Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
“As the bill won’t be presented, this discussion is unnecessary,” Dimitri said smoothly.
Tex scowled.
Titus said, “Thanks, brother.”
Gemma said, “That is so sweet.”
Dimitri looked to Gemma.
She blushed prettily.
Dimitri smiled his glamorous smile again, but the full force of it was directed at Gem.
She blushed so much deeper, I thought she might pass out.
Man, I really needed Knox and Brady to sort their shit so he could light a fire under Brady, or we might lose her to the Russians.
“We know you’re probably busy, but will you have time to join us for a drink?” Jessie asked.
Dimitri executed a bow that would not be sexily performed by anyone else, but he rocked it.
“It would be my pleasure.”
He walked out, and like they timed it, three servers walked in. Two carried trays. One went to the wine bucket and pulled out a bottle of champagne.
She also pulled out a bottle of vodka.
While she poured champagne in flutes and vodka in beautiful shot glasses rimmed in a delicate pattern of gold, the servers set plates in front of each of us. On them were three blinis smothered with a touch of sour cream and topped with generous mounds of caviar sprinkled with finely chopped hard-boiled egg and onion.
I’d never had caviar, so once everyone was served, I was dying to dig in and give it a go.
But Raye raised her glass (she picked vodka, I did too) and said, “To good friends.”
Everyone raised their glasses, except Tex, who said, “Yo, can I get a beer?” to the server who was leaving with the empty bottles of champagne.
He nodded.
We toasted, sipped (or shot, as the case may be), and I went in.
I wasn’t sure what it said about my palette that I liked the blini, sour cream, egg and onion, but wasn’t too hip on the caviar, but bottom line, caviar didn’t really do it for me.
“How’s your man, baby?” Titus asked.
I looked to him and saw he was looking at me.
“Recovering. Really well. He’s already back to work. Light duty.”
“Those boys are hosses,” Titus said before popping an entire blini in his mouth.
I didn’t completely understand the definition of a hoss, but I suspected he wasn’t wrong.
“Have you heard anything about what’s going down in Tucson?” Joey asked Titus.
Titus shook his head. “Outside that boy getting done for putting your boy in the hospital, no. The Chambers are folding in on themselves. Closing ranks. They haven’t missed that shit’s brewing and about to get real,” Titus replied.
Seemed Lee and Hector’s machinations weren’t lost on the Chambers clan.
And I was unsure if I was happy that it seemed they were realizing things were shaky, or the other way around.
I didn’t want them dead either.
But I did want them to disappear.
“Do you know about the feud?” Shanti asked him as the server came back with a beer for Tex.
Titus shook his head, but said, “I do now. But Rocco doesn’t play it that way. Inside business stays inside. You let it be known you got internal issues, you’re vulnerable. Miracle of that is, the other side of the Chambers clan thrives on mess. So I’m stunned he’s been able to contain it.”
He wasn’t sharing anything surprising. Knox had essentially already told me this stuff.
“You gonna eat yours?” Tex asked, and this time, I looked to him to see the question was again directed at me.
“I’m thinking caviar isn’t my—”
I didn’t finish, because Tex did a squat over the table, grabbed his empty plate, leaned my way, reached long and exchanged his plate with mine.
He sat back down and the two remaining blinis on my plate were wolfed down in about ten seconds.
“You have a sophisticated palette, my brother,” Titus remarked.
Tex slugged back some beer, swallowed, beat his chest with his fist, let out a burp that was not loud, but it wasn’t silent either, and replied, “Never waste free food.”
Titus was grinning. We were all grinning. Because Tex was never anything but himself, and that was awesome.
But I was wondering if I’d have the chance to talk with Dimitri privately about sending a message to Gypsy.
I’d have to ask when he came back to have a drink with us.
We descended into chitchat. The drink server came back with more champagne and topped us up with bubbly and vodka. Raye started devising a plan to rally some of the Hottie Squad as last-minute designated drivers. The caviar plates were taken away, and bowls of soup were brought in.
And that was when it happened.
The soup was borscht. I wasn’t a big fan of beets (could take them or leave them), but it smelled delicious.
I was able to down one spoonful (confirmed: delicious) before I heard Joey say, “What the…?”
And Harlow say, “Oh dear.”
And Shanti say, “You have got to be joking.”
And finally, Tex say, “Ah, hell.”
Which meant my attention went to the table, then it went to where everyone was looking at the opening to the VIP section, only to see Cheyenne, with four girlfriends, bearing down on our section.