Chapter 5
I stood in my office overlooking my club with heavy thoughts.
I wasn’t in the best of moods after visiting my father, and I honestly didn’t want to be here.
However, whenever there was a big party being thrown, I needed to be present to make sure all the money that was going to be made was accounted for.
I didn’t play when it came to my money since I had a few mishaps happen since I opened it five years ago.
Lorenzo always schooled me on how to be business-minded and not to let anyone keep watch over my shit—not even the funky-ass bank. My money always stayed close to me because I didn’t trust anyone. However, tonight, I just wanted to go home and wallow.
It was close to ten at night, and the crowd was starting to thicken. The combined birthday and bachelor party was sure to be lit. I was mentally counting how much money I was going to make tonight when a knock came upon the door.
“Come in!”
The door opened, and Zyaire, one of the security guards, walked in and closed the door to drown out the music. “Good evening, Ms. Arie.”
“Hey, Zy. What can I do for you?”
“Corina just rolled up.” It took a minute for me to register what he’d said, but when I did, a laugh sputtered from my belly.
Zyaire shook his head with a smirk on his face. “No pun intended.”
“That was definitely a fucking pun. You ain’t shit.”
“I really wasn’t trying to be funny... It just slipped out.”
“Sure it did. Anyway, send her ass in. I know she better be coming with some good news, or her ass gon’ be sitting on nubs. Pun intended.”
We laughed. “You got it.” He turned to leave, but I stopped him.
“Wait. Can you help me really quick? I need it.”
He turned around, came over to me, and wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. He slightly lifted me as I heard the bones crack in my back, and I sighed in relief. He then gave me a tight hug and kissed my cheek before letting me go.
“You need to relax. Sleeping in chairs and on couches will have you at the chiropractor. You’re here damn near every night. I’m sure your bed misses you.”
I shook my head and smiled. “Thank you, Zy. You’re the best.”
“Anything for you, Ms. Arie.”
“Okay, you can go. Make sure your team is on point tonight. It’s going to be a full house.”
“I’m on it.”
He walked his sexy ass out of my office as I walked over to my minibar and poured myself a shot of 1800 Silver. If I mixed business with pleasure, I’d certainly allow Zyaire to have his way with me.
A few moments later, Zyaire opened the door, and Corina rolled into my office with a walker. Zyaire closed the door behind her, and she rolled herself to my desk as I sat behind it.
“I assume the reason you’re here is because you have some good news.”
“I do. I got the position.” She seemed happy about it, but I didn’t care.
“Congratulations. What else?”
She looked at me, confused, before she finally spoke.
“Well… I should be able to sign over the deed to the lofts soon after they are bought. I just have to wait until Mr. Crawford officially hands me the reins. I overheard him saying that he was going to buy them. Then, we can start the process of payment?—”
“Whoa... What do you mean payment ?”
“Th-the cost for the lofts. You said you wanted to buy them.”
“I never said buy , Corina. I said give me the lofts.”
“But... You’ll need to buy them from us. I don’t want this to come back on me. He’ll want a profit from the money he’s going to spend on those lofts. I don’t want to lose my position after I just earned it.”
Earned?
“Corina…” I said, closing my eyes to reel my emotions in.
I didn’t like her. She was a snake. She got a man killed because she wanted to become a partner in a real estate company.
Her jealousy led her to pay for a man eight years her junior to be murdered because he was the better choice to run the company.
For that, I would never fucking respect her nor trust her.
“You didn’t earn shit. You killed a man to get where you are, so please…
cut it the fuck out. Maybe you didn’t comprehend what I was saying the last time we ran into each other.
So, let me make it clear… I want those lofts on 23 rd Street, a few miles from Downtown.
I don’t give a fuck how you get them, but you will get them, then sign that deed over to me with no cost to me. Got it?”
“But I paid you?—”
I pulled out my nine that was strapped under my desk and set it on the desktop.
“You did what?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “N-nothing. I-I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good girl. Don’t forget your deadline. Now, if that’s all, you can roll out.”
I held in my laugh as she stood and rolled herself to the door. I watched as she struggled to get the door open, then struggled to get out of it. I wasn’t lending her a leg or a hand. Sis wasn’t right, and if she didn’t get me that deed, her ass was going to be next on the hit list.
Mayani entered my office a few minutes later, chuckling. “You really fucked shorty up.”
“Fuck her,” I dismissed.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been down for days. You good?”
“I’m good.”
Mayani stood and came around my desk, wrapping her arms around me from behind. “I can relieve your stress, if you want…” She planted a kiss on my neck as I shook my head.
“That was a one-time thing, Mayani. You stay trying to shoot your shot.” I smirked.
“Can you blame me? Look at you.”
I shook my head. “I just need a minute, Yani.”
She released me and walked back around the desk.
“No problem. If you need me, you know where I am.”
I smirked. “I want dick.”
“Or a little pussy… It won’t hurt.” She winked and walked out of my office as I sighed and leaned back in my chair.
I should have never taken it there with her.
Mayani was cool, and I considered her and Megan family, but one night I got drunk, and we messed around.
I regretted it because I didn’t mix business with pleasure, and ever since, her ass had been hinting at doing it again, because apparently, I slutted her out.
Her words. I had to continue to remind her that, although I enjoyed it, it was a one-time thing and to remain professional.
However, no matter what I said, that didn’t stop her attempts.
After clearing my thoughts and getting a little buzzed, I left my office to walk the club floors. I prayed that I could get out of this funk. If not, I knew I would have to leave because I had a feeling someone was going to piss me off tonight.
I sat in the private VIP lounge getting faded as I observed the crowd.
The club was now in full swing, and I worried that we’d be getting shut down soon, due to the high volume of half-naked women and tons of niggas in here.
As much as I wanted to go home and be in my feelings, I shook that shit off and looked around my establishment, basking in my success.
When I first opened Club Lucid, I wanted to be sure I accommodated my customers’ needs.
There were three large sections of the club.
On one side of the wall was a gentlemen’s club, in the middle was a regular cigar lounge, and on the other side was a male entertainment club.
I wanted to make it a place where everyone could have their needs met in one place.
My office was the eye in the sky that overlooked all three spaces.
Currently, I was sitting inside the gentlemen’s club, nursing a glass of DeLeon.
Lucid had been up and running for five years, and I had made more money than I ever could’ve imagined, which made my father right.
I hated for him to be right. Pushing me out of a game was a reminder that the game is what allowed me to acquire this place. I understood his reasoning, but I still didn’t like it..
Did I enjoy killing people? No.
Did it help relieve my stress and slight anger issues? Yes.
For some reason, killing Oliver for Corina felt wrong as fuck, though. I didn’t enjoy filling that man’s heart with air for that jealous freak. Money had always been my motivation, but the kill was wrong, and that was another reason why I was in a foul mood.
Looking across the bar, I saw Paige and none other than Uncle Lamont walking inside.
I wanted to be mad at my uncle, too, but I knew he was only doing what his brother asked of him.
He already felt guilty that my dad had taken the fall for him, which landed him in jail, so he would do anything Lorenzo asked of him, including putting his daughter out of the business.
I watched as Milan, a regular security guard of the club, pointed them in my direction while I refilled my glass.
“’Sup, sis?” Paige asked, walking up and hugging me.
“Hey, where you been?”
She looked at me, confused. “Chicago. You don’t remember?”
Shit.
I forgot she went to do a job in Chicago.
We never really went on missions without each other, but Uncle Lamont wanted to be there with her for this particular mission.
According to him, a city official of Chicago came down to cop some work using false money.
When my uncle caught wind of it, Price Polanski was as good as dead.
His only downfall was loving young black women with fat asses.
Insert Paige.
“My bad. Just been having a rough day since visiting Dad.” My eyes went to my uncle as he walked into my section and took a seat next to me. He leaned over and kissed my forehead.
“Amour, I haven’t seen you since last Sunday at dinner. What’s up with that?” he asked, calling me by my second middle name while helping himself to a glass of my tequila bottle.
“Well, hello to you, too, traitor,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
“Aye, cool that shit out. It’s time that you step down, Amour. You’re sitting on this fucking goldmine and have the audacity to get upset because your father wants better for you.”
“If he wanted better for me, then he should have never introduced me to this life.”