AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I yearned to be with Adriana again, but her father was a real thorn in my side. The issue with the Reeds, a rival gang that wanted to overreach its expansion into King territories, was yet another pain point in my life.
And now, my best friend, Frank, was threatening me because I wanted the forbidden fruit that was his daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I never once showed Frank any interest in her, and I always maintained a respectful distance whenever I was around him and she was present.
But hiding my affairs with Adriana was growing to be an incredible challenge, as Frank must have been watching me. He probably even used my own men to report on Adriana and me.
None of that mattered though when I was with her.Boy was she a firecracker!
It wasn’t just the sex. Yes, we’d had a night of intense passion. But Adriana wanted to tease me. She wanted me to beg for her, and the fact that a woman, especially one so young, could bring me to my knees, was more than I ever thought I could handle. It lit something inside of me I didn’t even know I had.
I went back home alone, to my own safe house: a nondescript loft apartment that resided above one of my warehouses. I owned half of the businesses in Chicago because of the steel that I manufactured. I would purposefully make building cheap for anyone who partnered with me, and let’s just say that people loved a good deal.
Part of me wanted to call Adriana right away as I plopped onto a couch, but I stayed quiet, instead opting for some cool jazz from the vinyl collection I kept stashed here. Being wealthy makes you pretty spoiled, but one thing it doesn’t do is make you god.
My record collection was limited, but it was good. I pulled out a Basie record that I had always enjoyed, and soon the sounds of big band jazz calmed me. It was during the middle of a luscious saxophone solo that my phone began to buzz.
Hoping that it would be Adriana was naive of me. I wanted her, but I needed to tread lightly. Upsetting my closest friend, and head of the King mafia, was not an issue I took lightly. Outwardly though, I did my best to stay calm. Appearances are everything when negotiating, influencing, and making sure you got your way.
I looked around for my phone, which when I got to it, had stopped buzzing. Frank had called me, and I just knew it was going to be about Adriana. I didn’t want him thinking I was ignoring him, so I called right away.
“Frank?” I said when he answered.
“Stay away from her,” he warned.
“Frank, you have bigger fish to fry,” I said. The Reeds weren’t a group to take lightly, their mercenaries well paid and funded for. I knew this because some of my money went their way. Frank didn’t know and that was yet another string in the web of lies that formed our dangerous lives.
“I don’t need you,” Frank said. “And I definitely don’t need you putting your filthy hands on my daughter. Not even your eyes. You can’t see her. Never again!”
Frank never spoke to me this way, and I gave him a free pass because when it comes to family, honor is everything. I thought of what to say, and decided to double down on the Reeds’ issue.
“No worries,” I said, trying to play it cool.You do have to worry, my man. I want your daughter. She’s going to bend over and take it from me, and she’s going to like it, whether you do or not. “But Frank, what did you want to do about the Reeds?”
“I already told you,” Frank said. “I don’t NEED you.” He emphasized the wordneedwith a particular hatred that rubbed me the wrong way.It’s fine. I’ll rub your daughter all the RIGHT ways.Being overprotective of her was going in the opposite direction of what Frank intended. I only wanted her more with every push he made for us to stay apart.
Mental note: call Adriana tonight, and have her come over here. Then make love to her like she’s never been touched. I’m the only man she’ll EVER need.
Frank was adamant about separating my involvement in his affairs, which was pretty hard considering that many of our businesses were tied together.He’s going to have to crack at some point and talk to me in person again.
Of course, as Frank was yelling at me, threatening to kill me if I ever even looked at his daughter, I was formulating my plans to broker peace talks with the Reeds. One thing that I truly believe in as a successful businessman is the idea that when everyone wins, more money is made.
“Are you sure that we can’t broker a peace deal with the Reeds? You know you could use my negotiation skills with them,” I said.
Frank wasn’t budging however. “I already told you that I don’t need you,” he said. “You can kiss our friendship goodbye too. A man who takes his best friend’s daughter is no friend.”
“Frank, you’re being dramatic,” I said. “Don’t be unnecessarily rash.”
Frank hung up.
He had done this more than once over the years, so I wasn’t worried.He’s never been this mad at me, though. Not even the time he accused me of being into his wife.
Years ago, his wife Dawn, a strongly independent and hard-headed woman, had flirted with me briefly at a party and Frank had flipped. I was never a fan of incensing anyone’s jealousy, but I have to tell you, Adriana is worth it.
Adriana’s the only one for me, Frank. She’s not who you think she is. Let your rose petal bloom, my friend. And, don’t worry, she’s in good hands with me.
I couldn’t call her because I knew that Frank would be watching for my calls. He had probably placed a bug on her phone too, so the best I could hope for tonight was my imagination.
However, sometimes real life is much better than whatever fantasy we men have in our minds.
My phone buzzed sometime in the middle of the night. I had dozed off, it must have been 2, 3 in the morning. The place was dimly lit, and I could see the silent streets from my warehouse windows.
