Lil Wayne’sCarter IIbeat through my Escalade as I cut across Midtown toward Frost International Holdings. My father called earlier swearing that he had some important shit to talk about, then hung up before I could even ask him shit. I was in the middle of perfecting a new dish for the Buckhead location, but when Gregory Frost called, you showed up. Not even on no top dog shit cause that nigga didn’t run me and hadn’t since I moved out after high school graduation but it was just about loyalty… history, that old-school part of me that still respected blood even when it disappointed the hell out of me. What pissed me off was that the nigga acted like I didn’t run my own empire on the opposite side of the city. Fire & Frost Culinary Group had celebrities flying me and my crew out for private dinners. My name alone filled reservation lists for months straight. I built my culinary brand up from pure talent while he sat his ass in glass boardrooms taking credit for buildings he didn’t even design.
Fire & Frost was a name muthafuckas said with they chest. My restaurants were booked out months at a time. My catering division fed Atlanta’s elite, and my private dining experiences were damn near impossible to get into without strings or money.I wasn’t just a chef; I was a brand but Gregory Frost never saw me as anything other than his son. A pawn in a suit he kept trying to tailor around my damn neck.
I pulled into his private garage and stepped out, the December air tapping away my skin with cold fingertips. The building rose above me tall with black glass. Everything about it matched him… soulless and heartless, something that he and I could never agree on. Inside, the lobby gleamed with marble floors, chandeliers and curated artwork that I knew was picked out from his personal assistant that everyone knew he was fucking. Mom lived a soft life and didn’t give a damn what he did as long as the checks cleared.
Security in tailored suits stood back, watching, waiting for some shit to go down. The employees moved like clockwork, eyes glued to tablets. The whole sight in front of me screamed money and my family had plenty of it. Candace perked up as soon as her eyes laid on me.
“Good morning, Mr. Frost,” she said, voice soft and sweet as her eyes wandered down to the evident bulge in my slacks. I leaned in just enough for her to hear me.
“Quit watching my dick and focus on your goofy ass husband,” I smirked. “Thirst don’t look good on you, ma.”
Her mouth dropped open. I pushed past the desk and headed straight to the elevator. Candace was fine as hell, that wasn’t the issue. She had been checking for me since the first day she started. Not to mention, I slid her in the supply room and fucked her on her first day. I entertained her for a while, and she let me. Whenever I called or text, she would rearrange her whole schedule just to get some dick. She was married to some goofy ass nigga that worked in the finance department but that ain’t have shit to do with me. She knew what it was… I wasn’t her nigga and wasn’t trying to be. I just wanted that mouthand pussy when I called. She was convenient pussy and nothing more.
I stepped into the elevator, hit the button and immediately felt the irritation creeping back in. My father always had some kind of business venture or bullshit to discuss and I wasn’t up for it. I stepped off the elevator onto the executive floor and walked straight past the front desk where Tanya, his receptionist sat pretending she wasn’t straightening her clothes after whatever the fuck they had going on before I got there. She gave me a nervous smile.
“Your father’s waiting,” she said
“I figured,” I mumbled and kept moving.
I tapped once on the office door out of habit before stepping inside. The stench his nose first, pissing me off. Gregory stepped out of his private bathroom adjusting his shirt, tugging the buttons through the holes. Sweat was evident on his forehead. His tie hung loose around his neck.
“Ah, son, right on time,” he said. “Tonya and I just finished our uhh… lunch break.”
“You’re really need to stop fucking her ass in this office. It smells straight like shit pops!” I spat. “And tell Tonya her hygiene is bullshit. You gotta be fucking her in the ass or some but either way it stinks in this muthafucka. Light a candle or crack a damn window.”
He shot me an annoyed look but stayed quiet. The smell sat in the air heavy and my irritation doubled. I already didn’t wanna’ be here and I had to stand in a room that smelled like a pig’s ass.
“Let’s just talk business,” he said finally, straightening his tie.
“Nah, let’s talk about you spraying some air freshener or sum shit before I say anything else,” I muttered under my breath pulling my shirt over my nose to at least breathe without tastingthe air. He ignored me as he moved behind his oversized desk and sat down.
“Sit down, son. We have important matters to discuss.” He gestured with his hand pointing towards the empty chair.
“I’ll stand,” I said, crossing my arms. “Say what you need to say, pops. I got real work to get back to.”
He sighed like I was the one who had done something wrong. “I’d appreciate you acting like the adult you claim to be.”
“I’m an adult,” I spat, “Which is why I can smell that funky shit and tell you it’s nasty.”
He ignored me and reached for a folder on his desk. “I met with the Hargroves this morning.”
“Good for you.”
“This affects you too so sit.”
I wanted this conversation over more than I wanted to argue so I sat. He straightened the folder and folded his hands.
“Hargroves is finalizing a partnership with Frost International. We’re talking about expansion, influence and global positioning. It’s a move that will secure our place at the top of this industry for years to come.”
“And” I said irritated that he wasn’t getting to the point of me being here.
He looked up, eyes steady. “Part of this agreement involves you, son.”
“Nigga say the part you trying to dance around.”
“Nikolai, I’m still your father and you will respect me!”
I leaned back in the chair and stared at him, face void of any emotion. “Then stop talking in circles. I’m here. Say what you need to say.
