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It’s her turn to look at Francine, gauging her reaction.
“The…the North Shore?” she repeats. Fear now tames her earlier loud voice.
“Oh yeah.” Kay nods, smiling from ear to ear. “Sorry, I thought I told you I was from Silver Falls?”
“I’ll be back,” I say as I stand up. I drop a kiss on the top of Kayla’s head as I arrange my suit jacket and follow Wynne.
I find him right as he exits the men’s bathroom.
“Whoa,” he chuckles. “Nathan.”
I smile at him, but I know the one I’m using. The kind that reminds him I’m not someone to be messed with, and that he just landed on my bad side.
“Everything alright, my friend?”
Of course, he feels the need to call me his friend out loud, to put a name on our relationship, as if asking me to treat him as an equal.
He isn’t my equal.
He is a fucking insect I can crush under my foot. He is someone who works under me because at any point I can stop huge cash flows from entering his company. Mainly? He is an insignificant little man who thinks himself better than Kayla because he can pronounce a French word no one gives a shit about and can’t stand for a woman to do math quicker than him.
“Come here. Listen.”
I casually put my hands in my pockets. We can see our table from here, where his wife is awkwardly shifting her chair away from Kayla.
“I appreciate the business we do together. I really do.” He must notice death slowly clouding my eyes because he takes a step back, plastering himself against the wall. “But if you ever make fun of Kayla again, I’m afraid our next conversation will involve my gun, your head, and a nice hole between your eyes.”
I pull my hand out of my pocket, grab his tie softly, and slap his mouth with it in a playful yet demeaning gesture.
“There should be nothing but respect in your tone when you speak to my wife.” I think my calmness scares him more than anything else. “Now get back out there and try again. Who knows? You might live until tomorrow.”
Wynne is strangely polite until the end of dinner. We focus on our contract, how he’ll receive the powder at his factory in Texas, the routes I want him to take, and how many keys I expect delivered every week. The powder will be in the same parcels as the bath bombs his beauty and self-care brand will deliver to the Cascade hotels, so some people at his factory need to cut the coke when they receive it and package it in luxurious bath bomb bundles. I have people I trust for that. People he’s going to hire as factory workers.
The man gets a deal with a chain of hotels, all his products will be used in our rooms, and he’ll receive extra shut-the-fuck-up money.
I get fifty keys of cocaine delivered every single week. And with the North Shore gangs working for me, that shit is going to sell all over the area.
Ka-ching, motherfucker.
Francine has really been forcing herself to talk to Kayla all night, and my beautiful sunflower has made absolutely no effort. It also turns out she doesn’t like oysters, doesn’t like lobster, and doesn’t like lamb. So she hasn’t eaten anything and is now attacking her chocolate fondant eagerly. But Jerome is in a rush to get things over with.
“Shall we retreat to the cigar room, my friend?” He smiles, dollar signs decorating his pupils. “The wives can have one last cocktail at the bar, I guess.”
I shake my head. “Kayla stays by my side,” I answer casually. “She can be trusted with anything.” Except not punching Francine in the face once they’re on their own.
He makes a low, disappointed sound in his throat and turns to his wife. “Why don’t you get Sanders to take you home? I’ll be here a while.”
Signing won’t take long, but I’m sure he’s eager to invite his mistress to one of the private rooms afterward to celebrate.
Relief crosses Francine’s face now that she won’t have to spend any more time with Kay, and she nods eagerly. “Of course. I’ll see you at home.” She’s already up, saying bye to us and leaving.
Jerome follows, and I nudge Kayla. “Come on. We’re almost done with this shit,” I murmur once they’re far enough.
“But my dessert,” she groans as I grab her hand and force her to get up. “I’m starving.”
“I’ll get you some food as soon as we get home.”
She stretches her free hand toward the table, managing to get one last bite as I drag her away. “The chocolate is so good.”
