Yara |18+|

04

VICO

"Haven't seen an ass like that in a long time," the man next to me mumbled around the cigar in the corner of his mouth, his eyes focused on the deck of cards he was attempting to shuffle. I watched him, quickly feeling myself grow irritated by how clumsy he was.

"I know," another man Carson said, his eyes lingering on the door Emily had just closed behind her.

My irritation spiked at his words. A meeting with my distributors meant an hour of enduring their comments on every single woman who came and went. 

Usually it just annoyed me but that particular night, I felt an uneasy amount of impatience spark through me. I breathed in, glancing down at my watch to find that I had another half an hour before my meeting ended. Just my luck.

I shifted in my seat, feeling my gun move with me in the inner pocket of my jacket. If they didn't stop, I'd have no other choice but to make their teeth catch my bullets. I ran my tongue over lips, considering my options.

"En fin," I said, catching the attention of everyone around the table. "I think we're done here."

"Done?" Carson repeated, his face shocked. "We just started."

"We just started," another man said, repeating exactly what Carson had said and I gave him a look of disinterest.

There was no way in hell I was going to sit there and pretend that I liked their faces or their company. Sitting up, I tossed a few notes onto the table. A tip for Emily having to deal with a drunken mess for the rest of the night.

I wondered about the dark haired woman. Who is she? I could tell that she was new, but there was something far more interesting about her except the fact that she was a new employee. Not thinking about it, I sat up and ignored the echo of complaints trailing behind me.

"Vico!" JR, my distributor, yelled. "We don't know where our next shipment is going. FEDs are up our ass and—"

"Figure that shit out," I said, trying to think twice about the tone of his voice. "Or don't. But have my money by Monday, yes?"

Noticeably sulking, a chorus of yes boss went around the room. I gave a smile, but I was miles away from being humoured.

If I had it my way, I'd never attend a mind-numbing meeting ever again. I stopped in my tracks. I am the boss and I can have it my way. Shaking my head at myself, I thought about all the other things I could be doing with my time.

It had been a while since I had a night to myself, and it had been an even longer while since I forgot about the amount of stress weighing on me. JR was right. The amount of lawyers trying to pin whatever they could get on us was never-ending. But money made the world go round and there wasn't a thing it couldn't buy.

I stepped out in the hallway, and I was hit with the smell of mixed perfume and alcohol while strobe lights slammed into my face from every corner of the club.

I cussed under my breath, feeling my phone vibrate. Reaching for my pocket, I grabbed it and frowned trying to read the name. Kortez. My second in command. He usually only called me if he was dying, or someone else was.

Looking around for my way out, I scowled at the amount of people everywhere. Seeing an exit sign close by, I aimed directly for it. I hated having meetings in a club I didn't own for that very reason. The unfamiliarity of it all. Which was stupid of me, in the first place. What was I thinking? I wasn't.

Pushing the door, I felt the cool and fresh air on my face immediately. I filled my lungs and exhaled, answering Kortez call while I gazed around. Trashcan and brick walls. Not much to look at but it was better being in a cloudy room that smelled like an ass that's been sitting in a hot room the entire day.