Page 1 of The Dominator

1

“Her name is Athena. They call her Tia. She’s yours if you want her.”

“Mine?”

“Yeah, yours.” Pop waved his hand dismissively. “For whatever.”

I was sitting in my father’s office absorbing this news, news that this Athena was coming to me as a gift from my father, that he’s taking her as payment for unpaid debts.

Pop said he was about to have the news of the payment arrangement conveyed to her father and then I could do what I wanted with her.

“For whatever” meant I could put her on the streets under one of the pimps on our downline. I could also opt to send her overseas and pocket the profits.

We had connections in a variety of industries, including those of the seedy underworld. We had fingers in less-than-wholesome pies. Looking at her photo I knew she’d fetch more on the black market than the debt her daddy owed. Way more.

We receive commissions based on a variety of pursuits. Some call us mafia. I don’t like that word. You might say I say tomato, you say tom-atto and while it’s all the same fruit, of course, there are many varieties of tomatoes. We’re businessmen. We have businesses we fully own and those we own a stake in.

Not all of what we do is legal, but it’s not all shady business deals and gambling debts, either. The way it’s set up creates multiple layers and plenty of income streams. Money flows to the family coffers from a variety of areas like security, construction, retail and wholesale businesses. There are gray areas, too, like security, protection, and of course loansharking, prostitution, and drugs. We mostly deal in organics rather than chemicals, and it’s only a small part of our business.

Yes, organized crime exists in the 21st century. No, it’s not always as glamorous as it’s portrayed on screens but it’s not always as seedy, either. It’s a living. Some days are fairly ordinary. Some days are a rush. Some days we have to make tough decisions. I’d had to make many difficult decisions so far and I was sure there would be many more ahead of me, especially given that I’d soon be sitting at the helm of the family empire.

My father had humble beginnings as a working guy who was respected and connected around town. He and his best friend, a guy also connected – even more connected that Pop – started a construction company. It did well; they were smart and resourceful. Over time, they saw the need for a number of other services and had the capital to begin expansions so they could better provide for their family without paying half their earnings in taxes. The company has grown by leaps and bounds in the past thirty years.

After the construction company got off the ground, he opened a coffee shop. He now has six of those coffee shops and it’s moving to a franchising model in the next five to seven months. He’s a partner in some restaurants, some hotels, plus a few nightclubs. Some of those clubs have backroom card games; some that deal in big money.

Drugs and druggies, alcohol and alcoholics, hookers, nymphos, bookies, gamblers, loan sharks… they’ll always be out there. Why shouldn’t we profit from it? We have the brains and the brawn and the green. And because of that we’ve got the cars, the houses, the fat bank accounts, and the high tax brackets so we look above-board to the tax man and have the fat rainy day funds in our mattresses, attics, basements, whatever. We do regular shit. We also do bad shit.

Why bust our chops for a bit better than minimum wage and work like a dog until we’re ready to drop to put a meager amount of money into a retirement plan we may never get to spend? Successful men get between what men want and the source.

That’s what we do. You want to bet on the races? We can help. You want to get your rocks off, find someone to cater to your fetishes? We’ll hook you up. You need money to pay off your gambling debts or start up a new venture? Guess, what? We can help there, too.

It all fits together nicely, like a puzzle. People need protection. People need money. People need help from builders to build those businesses they want us investing in, so we do the investing and we do the building. And people need vices so at the end of a hard day they’ve had a little fun.

And because men can have too much of a good thing and get caught up in the sins of the flesh and the thrill of the bet it can get dirty. Some don’t pay their debts. Some need to be dealt with. Sometimes people get greedy and try to take from us. We have to make tough decisions. People come to play; they must be prepared to pay. We show our enemies and those who want our profits that we aren’t to be trifled with.

I’m twenty-nine, Pop’s namesake, and I’m inches away from taking over the family business. This is how we feed and protect ourselves and the ones who count on us. We take that seriously. If people borrow money, they have to pay their debts. We prefer cash as our currency of choice, of course, but sometimes creative financing comes into play when someone can’t pay.

My family may be wealthy, but I’ve earned my stripes, too. Pop didn’t believe in sticking a silver spoon in my mouth when he had to claw his way up. He made sure I had to do the same. He calls it character-building. My brother and I both call him a hard ass.

I started at the bottom at fourteen and worked my way up, buying my own condo with cash I earned by the time I was nineteen. I’ve done hard work. Dirty work. No one can say that I don’t legit deserve to sit in my father’s chair when that day comes.

Sitting in my father’s office and getting told he was handing over a flesh payment on a debt to me was intriguing, to say the least. I’d never seen him take this kind of payment before.

Telling me I could do “whatever” was a game. My father wanted me to keep her for myself. My cock twitched looking at her photo. Long, silky-looking chestnut brown hair, big jade green eyes, beautiful skin, full lips, fit yet curvy. Soft-looking.

“Why are you letting the guy pay like this? This isn’t our style. There’s more to it. Spill.”

Pop shrugged. “This was my choice, not his. Too many questions, Tommy. Just think of it as a gift. A bonus for all your hard work. Look at her.”

He pushed the picture closer. My Pop didn’t like questions, that was for damn sure. I guess I inherited that quality from him. But, I needed to know the details, particularly because he was probably only a few key decisions away from retiring. He didn’t look ready to retire; he’s only in his mid-fifties and looks like he’s forty. But Pop worked hard to build his empire and says he wants to reap the fruits of that labor before he’s too old to fully enjoy it.

“What kind of guy gives his daughter up for debts? The debt is measly,” I said.

He looked reflective and a long moment passed.

“Pop?”

“I bought his debt. There’s history. Long family history. This guy! He…” He waved his hand. “He was like one of those, what do you call… fan girls. He tried to crawl up all our asses and worm his way into the business. He was always a liability, so he didn’t get the time of day. He disrespected me many years ago. He took something from me. He paid a price. But I don’t know that his price was enough.” He tapped his temple with his index finger. “And some nights I still lay awake thinking about what he took from me. This daughter, she’s all he’s got of any value. And look at her. I’m thinking she’s young, she’s beautiful, you could make her yours. Marry her, maybe. Your call, I know, but that’s what I think. It’d be a shame to put her to work or sell her off. I saw opportunity. I acted. Two birds, one stone. Pay this guy back by taking his last thing of value. Take her to pay his paltry debt and help our family move forward.”

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