieved another glass for him. "Whisky? How could I say no to that?"

I smiled, pouring the whisky and handing it to him. I returned to my seat and sipped my own. "How's business today?"

"Lento..." Alex replied, gulping back his drink a lot faster than myself. "Solo unas pocas personas."

(slow, just a few people)

While I was fully Spanish, Alexander was only half. His mother was black, and his dad was Spanish. He didn't learn to speak until he was sixteen, when his parents died, forcing him to move in with his grandmother. She was the one who taught him everything.

My mother taught Daniel and I when we were kids. Since my father refused to do it, she stepped in. A sad feeling came over me when I thought of my family. I didn't miss Jason, but I missed Daniel. It had been hard to accept that it was just me and my mother left.

Before my mind could run any longer, the phone on my desk rang. I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Elias, we have a problem." Rachel's voice spoke, sounding a little nervous.

"What is it?"

"There's a lady down here..."

"So?"

"She's not here to do any kind of business. She says she just wants a room for a couple of nights."

A random lady? Here? Want's a room?

Hotel Torres, my hotel, was not a place for random ladies to come and stay a couple of nights. We had two strict rules that we always followed, no matter what.

Number one: No innocents.

Number two: No client is to interact with employees.

Referring back to number one, this lady counted as an innocent. Meaning, she was not here to do any kind of illegal activities, which was the sole purpose of this hotel.