Page 7 of Tarek

He lowers his head and shakes it slowly. Lifting his glass, he sips on the white rum. He fixes his stare on Teresa as she throws her bra at some lucky bastard in the audience.

“I fired her. The label replaced her with Bruno across there.” He flicks his hand at the tall man standing in the corner.

I chuckle. “You passed up a great pair of legs and ass for a bald Swedish looking motherfucker? What the hell did you do?”

Jasper shrugs. “I lived.”

His reply is simple, but I get it. “The Reed brothers are here. Get your fix, Brooks is—” My phone vibrates in my pocket. Taking it out, I see the contact named Heaven on Earth.

Jasper dips his head down to see my phone. “Who the fuck is Heaven on Earth?”

I end the call, pushing my phone back into my pocket. “A new girl named Veronica.”

“But Heaven on Earth? Is she that good? Is she going to get one of your famous necklaces?” Jasper asks.

“Heaven on Earth is an abbreviation,” I mutter as I dip my hands into a bowl of cashews. Chucking the nuts, I throw them back in my mouth, waiting for Jasper to catch on.

“An abbreviation? For Heaven On Earth?” he replies. I nod as Jasper’s smile widens as the meaning dawned on him. “You motherfucker.”

I shrug, finishing off my bourbon.

“See you Saturday,” I reply, taking my money out of my pocket. I drop a hefty tip on the walnut counter.

Jasper nods. “Saturday.”

It doesn’t take me long to get to the front of the building. I stand near the front podium as the valet maneuvers my car to the bottom stairs.

As I slide into the buttery leather of my BMW, my world shifts and tilts and I laugh. Finally, the BX3 kicks in. It’s about to be an interesting night.

* * *

“And they say you can’t drive high.” I press the button and turned the car off. My head feels huge. This BX3 is amazing. I feel like I am floating on air. The car door opens as Walter stands to the side.

“Welcome home, sir,” Walter says as his shoulders are thrown back, nose held high up to the air.

“Thanks, Walters.” I place my feet flat onto my graveled driveway. All I have to do is stand, but my knees are locked. Shit, my legs. I stand holding on to the car door for balance. The stairs look lower than usual, two guardian statue lions sitting on their concrete thrones, turn their heads toward me and sneer.

“Are you okay, sir?”

Am I okay? Fuck, no. I haven’t been okay in years. “I’m fine, old chap. Where is she?”

“Upstairs in your bedroom, sir,” Walter says, the sound of the car door closes behind me. “Do you need help, sir?”

I drag my hand down my face and smirk. Do I need help? Clearly, I fucking do. My mind, soul and body feel fucked. “No, Walter. I’m fine.”

“Very good, sir.”

I slowly climb the stairs watching as it melts away from under my feet. God it’s hot, I wipe away the beads of sweat forming on my forehead. As I enter through my mansion door, I pull my jacket off, leaving it behind on the floor.

“It’s like a furnace in here. Walter please lower the temperature.” I didn’t realize the distance of my front door to the main stairs till today. It feels like I walked a mile when I finally hold on to the stone railing and make my way up to my bedroom.

I stroll casually down the halls, looking at the paintings of my ancestors who are staring down at me in disappointment. Flipping them the bird, I continue floating down to my bedroom.

As I reach for the handle, the door instantly opens. “Tarek I have been waiting for nearly two hours for you.”

Veronica sounds angry for some reason, I thought she would be sleeping by now, not that it matters.

I move past her, pulling my shirt out of my pants, and unbuckling my belt, I wobble to the chair near my bed and sit.

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