~ One ~
Not every man can say that they have had as many women as I have in the span of a year. Some would call me a man whore. As for me, I only saw myself as a man with certain needs. So, taking that little minx in the elevator was no more than an appetizer. I guess coming near death changed the way I thought about life, and thanks to the decision I made that I couldn’t take back, I am alive and well.
I hadn’t planned on taking her to my place. I ran into her at Direction 96, which had become not only my hunting ground the past year, but also my pride and joy. There was no way I could pass up the opportunity to have a piece of her, especially the way her sexy legs looked in her five-inch stiletto heels.
Normally, I would have asked her to leave before dawn, but she was a fun girl and our romp in the hay lasted way past that. It didn’t come as a surprise that when I requested she leave once I got my fill, my right cheek was met with her right hand. I so enjoyed the spicy ones.
Waiting until she left, I poured a cup of coffee, looked at the time, and waited to hear from my nemesis, who was also my savior. While thinking back on my evening, my cell began to ring, letting me know that it could only be one person. Right on time, as usual. I swiped the screen, and before I could answer, the authority in his voice sounded. “Meet me in an hour. Our usual spot.”
Before I could ask him what it was about, he hung up. It really didn’t matter, because I was pretty certain it was about another job he needed me to take care of. Colin Gates always liked to leave people hanging, but I knew he would tell me soon enough. I will never forget the first job I did for him. It had been the worst day of my life, but I soon learned to accept my destiny. I would forever be his little minion because of my selfish desire to live.
Placing my empty coffee cup in the sink, I headed to my bedroom to change into my workout attire before heading to my own personal gym. I had an hour, which meant that I could get in a short but intense workout before having to get ready. God, how I loved this room with a 180-degree view of the city. Who wouldn’t? Walking over to my $5000 Bose sound system, the adrenaline began to flow as I turned up the volume. Pumping a few reps of 80-pound curls, I could already feel the burn in my biceps as I looked to the mirrored wall, admiring the veins in my forearms as they began to fill will blood. No drug could ever take the place of the high I got seeing that my hard work was paying off.
~*~*~*~
“You’re late,” Colin spat as he stood before me in his three-piece suit that probably cost more than what it took to feed a Third World country.
When he handed me a manila envelope, I opened it and briefly looked at the contents inside. It was always the same: pictures, profiles, and location information. Tucking the information under my arm, I looked to Colin and asked, “How long?
“One week,” he stated firmly. “And, London, this time no hiccups.”
Heading back to my Jag, I opened the door and threw the envelope on the passenger seat. I wasn’t happy about having only a week to do this job for Colin, but at 50k, who was I to argue? Shifting the car into reverse, I backed out of the warehouse and headed down the street. Catching Colin’s Mercedes in my peripheral vision, I noticed that someone else was in the back seat beside him. As I looked in the rearview mirror, I watched the car head in the opposite direction. It was only after I got a glimpse of the most perfect set of eyes gazing out the side window that I realized it had been a girl sharing the back seat with him. It wasn’t just her eyes that caught my attention, but what had happened next. I knew that Colin was a ruthless man, but when he yanked on her long hazel brown hair only to force a kiss upon her ruby lips, I knew that somehow, she belonged to him. Maybe she was in the same situation I was and would forever belong to him. I shook my head, wondering what would have happened to me if I hadn’t accepted his offer a year ago. Lowering my hand to my abdomen, I felt the scar that would forever remind me of my choice.
Taking one last glance at the mirror, it was evident that whatever was going on in the back seat of the car wasn’t good as I continued to watch them. The girl pushed Colin away from her only to end up with a slap across the flawless skin of her face. No woman ever deserved to be treated like that, no matter what the circumstance. Spinning my car around, I headed in his direction, hoping that I would be able to catch up to him. My effort was stopped when a large delivery truck came out of nowhere, almost causing my car to crash into the side. Luckily for me, I was able to slow the car down by shifting into a lower gear. I don’t believe in coincidences and it certainly seemed as though the truck was commissioned to appear when it did.
I hate losing, so when the truck finally pulled out of my way, I stepped on the gas and forged ahead. There were so many side streets in this part of town that I might as well have given up. Taking my next right, I headed up the street that took me to the freeway and back downtown where my penthouse was located. Turning the radio up, I began weaving in and out of traffic. “God, how I love this car,” I said to myself, cranking the radio up even louder. There was no way that my life in New York could have ever offered me the luxuries that I have now.
As I pulled up to my spot in the parking garage, I exited the car only to be greeted by Ginger. She just wouldn’t give up. I knew she was going to be a problem the minute I groped her in the elevator and ran into her at the night club. Though I tried my best to avoid her, her voice rang behind me in a squeaky, annoying tone which echoed off the concrete walls, probably causing their hard surface to crack. I had no other choice but to give in to her as I waited for the elevator to come down.
“Baby, are you trying to avoid me?” she blurted, reaching me before I could escape inside the elevator.
I wasn’t the kind of man to ever treat a woman badly, but this woman was getting on my nerves. Maybe she needed to be reminded of the definition of a one-night stand. Turning to face her, I held out my hand and ordered. “Stop right there, woman.”
Wobbling on her five-inch heels, she placed her hands on her hips, looking as though she was ready for business. As attractive as she was, she was not my type, other than the fact that she was easy and willing to give me what I wanted. I couldn’t help but chuckle as she began tapping her foot against the floor. Keeping my distance, I laid it out on the line for her. “Look, Ginger, I’m not interested in whatever you have to say. We had a good time and that was it. You need to move on, and if I ever feel the need to fuck you again, I know where to find you.”
“Fuck? Is that all it was to you?” she cursed.
“Yep, love. Petty much,” I ended. Hearing the door to the elevator open, I tried to block out her cursing as I turned to get inside the car.
Hitting the “close door” button, I watched her walk toward me knowing that she wanted nothing more than to dig her claws in me. Thankfully, the heels she was wearing prevented her from getting to the door in time to do just that. Hopefully she got the hint, because I really liked living here and hated the thought of having to move. Leaning my head back against the wall, I was beginning to think I needed to pick my women a little better.
When the elevator dinged, letting me know that I had reached my floor, I pushed from the wall and dug my keys from inside my pocket. As I was walking down the long hallway to my place, I couldn’t help but think about the young woman in the car with Colin. There was something about those blue eyes that really got my attention. I wasn’t aware that he had a daughter and she was much too young to be anything more. I decided that it was worth finding out, and there was only one other person that knew more about Colin than I did.
Entering my apartment, I placed the manila envelope on the kitchen counter and pulled my phone from my pocket. Searching for Kyle Lincoln’s number, I pushed the phone icon, and waited for him to pick up.
“London, good friend. How the hell are you?” Kyle answered.
“Hey, friend. It’s been too long,” I stated, knowing that I needed to do a better job at staying in touch with Kyle if I wanted to get any information from him.
“What’s been happening in your world?” Kyle questioned.
Kyle knew everything about my business and it never bothered me, because as long as he did, I knew he would always have my back. Grabbing a brew from the fridge, I balanced my phone against my ear as I twisted the top from the bottle. Taking a long pull before I answered, I set the bottle on the counter and said, “I need to talk to you. Can you meet me at Direction 96 tonight, say around eight o’clock?”
“I think I can manage that. Can you let me know what this is about?”
“Not over the phone. I will let you know when I see you.” I needed to take every precaution. I wouldn’t put it past Colin to have my penthouse bugged.