The Beautiful People (The New Mafia Trilogy)

by Fechenda, E. J.

  The Beautiful People

  Book One of The New Mafia Trilogy

  By E.J. Fechenda

  Copyright © 2013 E.J. Fechenda

  Kindle Edition – published 2013

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover image by: dwphotos via iStock

  Acknowledgments

  I seriously wouldn’t have made it this far without the unfailing support of friends, parents and family, especially “my boys” - my husband Steve and son Matt who have to deal with my distracted state the most – thank you for your encouragement and love. To my “Lit Bitches” Shannon, Beth, and Liz, I couldn’t have asked for better beta readers. To the fabulous ladies of my writers group, Marlee and Nicole, you were the first to read The Beautiful People (the first to read any of my writing) and through the years as our friendship has grown, our writing has too. Thanks to the awesome Maine writers community for continuing to inspire and thanks to all of my friends, near or far, for your support. Writing is very personal and my stories are like horcruxes because a little bit of my soul is in each one.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Prologue

  It was only a job. At least that’s all it was supposed to be. Despite student loans, the occasional loan from my brother, Grant, and income from waitressing at T.G.I Fridays, I struggled to make ends meet. Grant was the head of security at Crimson, one of Philadelphia’s top nightclubs, and he helped get me a job there as a cocktail waitress, but I had to agree to one of his “conditions” first.

  “This is just temporary, until you graduate, okay?”

  “Relax and believe me when I tell you I don’t have aspirations to be a career cocktail waitress,” I reassured him. We were grabbing a slice of pizza before heading into work together.

  “Well, believe me when I tell you a number of people have gotten sucked into the glamour and money – the whole scene – and are still there.”

  “Are you talking about yourself? It was the glamour that lured you in, wasn’t it?” I teased, but really was curious what it was about Crimson that caused Grant to drop out of college.

  He didn’t answer and gave me one of his “don’t mess with me” stares. I laughed and stood, picking up my grease soaked paper plate for the garbage. “Grant, I’m just kidding. Come on, I don’t want to be late on my first day.”

  Grant drained the rest of his soda and I followed him out to his car which was parked in front of the pizza joint. He drove a new Lexus sedan, silver and fully loaded. This alone was probably the reason he never left Crimson. Obviously he was doing alright for himself without a college degree.

  My brother was quiet during the brief ride from South Street until we pulled into the employee parking lot in the rear by the loading docks. Crimson was a refurbished brick warehouse that sat hulking over the Delaware River in the old industrial section, near the decommissioned Navy Yard. Blue, an after hours club owned by the same development company, was located in a twin building directly next to Crimson. We parked and a neon sign cast an eerie bluish glow across the hood.

  “I want to give you some advice for your first night,” Grant said, turning to face me.

  “Okay…”

  “First of all, if anyone gets inappropriate with you or too handsy, let me or one of my guys know. We’ll take care of it. Second, there are a lot of egos that work here, so there will be drama. You’re better off not getting involved, which leads me to the last thing…don’t get involved with any of the guys here. Dating a coworker is not a good idea.”

  “Company policy?”

  “No, company policies are kind of loose. It’s my policy…for you.”

  “Oh a Big Brother policy,” I said and tried not to roll my eyes. “I get it Grant, all work and no play. You don’t have to worry.” He didn’t because I had no interest in hooking up with anyone. I’d done enough of that in high school. I was here for the money until I graduated college in the spring.

  Turns out agreeing to Grant’s policy was easier said than done. While he warned me that I would be tempted by the whole scene, he didn’t tell me just how seductive it would be. Turns out, Grant didn’t tell me a lot of things.

  Chapter 1

  The club thumped and I watched the crowd pulsate with the beat while waiting for drink orders to be filled. Dominic, one of Crimson’s bartenders, smiled and winked as he put two beers plus an assortment of shots on my tray, which I hoisted up onto my shoulder before proceeding to weave through the wall of people. My short skirt and tight top showed more skin than I felt comfortable with, but it was hard to curl inwards like I wanted to without spilling drinks all over the place. Even though this was my first night working at Crimson, it didn’t take long to realize how many men considered the skimpy uniform an open invitation to grab at my body. I didn’t see any of the other girls running for security every time someone pinched their ass, so I followed suit and ignored Grant’s earlier request.

  When the club cleared out, I joined some employees around Dominic’s bar. He was busy stacking clean glasses, the steam from the dishwasher causing his black hair to curl. He smiled when I approached, a flash of even white teeth, and this made me squirm a little. The fact that he was able to trigger such a visceral reaction from me with one glance was bothersome. I reminded myself of Grant’s “policy” before sitting down on a stool furthest away from Dominic. I should have been relieved to find his attention no longer focused on me, but on one of the shooter girls, and for obvious reasons. Her cosmetically enhanced boobs tested the confines of her top. She had sculpted curves and platinum blonde hair, a regular Barbie doll. Instead of relief though, annoyance and a hint of jealousy pulsed through me. I glanced down at my B cups and silently urged them to grow on command, but no such luck.

  I noticed the rest of the employees around the bar maintained various stages of perfection. The women could be bikini models and not just because our uniforms were that skimpy. Their hair and makeup were still as immaculate at the end of the night as in the beginning. I, on the other hand, felt disheveled and droopy. The men were equally flawless in their black t-shirts which stretched across fierce physiques. Shaking off the moment of low esteem, I turned my attention back to counting out tips. Peroxide Barbie sat down to my right.

  “Hi, I’m Brittany. We didn’t get to meet earlier. Are you Natalie, Grant’s sister?”

  I nodded and Brittany retrieved a wad of cash from in between her breasts and said, “Ton
ight rocked!”

  I pulled out a less impressive wad of tips, which I’d kept in my skirt pocket, not my cleavage.

  “Yeah, I had a good night. I made more than I would have in a week at my old job.”

  “Where?”

  “Friday’s.”

  “Oh yeah, totally. This is the place to work. Everyone wants a job at Crimson and they’re hard to come by.”

  “It’s who you know, isn’t it?” I looked over at the opposite end of the bar where my brother sat, drinking a beer. He was surrounded by a bunch of the other waitresses. If I wasn’t his sister, I would probably find him attractive. He was tall, muscular and had an air of confidence about him. He walked with his broad shoulders straight, ready to carry the weight of the world. In some ways he did and even carried my burdens every once in a while. Grant gestured for me to come down so I gathered up my tips and said good night to Brittany.

  “Everyone, here’s my little sis, Natalie,” Grant said to his groupies. They would be lining up, vying to be my best friend, just to get to him. They usually did, like my freshman year in high school when he was the big senior football star. Fake, shallow bitches, I thought to myself as I smiled and said hi.

  “I assume you two met?” Grant asked when Dominic replaced his beer.

  “Yes.”

  Dominic regarded me with deep green eyes and I had to keep myself from busting out in a goofy grin. I didn’t date much and mainly focused on my studies, but I would have been blind not to notice that out of all the Crimson men I had seen, he was by far the hottest and like my brother, moved with this cocky assurance, which appealed to me more than his biceps. I imagined what he might look like naked just before he asked me if I wanted a drink and I found myself incapable of answering. Grant nudged my arm and glanced sideways at me. I needed liquid courage in order to have a normal conversation with this guy. So I ordered something I hadn’t had in a couple of years.

  “I’ll take a shot of Cuervo.”

  “Whoa, Grant you didn’t tell me your sister was so hardcore… or beautiful,” he winked again. “You’ve been holding out.”

  Grant responded with an uneasy laugh and eyed me with caution, worry that this was going to be one of those nights clearly etched on his face. I used to drink…a lot, and Grant had to cover my ass on a number of occasions in the past. Even though I’d behaved for close to three years, those memories will reside in the forefront of his memory until I’m eligible for Medicare.

  Alcohol made my muscles tingle and relax after a few sips. After a couple of drinks, I gained the confidence my brother came by naturally. Just being near Dominic made me nervous so I needed all the help I could get. Dominic set the shot down on the bar in front of me. Quickly glancing at Grant, I slammed it back without a flinch; no salt or lime. It didn’t take long for the warmth to start coursing through my veins, loosening my muscles. I ordered another one. Like a turtle creeping out of its shell, with each shot I became more gregarious. After my third Cuervo, I was ready to flirt the pants off of Dominic, literally.

  Miranda, the club manager joined us at the bar. The way she orbited around my brother, I had a pretty good idea about their relationship. I found this discovery interesting because Grant hadn’t mentioned that he was seeing anyone. “Grant, you have a phone call. You can take it in my office.”

  “Okay. Nat, hang out for a bit and I’ll give you a lift home.”

  He and Miranda walked away, leaving me alone at the bar with Dominic. Brittany joined me and sat on the stool, adjusting her low cut shirt to reveal more cleavage. She smiled at Dominic, but he turned away and focused on wiping down liquor bottles. Interesting, I thought to myself and snuck a glance at his ass which, like everything else, was perfect.

  “So Natalie, are you up for a smoke session?” Brittany interrupted. I turned towards her. She tucked her hair behind an ear, mimed holding a joint up to her mouth and inhaled.

  “No, I’m good with the shots. I stopped smoking pot a long time ago.”

  She raised her eyebrow and gazed at me with intensity. So she wanted to test the new girl.

  “I’m in,” Dominic said, his eyes scanning me up and down. My insides did a somersault and at that moment I tossed the “Big Brother Policy” out the window – in less than twelve hours I might add - a new record. Brittany eyeballed Dominic in a completely different manner. Her bright blue eyes glittered, not with tears, but some other emotion.

  Moments later we were sitting in Brittany’s car. She introduced me to Allegra, one of the two chesty shooter girls. Allegra smiled and passed me a joint which I almost dropped the first time around because I was shaking so badly from the cold and from being out of practice. Weed was something else I hadn’t had since high school. One night at my new job and the old vices were popping back up.

  The January night was frigid and the car took a while to warm up. Allegra and Brittany sat up front while Dominic sat in the back with me. Feeling brave after the tequila and a few tokes, I inched closer to him and the temperature instantly got a lot warmer. We leaned towards each other, our shoulders touching. Brittany occasionally glanced in the rearview mirror and scowled, which made me uncomfortable, so when Dominic placed his hand on my thigh, I adjusted the position to where she couldn’t see. I placed my hand on top of his and linked our fingers together. Then I held my breath as he moved in for a kiss.

  A loud bang pierced the silence around us. I jumped and my head jerked up, almost colliding with Dominic’s face. “What the hell was that?”

  “Probably a car backfiring,” Dominic whispered against my neck, trying to get my attention back. It almost worked. His very presence distracted me especially when I inhaled his spicy scent.

  A second bang cracked, ricocheting off of the old, brick buildings which surrounded the parking lot. This time I recognized the sound.

  I waited for the sirens. In any big city, gunfire was pretty common, and Philadelphia was no exception. There were many times I heard gunshots in the distance, but this was different. These were really close. A few minutes passed and the atmosphere in the car grew tense. Headlights whipped around the corner and a gray sedan pulled up to the loading dock located at the rear of Blue. A man in a long trench coat got out and the back door to the club opened up. He spoke to someone who remained in the shadows and something was exchanged. When the guy moved to get back in the car, his coat moved to the side and the light caught his badge that was clipped to his belt. The officer got back in his car and left.

  My jaw dropped. Did I really just witness this? I turned and noticed everyone in the car staring at me. “Did you guys see that? I think the cop just got paid off!” Allegra and Brittany shrugged their shoulders and directed a weird look towards Dominic, who squeezed my hand.

  “It’s nothing. Probably a gun from the gun check went off. No big deal.”

  “But there was more than one shot.”

  “Happens all the time, don’t worry about it and just don’t go telling everyone. We…” He stopped mid sentence.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Forget you saw anything.” Dominic breathed this against my neck, but this wasn’t as distracting as a few minutes earlier, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the darkened back door of the club.

  Finally I blinked, but still didn’t say anything. Focusing back on my co-workers, I caught Brittany smirking at me in the rearview mirror, almost daring me to panic. My instincts were screaming at me to get the hell out of the car and run, but I quickly silenced them. I considered how excited I was to work at Crimson, how all my college friends thought it was cool, and plus I needed the money. Dominic massaging my thigh, just under the hemline of my skirt, provided another reason to ignore my gut.

  Chapter 2

  Allegra lit another joint and passed it around, but the atmosphere had become subdued. Dominic, sensing my distance, backed off. The gunshots seemed to have sobered everybody up.

  I’d just inhaled when my door was yanked open. I screamed and began to choke on
the smoke, dropping the joint on the floor mat when Grant popped his head in.

  “Why are you out here? I told you to wait for me.”

  “I wasn’t going anywhere. What took you so long anyway?”

  “Last minute work stuff…come on, I’ll take you home,” he said, moving aside so I could step out.

  Dominic decided to leave too and started walking to his car, a black classic Mustang, and turned back to me. “See you tomorrow night?”

  “Err, uh, yes,” I answered, internally cursing the return of my awkwardness.

  “Good.”

  My mouth, already dry from the weed, dried up completely and I smiled.

  “Let’s go, Natalie,” Grant said, while glaring at Dominic.

  Grant drove me back to my apartment and I wanted to talk to him about what I had witnessed, but he was absorbed in his own thoughts. He would glance at me every few minutes until I had to break the silence.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Nothing.”

  “Why the hell do you keep looking at me like that?”

  “Like what?”

  I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. My typical reaction when he was being annoying.

  “I’m thinking I shouldn’t have gotten you a job at Crimson.”

  “Are you firing me?” I paused. “Do you have the authority to fire me?” I asked in a quieter tone.

  Grant didn’t answer right away which did nothing to encourage me. He still had a nervous, far-away expression; his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

  “What happened tonight – well, it happens a lot. Crimson may seem all shiny and exciting, but there is a dark side too.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The gunshots, the cop –“

  “Oh, you saw that too!” I didn’t recall seeing Grant anywhere, but I felt relieved that he knew.

  “Yeah and I wish you hadn’t.”

  “Dominic said that Blue has a gun check and sometimes there’s an accidental discharge. It’s no big deal.”