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 mouths, 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.