chair by the large pool in her villa, showing all of her better assets. Her note was just as alluring as the picture. If you were here right now, you could rub me down.
Zooming in to get a better view of her impeccable landing strip, he licked his lips. Thank God for high resolution photos. Damn, girl. Sasha knew exactly how to make a man want to forget his priorities. About two months ago, he was there doing business with some very seedy types and was introduced to her in an underground club, literally under the city. Out of nowhere, she brought him a drink and licked the side of his face while he was talking to the buyer then walked away. After the deal was complete, he found her by the bar, waiting on him. The rest was history.
He texted back. If I were there right now, I’d be in between those gorgeous thighs. TTYL.
***
Somewhere between sending urgent emails and watching DVR episodes of his favorite shows, Gabriel nestled into his headrest and fell into a deep dreamless sleep on the short flight. It wasn’t hard to do these days, considering that he was always exhausted.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Diane whispered into his ear.
Gabriel’s eyes flashed open and focused on her. “Are we already there?” He looked around him, wondering how long he had been out. Everyone was awake and alert but him.
“We are here,” she said, rising up. Taking the throw off of him, she folded it in her arms. “You might want to get your shoes. We’ll be landing very soon.”
He looked at his watch and shot straight up in his seat. “Fuck my shoes.” As Boris came out of the restroom, he motioned for him to come quickly. “Is the deal complete or what?” he asked, slipping his feet into his loafers.
Boris sat beside him and put on his seat belt. “Da, da, Boss. The men delivered with an hour to spare. They are already headed back to Prague.”
Gabriel didn’t understand. “How did they have an hour to spare?”
“The Ukrainians got to Slovakia earlier than expected. Said they had a window of opportunity to get across the border without being detected or some shit. So Yuri and the extra men brought the shipment to the checkpoint early, considering they had already paid in advance, and off they went.”
So it was done. Gabriel gave a sigh of relief. “Good,” he said, sitting back in his seat. “That’s good news. Good job.” It was like a weight had been suddenly lifted from his shoulders.
He looked out the window in awe at the images on the ground that came into view as the clouds subsided and knew that it wouldn’t be long before he was back in front of his liege. Landing in Memphis was always surreal – like Alice going down the rabbit hole and ending up in some new and odd little world. It was strange to him that the Medlov family had ended up here in this little music box of a place instead of one of the global meccas they did business in any day of the week.
However, strategy was something that was not often understood by the outside eye. Dmitry had chosen Memphis well before he was in the picture because of one simple thing. Intermodal transportation. They were traffickers with as much need for air, road, train and water mobility as any other business. This place had it all with cheap legislators and even cheaper labor.
There were also other parts of the city he appreciated, like their world famous BBQ, thick southern girls, who knew better than most how to misbehave and their basketball team. It was all so lazy and simple, like watching the tide come in from a hammock on the beach. Everything just rolled here at its own pace, except for the crime. But then again, they were criminals.
There was something foul in the air. As Gabriel stepped of the plane in Memphis, he could smell it mingling with the heat and humidity that plagued the bluff city during this time of year. He squinted behind his shades as he