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“I want two,” Sydney threw back.
“Hell, if you want three, I’ll get you that,” Booker returned, grinning.
Sydney smirked at him before saying, “Three should get me through the week. I need to freshen up. You boys entertain yourselves.”
We watched as she disappeared down the hall.
Turning to Booker, I chuckled, “You couldn’t leave her just a little?”
“Have you ever tasted that Cajun shrimp alfredo?” he questioned.
“No,” I replied, going over to the refrigerator, taking a beer out.
“Well, when you do, you’ll understand why. They give you so much in one order which is why Sydney can never finish hers. I’ve told her multiple times to pick up two orders, so we won’t have this argument every time, but she doesn’t, and I always end up eating the leftovers,” he said.
“It was good,” Batista added. “You should see if we can get it replicated at Cajun Café.”
After taking a drink of the beer, I stated, “I’ll have to taste it myself. If it’s as good as the two of you say, then I’ll see what Chef can do.”
We spent the next thirty minutes talking about the meeting at the warehouse and the Poker game. When Sydney reemerged dressed in a blood red pants suit, all conversation stopped.
“Damn,” I whispered in awe of how the garments hugged her curves. If I would’ve known ahead of time what she was going to wear, I would’ve added some red to my suit.
“Damn, cousin. You have on your bloodsport color,” Booker said.
As she walked over to me, Sydney said, “Well, after the last incident at the warehouse, I figured I should wear red just in case.” She stopped in front of me, then held out a red handkerchief. “I thought you could use a pop of color.”
That is why I knew we were perfect for each other. It was as if she popped in my head and heard what I was thinking.
“And you thought right,” I returned as she put it into my breast pocket. “Let’s get going. We still have a little over an hour before meeting with the new buyers. I want to get there early to make sure Stephen has everything ready.”
Stephen is the guy I replaced Carmine with. He worked under Carmine for the last three years. Batista and I have always been impressed with his work ethics. A lot of the shit Carmine took credit for, we knew it was Stephen who put in the work. It’s just a shame we didn’t put him in this position sooner.
A little over three hours later we were leaving the warehouse, celebrating a huge sale. Luckily, Sydney didn’t know the new buyers, who were some Greeks from Dallas, so there wasn’t any bloodshed. After having the deal go through without any problems, we were ready to bring the good vibes to the Poker game.
When we pulled up to Blue Bayou, the valet took the SUV. On the way there I called Reiner and told him to come and join us. He may not be able to drink any alcohol or participate in the game, but I thought it would be good for him to get out of the house. Plus, the kid was growing on me.
We had less than an hour before the game started, so I wondered if any of the players had shown up yet. Tonight, Procter and Pierre were attending. We had another veteran player, Simon Starling joining and the fourth player, Benjamin Lejeune is a new player who Batista has had our new IT guy run backwards and forwards. Benjamin, an African American, is a wealthy street hustler turned entrepreneur here in Shreveport. With his information checked out, he was allowed to participate in the game.
When we enter, Pierre, Simon, and Benjamin are already sitting at the poker table, smoking cigars.
“Gentlemen, so nice to see you,” I greet, walking over to the table holding Sydney’s hand.
They stand. Pierre extends his hand out to me, saying, “It’s good to see you as well, Mr. DeLuca.”
I shake his hand, then offer my hand to Benjamin.
“Thank you for letting me be a part of tonight’s game.”
“You’re welcome, sir,” I returned.
He notices Sydney and smiles. “And you must be Lady Luck for the night, you can call me Benny.”
Sydney graciously smiles back at him, responding, “Thank you, Benny, but I’m only Lady Luck to this gentleman right here. Anyone else will have to find their own.”
“Spoken like a true Queen,” Benjamin says with a wink.
Suddenly, the door opens and Prosper walks in with two other men behind him. Normally, he comes alone, so I’m surprised to see him with others.
