“What’s he doin’ that’s so great?” I massage my temples, hoping the bongo drums quiet down.
“He landed his ass at Harrah’s Pool After Dark as a bouncer.”
“Big fuckin’ deal,” I say to Shady. “You’re a bouncer here.”
“Way different, believe me.”
“How?”
“First of all, he’s knee-deep in pussy all night.”
“You’re bouncing in a fuckin strip club.” I wave my hand around the room. “Can’t get closer to pussy than that.”
“Nah, he’s hooking up with the chicks who come to the pool party as guests, not the workers. The last thing I wanna do is get with the chicks here after I see them give it up two, three times a night.”
I’m immediately thankful for the empty foil wrappers strewn over the floor.
“Ace says he’s got stacks of cocktail napkins with phone numbers on them.”
“Knowing Ace, he’s probably bullshitting you,” Speed chimes in.
I nod in agreement, and my skull rebels. Back in the day, Ace made everyone believe whatever he wanted them to believe. No matter who he came in contact with, they thought they were hisbest friend. He’d get you to hand over your last dollar and thank him for the privilege. Fuckin’ amazing.
“Fact is fact,” Speed says. “The bastard wrangled himself a premium job compared to the rest of us.”
Ace’s connections and contacts ranged from the homeless guy on the corner, to the casino manager at the Borgata, and in one way or another, he got them all to work for him. Craziest part, they loved doing it.
His only loyalty remained to the Kings, and that’s what made him so valuable as a VP.
“I bet that bastard doesn’t have to clean shit up either,” Shady adds.
“Neither do you. You just said the cleaning staff was on its way.”
“Who the fuck do you think is the cleaning staff?” He jerks his thumb at himself. “You know how hard it is to get cum outta velvet couches?”
I shift my gaze from side to side. Probably too late to be wondering what I’ve been sleeping on all night.
“I need some fuckin’ coffee,” Speed moans.
“Don’t look at me, fucker. I gotta get you guys outta here before the boss comes in, or my ass is on the line.”
“Don’t worry, we’re out.” I push off the couch, steady myself and nod to Speed. “I need a room till I get everything on track. Where you livin’?”
“I rent a place down in Margate at the Golden Sands.” Speed shrugs. “It’s a shithole, but it’s a place to lay my head.”
“You think they have any vacancies?”
“The Golden Sands always has a vacancy. Believe me, nobody stays at that dump too long, except me.”
“As long as the room’s got a shower with running water, I’m good. Anything’s an upgrade from my last home away from home.”
I turn to Shady. “You think you can get the night off?”
“Yeah, they owe me some hours.”
“I wanna find Ace over at Harrahs.” Might as well rip that Band-Aid off.
“Ohhh, I won’t miss that.” Shady laughs, then waves his arm at the door. “Get the fuck outta here so I can get all your DNA cleaned up from last night.”
