To the new execs!” Vinny lifted his champagne flute.
Ray-go and I clinked glasses with the others. We’d been executives for all of two days, and the party had never stopped. These guys played hard. I wasn’t sure if they worked hard too.
I sipped my champagne. It was the expensive stuff, but I could hardly tell. Vinny was bragging about how he got with three girls in one night, and everybody was loving the story. Even the girl sitting on his lap seemed to enjoy it. Maybe she’d been one of them.
We were at the Rockefeller, an upscale lounge downtown. The doormen had ushered us in like celebrities.
“Congrats, Darren,” said the girl to my right. She was just like all the others who hung around Tony and the execs—sexy and eager as hell to be someone’s girl. Judging by the way Ray-go and I had been pawed over the past couple of days, we were fresh meat.
“How does it feel being big-time?” she asked, batting her fake eyelashes.
“Good.” I took a sip of champagne.
She didn’t recognize me, but I recognized her. Tamara Knox had been a senior when I was a freshman. I bet every guy in the school had fantasized about her. She reminded me of Nicki Minaj with her pink wig, big bootie, and annoying voice.
“Let’s dance,” Tamara said, taking my hand and massaging her thumb in my palm.
Why not? My face hurt from smiling at their stupid stories. I needed a break.
I could hear the other girls snickering as Tamara led me away. The dance floor was packed with couples juggling drinks and dancing sexy. Tamara’s arms snaked around my neck. “I didn’t tell you my name, did I? I’m Jayda.”
I knew she wasn’t, but I didn’t care. She could be whoever she wanted.
“You move nice,” she said.
Actually, I was hardly moving at all. “You too.”
She flattened her body against mine and grinned like a cat. “This is nothing. You should see what else I can do.”
I felt a shot of anger. She must’ve known my girl was lying in a hospital bed. But she saw this as her chance to get with one of the new execs.
Vinny came onto the floor with two girls. They seemed happy to sandwich him between them. He nudged me with his elbow and shouted over the music, “Don’t get better than this!”
But it did get worse. How long did Vinny think he could stay on top?
Speaking of on top, Tamara—Jayda—was all over me. It was time to cut her loose. I told her I had to go to the bathroom and I’d meet her back at the table. When I returned, I sat by Ray-go instead. She looked mad enough to spit.
I poured myself another drink, just for something to do, and said to Ray-go, “I thought being a lieutenant was it. But being an exec, man, this is ridiculous.”
“I know. It’s like every door is open. Nothing’s off-limits. This is how it should be.”
I studied him. “You always knew you’d get here one day, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but not this soon. You?”
“Some things are meant to be. And if we play our cards right, we’re here to stay.” He took a sip of champagne. “Don’t forget, the kingpin’s going to pass on his crown one day. And you and me, we’re the new generation.”