Taming Vegas Read Online Free PDF Page B

answers on the fourth ring as if he
already knows whom it is, and I smile into the phone as I look down at my desk.
My fingers idly play with a pen cap as I listen to him starting to go off
without me even having to answer.
    “You hijo de la verga! You’re cuero bartenders are taking
away from my business!” I roll my eyes to the ceiling as I lean back with a
hand behind my head and start in before he can call me anything else insulting
in Spanish.
    “Hector, please. Business should never be approached from an
insulting angle unless you want me to retaliate against the threats?” There’s a
pause on the other end, and I realize that I’ve finally grabbed his attention. “Listen,
I understand that your club is not doing as well as it once was, but maybe you
ought to take a look around? The interior is dank and depressing. Your
waitresses lack class, and your bouncers let anyone through the door.” That’s
done it. He starts in again in full Spanish, and I can barely make out the
words that he’s saying.
    I wish I had a translator.
    “Look, while I appreciate your standpoint on the issue, I am
not closing my doors.” I hang up the phone and sigh as I shake my head. Dealing
with Hector always gives me a headache, but I’m right. If he would renovate his
place and lower his prices, he might be in competition with me. The truth of
the matter is he’s a thug who is a lousy businessman. I’m an ex-thug who
happens to be a decent businessman. That’s the only difference between us.
    I stretch in my chair and pace around the office as I try to
come up with a solution that would both Hector and I happy, but I honestly don’t
see one. I’m not going to fork over the cash it would take for him to run his
business, and I’m not going to put up with his cronies coming into my club and
making it uncomfortable for my guests. Unfortunately, the man is in no position
to get out from under the mobster that he’s currently attached to
business-wise. If he stops paying he’ll pay in flesh, and that’s never an advantageous
position.
    If I get involved, I’ll be speaking to his boss. No one
wants to deal with Yatzi. Making one deal with him means making a lifetime
commitment to follow his rules, and I don’t like those rules. So I all my hands
to release from behind me and shove them into my trousers as I look down at the
city of Las Vegas as the afternoon starts to roll around.
    After I’ve made my decision to have lunch in my own
facility, I step into the elevator and press the button for the ground floor.
The partiers from the night before have most likely all gone to their rooms,
and the club employees should be doing their cleanup rounds. When I get to the
first floor, Sean, the bouncer, gives me an actual smile as he acknowledges my
passing.
    Feeling as if there is something different about the people
around me, I spot Anna shining the glasses by hand. Narrowing my eyes, I
realize that she must have told Sean, who most likely told everyone via his
headset, about the check. Great, now they’re all going to treat me differently,
and I might need to make a habit out of handing out bonuses occasionally.
    Sitting down at the bar, I wait for Anna to get done serving
a woman a mimosa, and she quickly hurries to the kitchen. Without taking an
order, she returns with my usual. I sit up straight with my arms crossed in
front of me at the bar and stare at the plate of mozzarella sticks and mushroom
poppers.
    ‘“What if I wanted something different today?” I ask her as
she walks past with a glass in her hands. A coy look comes over her face as she
puts a hand on one hip and holds the glass up in the other to emphasize her
words.
    “Do you want something else today, boss?” I glance to the
left, and the woman sipping her mimosa gives me a suggestive look. I’m sure I
have quite the reputation lately, but it’s high tourist season, and I’m not
saint.
    “No, this is fine.” Realizing that I’ve lost before