He shrugged.
“Alright, but I hope I see you tonight, but if not, I’ll make another way.”
“Whatever you say, Proctor.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back in to press a kiss to my forehead before letting me go. When I finally stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, I realized I’d been holding my breath the whole time I was inside.
Proctor was dangerous and in ways that didn’t involve violence, but straight anticipated pleasure that I knew I shouldn’t have.
Chapter 7
Proctor
I stood in front of the mirror, fastening the cufflink on my right sleeve and adjusting my suit collar. This was a much different kind of cuffs than what I’d worn the past year, and this ten thousand dollar suit was nothing like the last. The Italian wool fell over my frame just right, tailored for me and only me. I had my Cartier frames on and had stopped by my barber earlier and let him to line me up so my fade blended so smoothly it looked painted.
When I walked downstairs and passed the bar, the TV mounted in the corner was replaying footage of a massacre at a gas station outside of town. I laughed through my nose, amused, because the news anchor kept repeating that there were no leads in the case. Of course, there wasn’t.
As long as ol girl kept her mouth shut, I’d definitely get away with murder like I always did. I know she would simply by the way she looked at me earlier today. Her face showed half fear, half fascination, which means I had her right where I wanted her.
When I walked in the club, the building had that quiet-before the storm energy. The waitresses moved around setting up sections, placing bottles in neat lines, and dropping ice into silver buckets, preparing them to hold expensive bottles. Thebass from the sound check vibrated through the floor, and these were the typical noises you hear before the chaos later in the night.
I walked toward the back hallway, and Brenda, the staff manager for the club, came twisting out of the door in one of her signature tight dresses and high heels.
“Big Proc.”
“Big Bren, how you been?”
“I've been great. Glad to see you back at work.”
“For sho.”
“All of the guard supervisors are back there waiting on you.”
“Good, thanks.” I hugged her around her waist, admiring that sweet ass perfume she always wore. Everything was platonic with Brenda and I because business was always just business with anyone who worked here.
“Real quick Bren, how many niggas got thrown out of the club while I was gone?”
“About a hundred. Maybe two hundred if we count the pool parties over the summer.”
“Good, that means they were doing their fuckin jobs around here?”
“Yep, since they were trained by the best.”
She rubbed her hand across my chest before she walked past me.
“See you around, Big Proc.”
“Not before I spot you first, Big Bren.” She laughed at our playful banter.
I went further down the hallway and pushed through the office door, where Sergio, Dave, Steve, and Marcus were posted up, draped in suits just like mine. Even though we ran security, we dressed like corporate niggas because I ran my security team like the secret service. We treated every guest like The President, because not only did I want money, but I also wanted the best reputation in the city. Whether it was fuckin or securing a club, I was going to be elite at everything I do.
“Boss man got his haircut and suit on. That’s how I know it’s time to get back to business.”
Sergio’s Italian accent curled around his words.
“Yeah, and now that I’m back, people don’t need to just hear it, they need to feel it.”
“Yeah, we hear you.”
