Ch. 4 - One Way Street

J A D E

Later that night, as I slowly descended the stairs, Quintin and Jee-min both

stood up at the same time, and the words 'holy shit' simultaneously left their

mouths.

My purple hair had been styled away from my face in loose curls that

cascaded down my bare upper back. The black, sleeveless dress that I wore

fit my body like a glove. The form-fitting material had cut-outs adorned

with Swarovski crystals that ran diagonally from the low neckline to the

mid-thigh hem.

It was more than obvious that I was not wearing anything under the dress.

The dramatic cut-outs showed off an abundant cleavage while threatening

to display glimpses of my shaved pelvic region.

I knew Dominic would never approve, which is why I had told him to go

ahead without me rather than ride with him as I did every year. He

definitely would not have let me leave the house looking like this, and I

could not wait to see his reaction.

Dominic had always treated me like a kid-sister in some regards, especially

where my safety was concerned. He had always been over protective.

Tonight, things would be different.

I wanted him to see me as a woman, capable of making my own decisions,

and not as some liability that he had to keep a watchful eye over. At least, I

hoped that he would see me in a new light, but as far as my feelings were

concerned, things were most likely a one-way street. Nonetheless, I was

determined to try.

The raised voice of my bodyguard pulled me from my thoughts.

"Change it. Now!" Jee-min ordered, his finger pointing back up the stairs.

Nodding, Quintin quickly agreed, "Yea, Dominic will kill us."

I walked past them and rolled my eyes, my black Louboutins clicking on

the floor, "No."

"W-what?" the Korean man sputtered.

"You heard me, Jee-min, I said no. It's my birthday party. Don't worry, I'll

handle Dom. Everything will be fine, I'll make sure you two don't get into

any trouble," I said confidently.

The make-up that I had applied was flawless. It made me look a little older

than I was, while still keeping my youthful beauty. The smoky eyeshadow

made my green eyes pop even more, my gaze almost hypnotic.

"Ah, jot-gat-ne!" Jee-min cursed in Korean; the phrase meaning that things

were fucked up. As he went to get the car, he muttered, "I don't get paid

enough for this shit!"

"You really are a sadist, aren't you?" Quintin asked as he walked a slow

circle around me, letting out a low whistle, his finger trailing along my

exposed collarbone, "You're going to drive Aleksandr crazy tonight, I don't

even want to know how Dominic will react. I'm going to message Vincent

and give him a heads up, don't want any unnecessary fires happening."

I could only chuckle at the thought.

Dominic was so unpredictable; I was afraid to admit how much it excited

me. I pushed the thought from my mind as I played with my small black

wristlet bag while we followed Jee-min. We settled into the black SUV then

headed to pick up Blaire on our way to the club.

As soon as my high-school best friend laid eyes on me, she gasped, "Holy

shit fuck! You look even hotter than the picture you sent!"

"Thanks B!" I replied as we hugged.

Quintin had gotten out so that Blaire could sit between us. The energetic

raven-haired beauty was of similar height and stature as myself, and her

grin was wide as she entered the vehicle.

Jee-min sat on the passenger side in the front seat, his dark eyes fleeting

ever so often in the rear-view mirror, keeping an eye on everything.

"What's up sexy," Blaire blew a kiss to Jee-min, his scolding stare

deepening before she turned to Quintin and kissed his cheek, "you're

looking handsome as ever Q."

"Not looking too bad yourself tonight," he replied with a wink as he

admired the tight red dress that she wore, the slit going high up her thigh.

Just like my dress, it was obvious that Blaire was not wearing anything

underneath.

"Did you two plan this?" Jee-min suddenly spoke as he asked, "You girls do

know that there will be enough prostitutes in attendance, right?"

Blaire feigned a hurt expression as she gasped audibly while clutching her

chest.

Chuckling, I said to her, "Don't mind him, he's just irritated because he

thinks Dominic is going to shoot his head off for letting me out of the house

like this."

"I really love it when he speaks though, his voice is so sexy..." Blaire

grinned at Jee-min as she teased, "Come on Ji, talk dirty to me! I'll let you

put your hand up my dress..."

"No thanks! I rather not lose my fingers," Jee-min retorted.

"Pfft! You know you'll like it," she fired back teasingly.

Glowering at her, their eyes locked in the mirror for a moment. Jee-min

scoffed as he abruptly looked away and refocused his attention to the front,

while Quintin looked between the two of them, trying to contain his

laughter.

With a smile, Blaire's light brown eyes slowly glanced over my body once

more. She hummed and nodded her head approvingly while running a hand

through her short pixie cut hair.

"Well, hopefully the Calvetti boss will shoot off the right head tonight yea?"

Blaire's grin widened, her words carrying a more sexual meaning.

Giggling softly, I said, "I don't know about all that, but I am hoping for

some kind of reaction, be it good or bad. Even though he smiles a lot, it's

always so hard to read his expressions."

"Trust me hun, Jack Frost won't be able to keep his eyes off of you," Blaire

insisted as her eyebrows danced.

My laughter increased at her facial expression, we dared not say that

nickname out loud in his presence. But with his pale skin and thick silvery

white hair, I could not deny that he really did look like a real-life Jack Frost.

The only difference was that he played with fire instead.

According to Blaire, and basically everyone else, Dominic's personality was

icy at best and when one heard that unique laugh of his, it sent chills down

the spine. The mafia boss was known to be ruthless, and one look form his

piercing blue eyes could freeze you on the spot.

Just thinking about his intense gaze made a small shiver run through me.

Unable to hold off any longer, Quintin's own laughter erupted, "Keep

dreaming girls, the boss is not going to bite. Aleksandr, on the other hand,

most definitely will."

Blaire made a satisfied sound in her throat, "I'd let that sexy Russian do

whatever he wants to me."

"No surprises there..." Jee-min muttered from the front seat before stating to

the chauffeur, "Drive faster!"

Tittering amongst ourselves, we continued to talk.

"So, how did Dominic take the news of you wanting to take up more

courses so that you can graduate a year early? I know that you planned to

discuss the possibility of you joining his organisation sooner, how did he

react?" Blaire asked.

"He made no real comment about me graduating early, though if I did not

know any better, he did not seem pleased about the possibility. He said

there's nothing to discuss until I officially graduate. I can't help but feel like

he tricked me. Knowing him, he might keep stalling even after I get my

degree," I replied with a slight pout.

Frowning slightly, she countered, "I would hope that he'd not! He's

supposed to be a man of his word! You're getting your university degree as

agreed upon, I don't see why he wouldn't let you join. It's not as if you're

not capable of taking care of yourself, and you're pretty badass with a gun

in my opinion."

Quintin cleared his throat, though he did not interrupt.

I knew that he wanted to give some smart-ass comment, but I was glad that

he chose to remain silent and continue to play whatever game he was

looking at on his mobile phone.

Sighing, I answered, "You know how he is Blaire, it's always safety this and

safety that. I'm not a little girl anymore, but I suppose in his mind I am not

ready for such things. Besides, I know that he's going to argue that I need to

graduate first before I can even get him to see reason."

Grumbling, my best friend said, "I think that it is unfair that he still treats

you with kid gloves, yet when Q over here," she poked him in his ribs

causing him to grunt, "turned eighteen, Dominic didn't even hesitate to start

him in the business. I swear, Mr. D is such a sexist pig sometimes."

At Blaire's last words, I could not help but laugh out loud.

She was right though, why was it alright for Quintin but it was not for me?

Double standards much?

Jee-min's voice was heard as he interjected, "Jade, unlike Ms. Hot to Trot

over there, I think you have more important things to focus on, like your

gun handling for instance."

"Hey!" Blaire exclaimed with a pout, "Why are you always so damn tense?

I think you need some sex!"

Turning his head to look at her, Jee-min narrowed his eyes, "Is that all you

ever think about?"

Shrugging, she asked, "What else is there?"

With a frustrated growl, his frowned deepened. They stared each other

down once more, and I could not help but chuckle at their usual banter.

Blaire and Jee-min were always arguing like siblings and I had to confess

that at times it was hilarious as hell.

Of course, Blaire was attracted to the handsome Korean. But I was still

trying to figure out if he liked her in return. In all my years I had never

heard him talk about anyone, or even seen him go out on one date.

Jee-min was very hard to read. He did not play around when it came to his

job, and he could sometimes come across as overly strict, especially where

my training was concerned. Nonetheless, I knew that he just wanted me to

be the best that I could be, so I always took his criticisms, knowing that I

could do better.

"My gun handling is fine, Jee!" I said after a few moments.

Turning his eyes to me, "Yes, but just because something works well,

doesn't mean that it can't be improved on!" Jee-min replied before

refocusing his attention back to the front once more.

"Maybe instead of trying to seduce Dominic, show him how serious you

are? I love you and all but you have to admit, you can be a bit immature and

unpredictable sometimes," Quintin said, clearly unable to keep his

comments to himself.

"I'll let the immature comment slide, but whoever said anything about

seduce, I'm just trying to get a kiss!" I countered with a pout.

"Yea, until your greedy ass wants more," he stated with a grin.

It was then that his previous words sank in, "Wait a minute! What do you

mean that I'm unpredictable? Who is more volatile than Dominic?" I asked,

my eyes wide at the absurdity of it all.

Chuckling softly, Quintin replied, "That's exactly the point Jade. He's a

loose cannon, you might even be worse than him, which is probably why

he's so hesitant to let you join his organisation in the first place. You'll be

shooting up people left right and centre before they can even open their

mouth, probably causing us a gang war if you're not careful."

Laughing with him, I had to admit that he might have been right. I could be

a bit impulsive at times, but it was always within reason.

At least, I thought so.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to work on some things then," I said as I looked

out the window.

"But not tonight," Blaire said, "tonight is about getting drunk and laid!"

Jee-min sneered from the front seat which in turn caused Blaire to lean

forward to begin taunting him some more. Meanwhile, Quintin and I did

our best to keep from laughing as the two bickered until we reached our

destination.

By the time we arrived, the party at the club was in full swing.

All of my friends from high-school and university were there, dancing

happily to the music. On the upper level sat the various mafia heads, all idly

chatting and smoking cigars.

"The birthday girl has arrived, and damn does she look fantastic! Wow!" the

DJ suddenly announced as he lowered the music, causing the crowd to

explode in cheers.

Smiling, I greeted several people before walking up the stairs to the VIP

section.

The way Dominic's blue eyes zeroed in on me was like an animal stalking

its prey.

My eyes noted the way his grip on the arms of the chair tightened as a

muscle in his jaw ticked, while his eyes observed my every movement as I

walked over to them. I could tell that he wanted to walk over and give me a

piece of his mind, but I knew that he would not want to cause a scene, at

least not right now.

"There's the birthday girl!" Aleksandr said, immediately standing up to

greet me, his hungry eyes taking in my body, "You look amazing!"

"Thank you, Mr. Tolstoy," I giggled playfully.

"Milaya," his voice was deep as he called me darling in his native language.

The tone that he used made my cheeks burn as he flashed me an open and

flirtatious smile.

The Russian mafia boss hugged me a little too close as he said, "I've known

you since you were eight! I told you, please, call me Alex."

"Okay, Alex..." I replied teasingly while wrapping my arms around him, my

lips close to his ear.

I locked eyes with Dominic as I peered around Aleksandr's shoulder, daring

him to do something while I purposefully leaned into the tall man's 6ft 5in

embrace even more.

To my delight, Dominic's eyes dilated to the point that his gaze seemed to

turn black as his knuckles tightened even further.

Silently, I wished that his reaction was out of jealousy, rather than

protectiveness.