LENORA

 

After spending the night with Charles, I was on a high I couldn’t ever remember feeling. Nothing could bring me down. When Blade called me in to see him, I had to force myself to stop grinning at the thought of being with Charles.

I sat in Blade’s office and stared out the window. I was counting the seconds until I could finally leave.

Blade seemed intent on making me wait as long as he could. He conducted business on his phone. He kept his eyes locked on his computer monitor. But even though he wasn’t looking at me, it still felt like he was watching over me.

I was staring at the ground when he finally acknowledged me.

“Do you have something for me?”

I gave him a nod and reached into my bag. I hadn’t worked for a few days but the payment Charles gave me was enough for me to fake like I had.

Blade uncrumpled the cash I gave him and looked down his nose at me like he always did.

“It’s good to see you again. How have you been?”

“Fine,” I said with a shrug.

“How’s business treating you?”

“Business is treating me… fine… Just fine…”

“Yes, I’ll bet it is.”

I shifted my eyes away from his focused gaze, trying my best not to stare back at him. Blade always looked intense even when he was relaxed. I never felt completely comfortable around him even though I’d known him for so long. His demeanor had grown more intimidating over the years.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to spend time with you,” he said. “With the business ramping up, things are getting quite busy around here.”

“That’s all right. I understand.”

“We should get breakfast. Or maybe lunch. I have to admit, I miss watching you stuff those pancakes between your cheeks.”

I faked a smile as he smirked at me.

This’ll all be over soon…

I felt like I was in the principal’s office. I clenched my jaw, just waiting for him to let me go on my way.

But Blade wasn’t in a hurry.

He calmly got out of his seat and straightened his tie. His hands behind his back, he walked over to the side of his office and looked out the window. It was the middle of the day, so the view of the city was as clear as it could be.

“It’s only been a few days but it feels like so much longer since we spoke,” he said. “Don’t you feel that way?”

“I suppose…”

“I wish we could discuss this over some food but my office is as good a place as any.”

He slowly spun on his heel. He raised his eyebrows at me as if waiting for me to say something.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” he said.

I shifted my eyes left and right, not looking him in the eye as I shrugged.

“Not really.”

“I see…”

He took a step toward me. He appeared calm but there was something else. There was a look in his eye.

“Tell me, Asia… I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”

“What is it?”

“What do you know about Charles Lawrence?”

I thought I’d misheard him.

I tried to hold back my surprise but it was too late. Just a single blink was enough to let Blade know he’d caught me off guard.

“What?” I said.

“Charles Lawrence. Char, I think his patch says…”

“I don’t—”

“Please, Asia. You’re my favorite girl. I give you your space but I have people in this town. You can’t hide from me. I already know.”

“Yeah…”

I sighed softly to myself.

If Blade wasn’t watching me, he had someone else doing it for him. It was part of the ‘protection’ he provided all of the girls who worked for him.

He moved closer to me and sat on the edge of his desk.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“What’s there to tell? He’s just a customer.”

“He must be a special customer if you’re spending so much time with him.”

“He’s from out of town. He just needs some company. I cut him a deal and he took it. Listen, I’ll make a lot more money from him than trying to get as many guys as possible—”

“It’s all right… It’s all right… There’s no need to worry about the money.”

Blade got up from his desk and started pacing back toward his window.

“The motorcycle clubs are a blight on this town,” he said. “Bikers riding around the streets, acting like they own the place. This Charles… He’s from out of town but he’s no different.”

I stared off into the distance, sitting patiently in my seat as Blade kept talking.

“He’s a dangerous man. He came here specifically to target Jamie Walsh, one of the men I was supposed to be working with. Do you know anything about this?”

I swallowed anxiously and shook my head.

“No, of course you don’t,” Blade continued. “Why would you?”

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“I’m telling you because I’m concerned for you. Spending too much time around him can put you in a good amount of danger.”

“I appreciate your concern. But I think I know him well enough. I don’t have any reason to think he’d do anything to me.”

“We’ll see about that. I imagine Lawrence will be leaving Ivory very soon.”

I blinked my eyes in confusion.

“W-what do you mean?” I said.

“He came here to deal with Jamie Walsh. And now Jamie Walsh is dead.”

I couldn’t hold back my surprise.

“W-what?”

“The police found his body this morning. The young man never had a chance. It’s a shame, too. He was a young go-getter. He would’ve been a tremendous asset to me.”

I didn’t look at Blade. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around what he just told me.

Charles…

“Are you sure?” I said. “Are you sure Walsh is dead?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m the one who had him killed.”

“W-what?”

I closed my eyes. My mouth hung open. My words got caught in my throat. When I opened my eyes again, Blade was back sitting on the edge of his desk in front of me with a sly smile on his lips.

“Why—”

“I did it for you. I had to eliminate Walsh for you.”

“For me?”

“I told you. Lawrence is a dangerous man. He came here for Walsh. I couldn’t do business with someone like Walsh when a trained killer like Lawrence is looking for him. Walsh is taken care of. Now Lawrence will leave Ivory. Things will go back to normal.”

“But Charles… The police know he had a vendetta against Walsh. They’ll do anything to pin this on him.”

“There’s no evidence that will link him to the killing. Lawrence has no further business in Ivory.”

I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe everything Blade just told me. I wanted him to tell me he was joking. But I knew him long enough to know that he was fully capable of something like this.

“Do you want to know the truth?” he said. “The truth is I got a little jealous. You don’t have any regulars. All of your clients bend you over then go on their way. But this Lawrence fellow… I can’t have him spending so much time with my favorite girl. When customers get too comfortable with the merchandise, they start to pretend like it’s theirs.”

Blade walked up to me and put his hand on my chin. He turned my head up and forced me to look at him.

“I want you to know that I care about you, Asia. Just because I don’t bend you over my desk or make you suck my dick like I used to doesn’t mean I don’t love you. You’ll always be my favorite girl.”

I wanted to do something but I knew I couldn’t. Blade might have seemed reserved but he could snap at any moment.

“I promise we’ll spend more time together soon,” he said. “I think this weekend sounds like a good chance for the both of us. You can satisfy my clients like I know you can and I’ll secure my business deals with them. With manufacturing and distribution finalized, we’ll both have reason to celebrate.”

He trailed his hand along my cheek and gently pushed his thumb between my lips.

“You always were the best cocksucker in Ivory…”

He smirked then pulled his hand away from me. I sat there, still stunned at everything he’d told me. Blade made his way back to his desk and got back on his phone like nothing was out of the ordinary.

He didn’t have to say anything more. Just a quick glance was enough to tell me he was done with me.

I walked out of his office as quickly as I could. I pulled my phone out and called Charles.

No response.

I sent him multiple texts to ask him where he was.

No response.

A nervousness began building in the pit of my stomach.

I took a cab back to my apartment, my mind focused on everything that Blade just told me. I managed to get to my apartment and still hadn’t gotten a response.

I clutched my phone in my hand and stared out of my window, desperately waiting for him to tell me that he was all right.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. My heart jumped into my throat.

I looked down expecting Charles to tell me he was all right. But it was someone else’s number calling me.

I put the phone to my ear and answered it. I didn’t even bother saying hello. I only said the first thing that came to my mind.

“Charles is innocent.”

“And I suppose you can prove it?”

“I can.”

“It’s not safe to meet. I’ll contact you when it is.”

I heard a dial tone before I could respond.

I sank into the cushion of my seat, my eyes closed and my hand clutching my phone.

“Shit…”

Blade told me killing Walsh would put everything back to normal. But for me, things just got more complicated.