Chapter 11 - Leon

The club pulsates with life–strobe light cuts through the darkness in blue and pink beams. Bodies writhe in rhythm, their sweaty skin catching the light. Men and women bump into each other, hands wander over bodies, and the drinks flow like liquid courage, blurring the boundaries in this electric haze. The night spins on in a symphony of lust and liberation.

This is the kind of fun I used to enjoy, but tonight, under the neon glow, I feel an emptiness–a void; it's just a hollow source of entertainment.

Maxim and Boris sit on the opposite plush sofa, drinks in hand, watching the women dancing on poles on the raised dance floor. They are nothing more than students who have drunk enough alcohol to be brave. Their bodies sway to the heavy beat booming through the club.

I sip my whiskey and wish I had stayed home instead of going out tonight.

Boris grins as two women approach, their black dresses clinging tightly to their bodies and their blonde, wavy hair flowing freely down their backs.

The escorts are both women I've slept with before, although the sex wasn't good enough to warrant a return.

Lena gives Maxim a sultry smile as she sits next to him on the sofa"s armrest and combs her red-painted nails through his hair before abandoning him and coming over to my side.

She leans closer, her lips pressing against my ear. "It's been a long time since you visited us here."

Aubree takes my other side, her hand on my thigh, dangerously close to my cock. "You should come to see us more often. That night the three of us spent together was fun, wasn't it?"

"I'm a busy man." Although I don't move her hand, the thought of sending her sprawling on her ass as she gets up and sits on my lap does cross my mind.

Aubree grinds her hips in my lap to the beat of the music, but I stay soft.

It is no longer her body that I want, and Boris has not yet found the woman I long for.

Anger flows through me, and my grip on the glass tightens as I take a long sip and wash down the rest of the alcohol.

Lena takes the glass from me and refills it before handing it back to me. "You know, I think the three of us could have some fun tonight if you want. Your friends are welcome to watch us."

I scowl into my glass and look at Boris out of the corner of my eye. He grins, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Maxim looks at Boris; something passes between them before his attention turns to me. He lifts his chin to ask a silent question, and I shake my head.

There"s no way I'm going to fuck one of these women tonight, but they might as well try to make their money with the other two.

Aubree presses herself harder against me, her hands resting on my thighs and her back arching. She looks over her shoulder at me as her hand strokes my cock. Even that is not enough to bring me to life. I don't want her, and the look of surprise on her face when she realizes that nothing is happening in my crotch almost makes me laugh.

Aubree turns around, straddles my lap, and lets the neckline of her dress slide down as she runs her fingers through my hair. "You're so tense tonight, Leon. Let me help you relax."

Lena grins, gets up, and stands behind Aubree. The women kiss, and Aubree moves her hips to the beat of the music. Her hands claw into my shirt, her pussy rubs against my crotch as she leans further back, and their tongues tangle and lick each other. Lena's hands stroke over Aubree's shoulders and collarbones. Aubree lets out a soft moan.

Boris is fixated on the action and glances briefly at me before we see Lena's hands slip into Aubree's bra and push the flimsy material aside. She rolls Aubree's nipples between her fingers and pulls them to stiff peaks.

"Enough!" I stare at Lena, knowing she"s the ringleader, just like the last time we fucked. "You two need to find someone else to bother. Now."

Lena pouts and bends over Aubree to take Aubree's dark nipple in her mouth. Maxim stands up, grabs Lena by the shoulder, and pulls her back a step. "You were told to leave. Both of you."

Maxim doesn't move and stares at her with a soulless look that sends people running for the hills. She looks at him for a moment longer before lowering her head and stepping away. Aubree gets off me and tucks her breasts back into her dress before slinking off with Lena to find someone else with deep pockets to seduce.

Maxim chuckles and sits down next to me. "I've never seen you reject a woman before. It's been what, a few weeks since you last got laid?"

Boris smirks, slicking the ashes from his cigarette into the tray beside him. "That depends on whether you count fucking his fist or not."

I down the rest of my whiskey. "Both of you can shut the fuck up right now."

Maxim chuckles. "Sounds like someone"s a little tense. You should have let them both fuck you. That might have relieved some of the stress you've been dealing with lately."

"You"d think you"d want to burn off some of that energy." Boris grins and takes another drag on the cigarette. "You should work on that, boss. When the plan against the Mancinis gets underway, you'll need to be in top form?"

I want to knock both of their heads together. "Both of you need to stay the hell out of my fucking business."

"We're the ones who have to deal with you when you're at your worst," says Maxim, reaching for the vodka bottle in the middle of the table and pouring himself a glass.

Boris nods. "If you want, I can stop them before they get to someone else. These women would drop everything to get your money even if they are with someone else."

I grimace and take another long sip of my drink. "The day I want to fuck one of them again is the day my dick fell off."

Maxim laughs and shakes his head. "I don't think I've ever seen you not want to spend the night with a beautiful woman. You had two blonde bombshells crawling all over you, and you didn't want either of them? I"d say your dick has fallen off."

Boris shakes his head. "No, he's got his eye on a woman who snuck out while he was asleep."

Maxim's laughter rises above the rest of the noise around us. "You're hung up on a woman? I didn't think I"d live to see this day."

"I told him he should settle down one of these days," Boris smirks. "It looks like he's chasing after the only woman in Manhattan who doesn't want him."

I swirl around the whiskey in my glass. "Speaking of Natalie. Did you find her yet?"

Boris finishes his cigarette and lights a new one. "I'm doing my best to find the girl, boss, but she hasn't given you much information to fall back on."

"It's been six weeks, and you can't find one damn woman?" My voice rises above the music as I lean closer to him. "I've been more than patient with you, Boris. I expect you to fucking find her, and soon. You've wasted enough time already."

He frowns and nods his head sharply. "I've looked everywhere, but there are a lot of Natalies in Manhattan."

"Go and knock on every fucking door until you find her if you must." My tone is low and dangerous, hinting that there will be dire consequences for him.

"The only places I haven't searched are the college records in the area since you said she wasn't a student."

As I stare at him, it feels like my head is about to explode. "At this point in our lives, I shouldn't have to tell you how to do your fucking job. Turn over every stone. You should have done that already."

Boris nods, finishing his cigarette. "I'll find her."

"You better be damn sure about that. You have one week before I take matters into my own hands."

Waiting for her to be found is getting old, and my patience is wearing thin.

No one runs away from me and stays hidden for long.