A Mafia's Nightmare

Seal the deal

The tease in his voice is enough to irritate me but I'm more focused on laying my fingers on the card he's wielding in his left hand. Her card. The card that would give her to me.

“Hurry up with it Reed!" I bark at him in a low growl loud enough for the entire room to hear. “I have better places to be."

A lie I'm willing to die on. I have no other place to be. In fact, after we're done here, I'll head up to my hotel with one of my regulars, get my d**k sucked properly then lay my back down for an undisturbed sleep.

“Yes, of course. Let's get to the bidding.”

Finally,

I quietly clear my throat, loosening the hold of my tie with my index finger as I prepare for the main event.

I sit up on my chair, crossing my right leg over my left leg. My neck doesn't move but my eyes scan everyone in my peripheral view.

They all have their eyes on me.

They know what's coming. At least the old ones know, they'd be sensible to not even place any bids.

The newbies however, have no idea. They think they stand a chance against me, and that's what makes the process fun.

Not a lot of people know me. I'm a private man. My name isn't tossed like stones in the street, or anywhere else for that matter. I have eyes and ears.

Everywhere.

If my name is called, it gets to me faster than a little boy would run to his mother when she comes to pick him up at school.

And then you get summoned. To the rooftop of my hotel. Whether you make it down alive is dependent on what you say to me. How convincing you can be, which takes a lot of hard work. Not most people make it.

That's enough about me for now. I'm sure you're as interested in the bidding process as I am.

“Girl number three is going for…”

“Ten thousand pounds."

I hear behind me. I'm tempted to turn around, let out a loud, scornful laugh.

I don't.

I know the person has no idea who he's up against so I keep my composure and wait for the next newbie to make a pathetic bid.

“We have a ten thousand pounds from the gentleman in the left corner,"

My eyes shift from the picture to meet Reed's excited eyes. They're bouncing around in their sockets. I don't blame him. He knows he's about to make a lot of money.

“Ten thousand pounds going once."

“Twenty five thousand pounds."

I hear again, this time from my far right. I don't look, of course. I simply nod my head, lift up my squared glass for a sip of the vodka in it, then wipe down my bottom lip with my tongue.

“We have a whooping twenty five thousand pounds from the gentleman in the right corner,"

Reed is now bursting with excitement, he can barely keep his stubby feet on the floor. His stupid grin causes his cheeks to travel further into his face.

“Twenty five thousand pounds going once,"

I trace the edge of my glass with my finger, quietly, like a mantis waiting to strike.

“Twenty five thousand pounds going twice,"

I take the glass to my lips for another sip. The heat from the raw, unfiltered vodka slides down my chest.

“Twenty five thousand pounds going…”

"Forty thousand pounds.”

This time, I turn. A quick glance beside me to catch the fellow who placed the bid. He doesn't look at all familiar, but he keeps his eyes forward, focused on the prize.

Interesting,

If he's a newbie in this town, he wouldn't be a newbie to these kinds of games. A smile creeps onto my face as I face forward.

“Forty thousand pounds from the handsome gentleman in the right corner."

I quietly clear my throat again. I know it is almost time for me to make my dramatic bid.

"Forty thousand pounds going once,”

Reed counts to three before closing off a bid. While I wait, I hope that someone else places a bid. If everyone's hands were above their heads when her picture came up, I expect more from them.

“Forty thousand pounds going twice,"

Everyone is quiet. The man in a dark grey suit has a faint smile on his face. He believes he has the prize in his bag. He thinks he's won. It almost makes me laugh.

“Sixty thousand pounds."

A broad grin spreads across my face. Now it's a bid.

I glance at the gentleman beside me. His smile is no more. His cause is lost. Snatched away by the gentleman behind him.

A familiar looking gentleman if I might add.

But I hardly care about the people in the room, and as much as the bid is becoming what I want it to be, I'm becoming bored.

Actually, I'm tired.

It's past my bedtime. Lol.

“Sixty thousand pounds! Going once,"

I raise my glass, emptying the glass of vodka in one gulp. It's time for me to put an end to my night.

“Sixty thousand pounds going twice,"

With a gentle slam, the bottom of the glass meets the black table. My fingers adjust the tie around my neck, my feet taking a stance under me.

Seconds later, all eyes settled on me as I raised myself to my feet.

“Hundred thousand pounds,"

The words leave my lips as casually as the money will leave my account.

I feel the scrutinizing pairs of eyes on me. The fact that I'm standing makes it even more elaborate. I can see their slightly tilted heads.

“A hundred thousand pounds!"

My attention returns to Reed when he squeals like a little girl. He sounds like he hasn't heard me say the words before, like it's the first time. When in fact, it isn't.

I will most likely say them again. Soon.

“A hundred thousand pounds going…”

“Is counting really necessary?"

He shoots me a puzzled stare when I cut him off.

With disgust in my voice, I turn to face the crowd of keen, masculine eyes. "Does anyone else have the money to pay for her?”

Not that I expected any objections but I still asked as the gentleman that I am.

“No? Good," Gracefully, I move my feet to spin my body around. My eyes fall on the card in the greedy man's hand. "Now let me have my card.”

"Yes, of course.”

I watch his little legs wobble down the small steps. He still has the stupid smile from when he started talking.

However, it doesn't irritate me anymore. I even show a smile as he approaches. He stretches his short arms towards me when he gets close, but not too close.

I'm known to love personal space. If you're not sucking my d**k, I don't see why you should be up in my face.

“Send her to my car,"

The words leave my lips as soon as the paper comes under my fingers.

“You'll get your money by morning."

His grin widened, almost enough to make me punch him in the face.

"It's nice doing business with you, Mr Nox."