by G. K. Parks
“Did you run into any more sex workers last night?” Justin asked the next day.
“No.”
“I’m sorry?” He shrugged. “I’m not sorry? I don’t know. What kinds of places do you go to drink that you run into these ladies of the night?”
“Mostly high-end bars and clubs.”
“Shouldn’t the management keep them out?”
“How many politicians, businessmen, and celebrities make the news because they had sex with professionals?”
“A lot. Is that how you plan to compete in the big leagues?”
“No.” I found the conversation vexing. “My point is establishments that cater to those individuals allow them to entertain plenty of vices.”
“That sounds risky.”
“It is.”
“Should I worry what kinds of vices our clients hire you to cover up?”
“We’re not fixers. That’s not our business.”
“It seems like a fine line.”
“We’ll see.” I shook my head. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”
“You have a couple of calls on the schedule. You also have a meeting with Unbreakable, that security equipment firm that wants to woo you. You’re supposed to be meeting one of their reps for lunch.”
“That’s right.”
“They’re sending a car for you. Do you think they’ll hire hookers?”
“You’re not funny. But it is a nice change of pace, being wooed instead of doing the wooing.” If nothing else, I might pick up a few tips on signing clients.
“Oh, and King Realty called. They found a few properties that might be of interest.”
“See if they can show them to me after work today. Our days are too busy.”
Justin reached for the phone. “I’ll do my best.”
The phone calls I had to make didn’t take long. Corporate clients wanted progress reports and explanations on the work I’d already done and the changes and suggestions I’d made. When that was finished, I read my e-mail. King Realty had sent me photos and estimated costs of a few of the properties in question. I made a list of the priority locations, figuring my time was valuable.
Tapping the intercom button, I leaned closer to the speaker. “Justin, what did King Realty say?”
“Guinevere Harris can take you to see the properties after five tonight. She’s one of the junior real estate agents they assigned to you.”
“Guinevere?”
“Yeah, boss. Is that a problem?”
“Nope.” While I grabbed my tablet and a portfolio of projections that I’d need for my lunch meeting, I wondered if Guinevere was her real name. It fit in perfectly with King Arthur and his Knights, which would be a great gimmick for King Realty. “Where am I meeting her?”
“She said she’d meet you here,” Justin said as I stepped out of my office. “Seriously, Lucien?” He rolled his eyes and let out a disgruntled grunt. “You make me talk to you over the damn intercom and you aren’t even in your office to hear my response.”
“But I still heard you.”
“Which is the entire reason why I don’t think we need an intercom.”
I clapped him on the back and headed for the door. “Gloria, see if you can explain the system to him while I’m out.”
She looked up from her spot. “Mr. Cross enjoys irritating you. The intercom is the best way to do it.”
“See,” I winked at Justin, “she gets it. Why don’t you?”
“Ugh.” He glared at me and went back to work.
A chauffeured, black SUV sat in front of the building. Hesitantly, I approached. The driver got out, asked if I was Lucien Cross, and opened the door. I slid into the back, surprised to find a woman waiting for me. Thankfully, she wasn’t a hooker.
“Hi, Mr. Cross. I’m Dani Heller.” She held out her hand, and we shook. She had a firm grip and looked me in the eye. Her business suit was professional but feminine. She wore a black skirt with a modest slit in the side that I noticed when she crossed her legs. “I represent Unbreakable. We specialize in security equipment and systems.”
“I’m aware.”
“Wonderful.” She nodded to the driver, and he pulled into traffic. “Let me be blunt. Cross Security and Investigations has caught our attention. I realize you install systems and customize upgrades. May I ask if you have a supplier?”
“A few.” I knew this game. Unbreakable wanted to offer me a partnership of sorts. I’d install their systems and use their products, and for my trouble, I’d receive compensation. “I’m not entirely knowledgeable on your specs or what you’re offering.”
“We’ll get to that.” She kept her eyes on me. “But before I launch into the whole song and dance, will you tell me if I should save my breath? I believe working together would be beneficial for us both, but I’m perfectly happy writing this meeting off and enjoying a fabulous lunch with a brilliant man. Either way, I win.”
I conducted business in a similar fashion, and I appreciated the tactic. Compliments always helped in negotiations. “I’m open to the possibility of a partnership. But I want to know how Unbreakable envisions this going. I won’t put my name or reputation on something I’m not one hundred percent sure about.”
She reached into the leather bag at her feet and pulled out a binder and handed it to me. “I find it’s easier to have hard copies and printouts available. It makes it easier to flip back and forth and make notes.” While I skimmed the tabs of the binder, she tapped on her phone. “I also e-mailed you the same information, in case you prefer it that way.”
I flipped pages, eyeing the sensors, cameras, locks, and mechanisms Unbreakable produced. “Let’s talk numbers.”
“That’s music to my ears.”
The ride to the restaurant flew by, and we spent hours inside, going over projected costs, what Cross Security would gain out of it, and the role Unbreakable would play. I wasn’t willing to sign on the dotted line until I personally vetted every piece of equipment I planned to use, but if the specs and tests proved accurate, I didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t use Unbreakable as a supplier when suggesting physical upgrades to my corporate clients’ security systems. Unbreakable had everything from motion sensors to cameras to biometric scanners. With my knowledge, know-how, and the right software to operate the system, I could make a building more secure than Fort Knox.
Ms. Heller paid the tab and gave me a ride back to my office. “Let’s schedule a follow-up meeting. My boss will want to speak to you directly. I’m sure he’ll be able to answer all those questions that I couldn’t.” That was an embellishment. Heller had answers for almost everything, except how much my cut would be or how much of a deduction they’d take off the price that I’d make up for when charging my clients. I also wanted to know if they’d reciprocate our relationship by suggesting my firm conduct the security assessments and overhauls to their existing client base. “How is Tuesday at ten?”
Pulling out my phone, I checked the calendar. “I’m busy at ten.”
“Not a problem.” She tapped on her screen. “One?”
“Can you make it 1:30?”
“Absolutely.” She marked it in the calendar. “I’ll send a car to pick you up.”
“That’s okay. I have another meeting that day. Will it be at your headquarters?”
“Yes.” She hit a few more keys, and my phone chimed. “I sent you the address and details. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Cross?” She uncrossed her legs and crossed them the other way.
“No, this looks promising. I hope our next meeting will be just as productive.”
She hit another few buttons, and my phone chimed again. “That’s my private line, in case you think of anything else you might need.”
“Thanks.” I stepped out of the car. Sex appeal sells. I knew this. It’s why plenty of pharmaceutical reps were attractive young men and women. It’s also why PanAm and other airlines had such rigid standards back in the day. I’d hoped we’d made progress s
ince then as a society, but I wasn’t sure we had. But since I was on the beneficial side of things and rather enjoyed the potential perks that came with it, I didn’t want to complain, which probably meant I hadn’t evolved much from the Neanderthal days. No wonder I’d been arrested for practically clubbing someone to death.
While musing on the lack of societal and personal evolution and contemplating the overlap of the sex industry from every other industry, I went inside and took the elevator up to the proper floor. When I got into the office, Guinevere Harris was waiting for me. I hadn’t realized my lunch had lasted five hours.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” I said to the woman. “I’ll be right with you. I just need ten minutes.” I opened my office door. “Justin, can I see you in private?”
My assistant stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. I gave him the binder and updated him on the situation.
“I’ll review everything myself to make sure the hardware is sound, but let’s have a third-party conduct a test to make sure we aren’t getting into bed with a company that has unreliable or unprogrammable hardware.”
“I’m on it. Anything else?”
“Just make the call and go home.”
“Hey, Lucien, don’t forget, I want my own office. Prioritize that when you view these new properties.”
Twenty-five
“What are your long-term plans, Mr. Cross?” Guinevere or Winnie, as I was told to call her, asked.
“Please, call me Lucien.” It seemed only fair. “Honestly, the sky’s the limit.”
She whistled, a smile on her face. “How often do you plan to upgrade your office suite?”
“I’d like that to be a one and done, if at all possible. Frankly, I don’t know what I’ll need aside from that list I already gave you.”
“You need room to expand. Are you sure you don’t want to buy your own building?”
“Unfortunately, that’s not in my price range. Cross Security is still in its infancy.”
“You could buy an office building and rent out the other floors. It’s a nice side hustle.”
I hadn’t considered that until now. Despite the dollar signs dancing in front of my eyeballs, I knew it’d be a bigger headache than it was worth. “That would make me responsible to all the tenants. I’d have to provide building security, deal with plumbing, and the window washers.” The list could go on forever. “I’m not ready to tackle that just yet.”
“Not a problem.” She parked in the garage beneath a forty-story office building that was still undergoing the final stages of construction. “As you can see, parking is available for you and all your employees. Several floors are currently available.” She rattled off the square footage. “The contractors can create whatever you want. Offices, conference rooms, et cetera.”
“The floors are available for purchase, not just rent?”
“The space is available for purchase. However much you need would be carved out. It’s also available for rent, but you made it clear you didn’t want to risk losing your office space or come under pressure with rent increases.” She cocked her head at me as we waited for the elevator. “Although, you don’t seem to want to deal with plumbing issues either. Owning makes you responsible. The building’s super won’t fix it for you.”
“I know that.” I also didn’t want any unauthorized personnel snooping through sensitive materials.
We toured the building. Several of the lower levels had already been filled with accountants, investment bankers, and lawyers. This would be a professional building with professionals working inside. These were the types of people I wouldn’t mind my clients bumping into in the elevator.
Winnie arranged for an architect and contractor to meet with us, and I went over the lab specifications with them. They promised they could do it. Everything was feasible. I’d want a training area, gym, and other equipment. I didn’t know if I could have a shooting range in the building, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Nothing was.
When we left, I felt good about the location. “Let’s make an offer. I’ll need at least three floors. That should give me enough room to expand.” Worst case, I could buy out my neighbors above or below. Who knows, there might be a point where the entire building would become Cross Security. The thought made me giddy.
She tried to hold back the smile, but she was just as excited as I was. We went back to my office to discuss matters in private, and I ordered dinner for us to celebrate. After deciding on a reasonable offer, Winnie went back to King Realty to get started on the paperwork and I called Almeada to warn him we might have upcoming real estate issues to address.
“Congrats, Cross,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“I’m taking you out to celebrate.”
“You?”
“Yeah, why not? Aren’t we friends?”
“I’m not sure. Would you hang out with me if I didn’t pay your retainer?”
“Good point.” Almeada laughed. “But you do, so we are. I’ll pick you up in fifteen minutes.”
Almeada took me to a private club he’d recently discovered. The main area was like a nonstop rave with strobing lights and pulsing tones. I glanced at Almeada, never expecting my attorney to have much of a life, let alone one this crazy. He caught my eye and gestured with his hand. I followed him to the bar. He leaned over, speaking to the bartender. A moment later, a door beside the bar unlocked, and Almeada pulled it open.
I followed him inside. Once the door closed, the room was nearly soundproofed. I could barely hear the rumble of the music. “What is this place?”
“It’s great, isn’t it?” He took a seat in one of the chairs and reached for the humidor. “A lawyer from my firm turned me on to this place. I don’t know how he found it, but I suspect a client recommended it.” Everything was leather and mahogany. No wonder lawyers liked this place; it looked like most law offices I’d seen.
They had an array of cigars, large humidors, and expensive liquors. Scotch, whiskey, bourbon, brandy. The golden hues blended in nicely with the rest of the décor. The room smelled like fine spirits, good cigars, and leather. I took a seat across from him.
A moment later, a waitress came through the door with an order pad. The service was excellent. This was the perfect place to make deals, meet clients, or think. Closing my eyes, I let my head rest against the backrest. I couldn’t remember the last time I wasn’t doing something productive. Even in my sleep, I suspected I was making lists and perfecting client pitches.
“Has business picked up?” he asked.
“Somewhat.”
“I figured it’d be booming with all those new hires.”
“I’ll need them.” And just like that, my mind was back on work. Something was bothering me. I just couldn’t figure out what. Maybe that’s why I’d been going out most nights. Okay, every night. Well, that and Jade told me I had to move on, so I wanted to tell her I’d made an honest attempt. That might make her more willing to accept that we could be together, no strings, every once in a while. A trip here, a vacation there, it wouldn’t be bad. And during the interim we could date around and live our lives. It was the only solution I could see to our dilemma, aside from never seeing one another again, which I didn’t want to think about.
“Lucien,” Almeada puffed on his cigar, “are you having that ‘oh shit, I just made an offer on three floors of a brand new office building’ moment?”
“No, smart ass.” I told him about my recent encounters with the prostitutes and the run-in I had with Danny Foster.
“It could be the police keeping tabs. Foster didn’t press charges, but since he and Sgt. Renwin were so close, they might have other friends in common.”
“Yeah, other cop friends.”
“What does Foster do?”
“He works construction.”
“Before that?”
“He was a paramedic and before that active military.”
“So he was a first responder. Tha
t’s probably how he and Renwin became acquainted.” Almeada let out a sigh and reached for his snifter of brandy. “The police can’t go near you for anything related to Renwin per the terms of the settlement. That didn’t necessarily encompass Jade or your involvement with her, but they wouldn’t want to risk muddying the waters by bringing you in on an assault or stalking charge that had to do with Jade.”
“He was the one stalking her,” I growled.
“I know. But if they could get you on something unrelated, even something minor, the less informed could use that as an opportunity to make their point or even make an example out of you. You need to be careful.”
“Is that your professional opinion?”
“Don’t break the law and don’t give them any reason to arrest you.” He pointed at me. “That’s my professional opinion.”
“Easier said than done. Given my line of work, we cross paths.”
“Avoid police cases, especially ones that could result in obstruction or tampering charges. No murder cases. Other than that, just pick and choose.”
“I need to pick my clients more carefully. The last one was a real pain in my ass.”
“I have clients like that.” The lawyer grinned at me.
“Zip it. I don’t lie to you.”
“Sometimes, I wish you would.”
“Let me know when I should.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” He finished his brandy and cigar. “Okay, I’m calling it a night. You coming? We can split a cab.”
“Not yet.”
“Suit yourself.”
After he left, I went back into the main room of the club and sat at the bar. The bartender brought me a gin and tonic, and I watched the reflection of the strobing lights in the glass. I didn’t see any security, but no one seemed interested in starting a fight or getting into an altercation. The club was private, but from the line out the door when we arrived, I wasn’t sure just how exclusive it was.
“Hey,” I said to the bartender, “how does one go about becoming a member?”
“Member?” He looked confused. “Oh, you mean access to the private rooms and all that.” He reached beneath the bar and pulled out a clipboard. “Just fill this out. We need to keep a credit card on file to run your tab. And that’s about it.”
