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“Aww,” she says and pouts. “What Alexi doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”
I shake my head. She's more than a little tipsy, her words slurring. “I’d know it. He’s an important business associate and we have a big deal in the works. I’m not going to ruin that.”
She frowns. “I’m not his girlfriend.”
“No? He seems to think so. You spent the last weekend with him, and I happen to know you’ve slept with him several times, so I imagine he considers you his, even if you don’t.”
“Alexi is from Russia, and he’ll be going back to Russia next week. I’ll be alone.”
I sigh and lead her out of the office to the hallway. “You’re a very pretty woman. I’m sure there’s lots of men who would be more than happy to be with you. Besides, Alexi is not really a nice man, if you want to know the truth. He’s, how shall I say, involved with dangerous men. You should really be happy that he’s leaving. You should find someone else. Someone outside of this,” I say and wave around at the apartment. “This life. It’s not for nice women like you.”
“So you think I’m nice?”
I can’t help but smile. She is nice. She’s sweet, in an innocent way. She doesn’t belong with Alexi and his thugs.
“You are nice. I can tell.”
“But not nice enough for you? Why not you? I wanted you the first time I saw you…”
I smile and run my hand over her hair. She's a fun woman, who always has a laugh and a smile for everyone. Alexi saw her and latched onto her immediately. They seemed to hit it off, so I assumed she was happy. I had no idea she had her eyes on me or I would have discouraged her. Hell, I should have discouraged her from even hanging with us, but I thought she was Alexi’s girl.
When I first saw her in the club and she mentioned that she knew Alexi, I was happy to meet her and be nice to her. I thought she was a bit naive to be among the men who frequented the clubs I did, but she seemed intent on partying with us, so I didn’t hesitate to invite her along.
I figured that Alexi would be happy that one of his acquaintances would come party with us. What I didn’t expect was that she’d make the moves on me.
I don’t have time for emotional entanglements.
Not while I’m busy working this deal.
“Go downstairs. Be with Alexi. When he leaves, I’m sure someone else in the gang will be happy to date you. In fact, I know they will. But seriously. Find another group of men to hang around with, okay?”
I give her a light push towards the stairs in the hopes she’ll get the hint and go back down to the party. She's cute and sweet, but I’m not in the market for a girlfriend.
I watch her make her way down the spiral staircase to the main floor of the penthouse apartment to where the others are busy playing poker and gambling their money away. When she disappears into the main dining room where the game is being played, I turn back to my office. The Zoom call is due to start in ten minutes, so I want to be ready.
I’m not a big gambler. I don’t play a lot, but it’s a business proposition for me — and it gives me an opportunity to meet some of the big players in the black-market gambling circuit. Get in close to them. Gain their trust, so I can get deeper into their world.
I know from my research that they’re laundering money from Russian illegal arms sales. Alexi is involved in some way and is in New York to scope out various investment opportunities, so he can wash some money illegally obtained and make it legit. He’slooking for partners to help him invest his money, and he made an open and transparent show of courting me.
“You are best in all Wall Street,” he said to me in his heavy Russian accent when we met the first time. We were introduced over a game of poker held in one of the old, converted warehouses near the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn. “I have lots of money, and nowhere to put it. You could help me make more money. We could both make lots more money if you are interested.”
“I’m always interested in making lots more money, Alexi,” I said, shaking his hand and smiling. “It’s kind of what I do.”
“Yes, it is. You are best. Prince of Wall Street. Well, I am Prince of Yekaterinburg, back in Mother Russia. Your family is important to business in Manhattan, so we want to do business with you.”
I’d heard of Alexi’s family, who made lots of money from nonferrous metals and titanium. They were part of the Russian organized crime business that flourished in modern Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.
“I didn’t think Russia had any princes anymore. Didn’t Mr. Lenin get rid of the aristocracy back in 1917?”
Alexi smiled, his dark eyes narrowing. “You know your history. Lenin killed many, but that changed when he died. Always those with the most balls get the most money. It is the same everywhere, no matter what kind of government people put in place, isn’t that right?”
I shrugged, not going to argue with Alexi.
“When the old Soviet Union fell, a new aristocracy arose,” Alexi continued, seeming to warm to his subject. “My family has been in charge of business in Yekaterinburg since 80s, and we have so much money, but nowhere to put it that isn’t in danger of being stolen from thieves who operate freely. Better to bringhere, to America, where market is safe, and money can make even more money.”
“That’s my specialty,” I said with a smile.
“That’s why I make sure we meet,” Alexi said, a gleam in his eyes. “You take my money, you make more money for us both. Our two families collaborate and make each of us even bigger. American Capitalism.” He rubs his hands together with glee. “Is the best, no?”
