Chapter 1
Trooper
Ipushed my plate to the side after finishing the last bit of my food. Like most mornings, I ate alone, but today I decided to visit one of my favorite spots, Gallagher’s Steak House. After the night with Orin, I had quite a healthy appetite. She and I were up until two in the morning, with me hitting her deep while she bent her beautiful, sexy, slim body into positions that should have been impossible but she made them happen and I loved it. I wasn’t necessarily the type to claim a woman, but if anyone was consistent in my life, it would be Orin, and simply for that reason. Her body was amazing and she knew how to please me.
After scrolling through messages I had ignored the night before, I placed my phone on the table and leaned back enough to remove my wallet. The waitress had long since left my bill, but I didn’t need it to know the amount. I ordered the same thing every time I came here for lunch—Porterhouse, Gallagher’s potato chips, and a glass of Crown. Seventy-nine dollars for that shit, but I paid it without hesitation because it was the best in the city.
I tossed a hundred-dollar bill on the table and was about to stand when the conversation in the booth next to me caught my attention. I wasn’t really the type to mind other people’sbusiness, but the voice behind me did something to me. It was proper as hell, but sexy in a sense. I smirked, trying to imagine the face and body it belonged to. Instead of leaving like I intended, I laced my fingers, placing my hands on the table in front of me and leaning back against the buttery sofa booth, doing somthing I hadn’t ever done before. I eavesdropped on a conversation that didn’t have a gotdamn thing to do with me.
“Maddie, I can’t do it. What type of man, or little boy should I say, would expect a woman to downplay who she is in order to feel better about himself? That’s why I’m not with Lincoln anymore, so I’m not going to put up with that from anyone else either.”
I felt my brows raise because of the statement and frustration in her voice.
“But did he really, Sophie?”
“Yes.” She laughed arrogantly. “He told me not to tell anyone who I was, then proceeded to instruct me not to mention anything related to my business while we were there, and that he would introduce me to his peers. Who does that?”
“Maybe it’s not what you think, maybe he?—”
“Maybe he’s insecure and didn’t want his coworkers to know I make more money in one day than he makes in a month. How childish is that, Maddie? He should be proud to have a woman on his arm who is accomplished and doesn’t count the commas in his bank account.”
“You’re right. But damn, Sophie, he’s so damn fine. You should have just survived the evening, let him fuck you into a coma, then blocked his number. You need some dick, real dick, and not that damn silver bullet you’re sleeping with every night.”
Without meaning to, I chuckled and lifted my phone. I had heard enough. I almost felt sorry for her in a sense, but admiredthat she refused to settle for a man who wasn’t strong enough to accept she was about her business.
I considered offering my services because I could definitely help her out in the dick department. Her voice was sexy as hell and she didn’t seem like she was trying to find a husband. But based on her voice and hearing their conversation, she wasn’t my type. She was likely some high class chick. I was too hood for that. I liked my women a little more down to earth.
Not that I was fucking with birds or hoodrats, because that wasn’t my thing, but I also wasn’t dealing with a woman who couldn’t understand my struggle. Any woman who was too rich to find a man who couldn’t look past that was not the type of woman I fucked with. I didn’t care if a woman had more than me. Not that it was possible, because I wasn’t just rich, I was wealthy. I might have come from the streets, but I had been smart as hell with my money.
That came from being schooled by Story. When he explained the difference between being rich and being wealthy, I started investing my money. Little bits at a time so I wouldn’t raise any red flags. I invested and used the return to buy shit. Now I owned so much shit in New York one might as well say I owned New York. Not bad for a man who got his beginning in the streets and hustled for every dollar earned.
I was pulled from my thoughts by the conversation behind me again, and without meaning to, once again, I was sucked in.
“Sophie, you need a real man. Not one of these suits or silver spoon brothers like Lincoln who are intimidated by who you are. Look what it got me, sitting right in the middle of a complicated divorce. You don’t want that anyway. They bore you and you know it.”
“What else am I supposed to do? That’s the only type of man I meet, Maddie.”
I shook my head and smiled. I had to see who this Sophie was. Maybe her money wasn’t the issue. Her voice was cute as hell, but that didn’t mean it matched her face. However, I could be wrong. I slid from the buttery soft leather that surrounded me, and once I was on my feet, I adjusted my jeans, circled low around my waist.
My clothes were expensive, but based on my attire I didn’t belong here. That didn’t move me one way or another, because like I mentioned before, the food was good as hell, so I didn’t give a fuck. These suits in here could kiss my ass if they thought their money spent any differently than mine. Street or not, I was cultured enough to enjoy good food and the food was fucking amazing.
Taking a step from my booth, I glanced at the one behind me, preparing to steal a quick glance at whoever this Sophie was, but I was caught off guard and captivated by her beauty. Of the two, I instantly knew who she was. When I laid eyes on her, I felt it. She was fucking gorgeous, but saying that did her no justice. The crazy thing was, not one thing about her stood out over the others. Her features were simple, down to her mocha complexion, dark, diamond-shaped eyes, thin lips, and button nose. Oddly enough, everything about her was basic as fuck, but her features blended together to create a work of art.
Our eyes met and a soft smile crept across her face before she tucked her jet-black hair behind her ear and blushed under my stare. After holding her gaze a little longer than intended, I nodded and turned to walk away, hearing the two so-called whispering behind me.
“That man is fucking gorgeous, Sophie. That’s what you need in your life. And he looks like money. I bet he’ll fuck you senseless without caring how much money you make a day.”
“Maddie, shut up. You’re too loud. He’s not my type and you know it. Oh my God, I can’t believe you just said that. You better hope he didn’t hear you.”
I smirked at the embarrassment in her voice, but her girl was right about one thing. Sophie could definitely get this dick without me giving any thought at all to her bank. From the second I laid eyes on her I knew she was a problem I didn’t need. She and I came from two different worlds and there was no way we would ever find common ground.
When I reached the valet, I handed over my ticket and slipped my hand into my pocket to get my ringing phone while I watched him check the tag and grab my key. Recognizing there was an identical fob next to the empty spot from where he lifted mine, I smiled at someone sharing my taste in vehicles. Mine, however, was brand new, barely even a week old, and I was already in love.
“Ay, where you at?” my dude Carlos questioned as soon as I picked up.
He and I had been down for years, but when I got out of the game, he elected to stay in. Not because of the money, Carlos had just as much as I did, but his ass loved the thrill. He couldn’t let go of the feeling that came from making million dollar deals with men who would cut your heart out or cut your throat just for shorting them ten dollars on an ounce.
respected the hustle and was good as hell. Story made sure of that before his ass got sent up the river, but I knew enough to get out before I ended up the same way. I still had respect and power, just without the added stress of having to constantly look over my shoulder. Plus, the only way Story agreed to put me on when I first joined his team was if I made a promise not to do it forever. I kept that promise.
