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I intend to keep it that way as I buy up the rest of the property and businesses on the south side of the city. Anatoly’s territory, but not for much longer.
The doors open for me when I step up to them, and the cool air from the apartment lobby is a pleasant contrast to the growing heat outside. It’s hot already for spring, and it’s only going to get worse as the summer months roll in. I hate Texas sometimes, but it’s better than the bitter cold of Russia. I wouldn’t go back there for anything.
Maybe Valerie, but she’s American. I won’t have to worry about her wanting to go there.
Unless Anatoly gets to her before I can…
I’m vibrating with jealousy as I walk up to the receptionist and meet her terrified gaze. “Owner. Now.”
“He’ll be down in just a moment, sir,” she replies, her blinking so fast that it looks lie she’s holding back tears.
Maybe she is. I have the effect on people most of the time, but Valerie seems resilient to it. She’s not so much afraid of me as she is annoyed that I’ve taken a liking to her.
Am I that hideous?
Why is it that every time I want something, it tries to slither away from me? It’s only the things I don’t care about that are easy to have.
Money, shallow people, and add luxury apartments to that list. I’m starting to get bored with how easy they are to acquire.
With two guards standing on either side of me, I wait impatiently in the lobby, occasionally glancing over to the receptionist who immediately diverts her gaze.
They always stare, but I’m used to being a spectacle. People need entertainment. They’re bored out of their minds with their regular lives, but they’d be equally bored if they were as spoiled as I am.
It’s the human condition to never be satisfied. It’s maddening to some, but most people are able to cope.
I’m not. I have to have what I want, or I start to go crazy.
Take Valerie, for example. I’m ready to die for her and I don’t even think she likes me.
Yet.
She can be convinced, but I have to be smarter about it. The game is long and hard, but the reward is sweeter than the dew from a honeysuckle.
A door opens to my left, and the owner of the apartment complex comes out in a form-fitting blue suit and shoes that are almost more orange than brown. Obnoxiously trendy, but I’m no stranger to how weird fashion can get. It’s difficult these days to find a suit that isn’t trying to make a statement.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” the man says, his eyes shifting to the guards at either side of me as he cautiously extends his hand.
I take it, squeezing it so hard he winces as I shake it. “The pleasure is mine, I can assure you.”
He pulls his hand away, smiling as he shakes the pain away. “Quite the grip you have.”
“I hope not as strong a grip as you have on the ownership of this place,” I reply.
He nods. “We can head to my office and discuss that now, or perhaps you’d like a coffee beforehand.”
I had five cups already today, but I never accept drinks from strangers, even if I’m in acute need of a stimulant. Better to be a little tired than to be puking up blood while having a seizure on the floor.
Death is always just as easy as a simple mistake for men like me.
“I don’t have the time today,” I say with a thin smile. “Let’s get down to business.”
He nods, and I’m escorted to his office with my two guards. Everyone else is crowded around outside the building, forming a literal human shield that will prevent anyone from getting in while I’m here.
Conspicuous, but if anyone wanted to kill me, they would already be following me. It’s better to be obvious about my location and have ample security than do the opposite and guarantee a quick trip to Hell.
Thirty minutes in, and I’ve already closed on the deal. The papers are signed, and I’m walking out of the building with thirty-million dollars less in my bank account and a piece of property that’s going to allow me to sink my teeth a little further into the south side.
Anatoly is going to be livid when he discovers I bought this place, but if he didn’t want me owning it, he should’ve gotten here and made an offer first.
