entertainment

It had been a tiring day. So far, nothing had gone right for him. He had had a meeting in the early morning with Ivan, the Russian mob boss, and the underbosses, which he was one of. The meeting had been about trades and one of the other mobs trying to move into their territory. It had been a rather boring meeting and he had fallen asleep. He hadn’t realised that he’d fallen asleep, still listening to the chatter around him until Ivan called his name, waking him from the light slumber. Embarrassed to have been caught, Alek had tried to refrain from blushing in front of the other bosses. That had been a nightmare.

When he had gotten home, Nikolai, his adoptive son or brother, however you looked at it, had made a mess of the house. Apparently, Anya had torn the curtains off the rod and Nikolai had tried to fix them. First he had searched for glue, which didn’t work. Then he tried to staple them together, which wasn’t working either, since he had a big bulge from where the fabric had been folded over and clamped together. The last thing he was searching for when Alek returned home was a sewing needle, although, the nine year old didn’t know how to sew.

Therefore, he had needed to go out and buy new curtains. Taking Nikolai with him, since he wasn’t working and it wasn’t fair to leave the child home alone any longer, it had been a hassle choosing out the fabric. Of course, Nikolai wasn’t of any help since he was the one causing the problem. He wanted bright and patterned fabric for the living room, while Aleksandr was trying to go for something classic or modern. He had quite the headache after the shopping adventure.

Calling his normal and trusted babysitter, as he never left Nikolai home alone at night, he had decided to head out to the bars for some relaxing conversation with someone who possibly wouldn’t annoy him. He didn’t want to head out to his local and usual bar since one or some of the bosses would be there at this time of night, he decided to head over to Times Square. Even though it was French territory, it shouldn’t matter what he was doing there. As long as he didn’t cause any trouble, things should be fine. He might be eyed because of his Russian aesthetics, his nose in particular, but that shouldn’t matter either. He looked young, aside from his nose and other prominent features that made him look Russian, they shouldn’t be able to tell.

Standing at the bar, Aleksandr ordered his regular vodka, which brought a quirked eyebrow at his order. No one drank just vodka, they always seemed to mix it with something. However, his Russian roots had taken over and in his moment of weakness, tried to act casual. So what if the bar tender knew he was Russian, once he left the bar, it wouldn’t matter.

Searching for someone to talk to, his eyes landed on a girl. Well, she wasn’t a girl, more like a young adult. She couldn’t be close to the drinking age since she looked too young. Smirking, he walked over casually and stood next to her. How to start a conversation?

“I noticed that you’re too young to drink, what’re you doing at a bar then, might I ask?” was that casual enough for a conversation starter?

Aleksandr hadn’t noticed or felt anyone watching him as he entered the bar. Even though he was alert that he was in French territory, he wasn’t worried that anything would come from this. He had his hand gun in his jacket pocket though, in case he needed it, but he doubted he would be getting into any bar fights here. It wouldn’t look good for a Russian underboss to start fights in other territories. Plus, there was also the chance that they would outnumber him. He was gutsy, but not stupid.

As he walked over to the young adult, sipping her coke as she sat down, he saw her avert her eyes as soon as he was headed in her direction. She had been staring at him for some time and he had to wonder if she’d been watching him ever since he entered the bar.

As she spoke, he couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head at her comment. Of course the bartender could have asked for his ID, but it was a good thing he didn’t. He would have known for sure that he was Russian and that wouldn’t have been good. Glancing back at the bartender, he noticed that he was speaking to another man, nodding in his direction. Sheesh, couldn’t a man just buy a drink in this town without causing trouble?

“Yes, I’m old enough. I just look younger, which, if I may admit, makes me more appealing to some,” he laughed lightly, taking a swig of his vodka, almost chugging it. He slowed down his pace, not wanting to cause any more suspicion. He was glad that his accent was hidden. It was very easy to speak with an American accent after living here for so long. That would surely give him away. He looked down at the young adult, wondering if she was a civilian. It was something he did when speaking to people. Judging whether they were in the mafia or if they were civilians. Maybe her father was a cop, that would be interesting.

“And I agree with you, there is definitely a lot more happening here than at a coffee shop. May I sit down?” he motioned to the other seat at her table. He was a good flirt when he wanted to be, but this girl was way too young for him to entertain that way. He would have to keep the flirting to a minimum with her. He wasn’t a pedophile in any way.

Glancing back again, he noticed that not only the bartender, but another man at the bar kept glancing in his direction. He’d never thought the French to be so hostile. Of course, they would watch him to make sure he didn’t cause any trouble, especially since they’d probably figured out he was Russian. Or was it her? He doubted that she would be someone important, she was just a girl in a bar after all. And he was just a Russian in French territory. Totally different situations.

Feeling her eyeing him up, he felt proud for a moment. He was often told how good looking he was. He dressed right, he was the right height, for some people, and he had beautiful features, thanks to his parents. He looked quite feminine at times as well, making people wonder when he was dressed like a woman. However, that was only when the moment called for such drastic measures and that was usually when he was undercover.

“Yes, I do. Except if I’m a regular, I avoid that problem.” he wondered if she would be comfortable talking to him if she knew his real age. He was almost double her age. She had to be somewhere around eighteen or nineteen. He was thirty. So not quite double her age, but quite a bit older than her. He wouldn’t tell her his real age, or show her his ID. He didn’t want to lose this conversation. Even though it may just be idle chatter, he needed something to talk about and someone to talk to.

Touché, he thought to himself. “Of course, talking to strangers can be dangerous, I’m Alek, and you are?” he sat down in the chair, now that he’d told her his name, there shouldn’t be any problem with him sitting down. He wondered if she would believe that his name was Alek. It was the short form for his full name, Aleksandr, but he didn’t want to give that away right now. There had been a scandal a while back where another family had gained access and names of some of their underbosses and hit men. He wasn’t sure if he could trust the other man at the bar who was staring at him still. He could have sworn there was a glare mixed in there somewhere.

“Don’t you have classes tomorrow? It is a school night after all,” he was asking if she was in college. He assumed that she would be in college since everyone had this notion that you have to go to get a job in life. That wasn’t true, he had never gone to college and look at him.

He thought about what she said about ID. Sure, there was the general ID card you could get once you were of age. It was just a general card stating your birthday and other such information with a picture next to it. But there were other forms of ID that she’d be able to get. She could even try to get a fake ID. “Have you ever tried to get a fake ID?” he sipped his vodka again, feeling the sharp sting as it went down his throat. He enjoyed drinking.

She was smarter than she looked. She knew that his name was a nickname. But then again, both the name she had given him and the name he’d given her, could be real names. There were lots of guys whose full name was Alek. And there were lots of girls whose full name was Nikki. But she knew better, which was the good part. He was glad that she wasn’t an idiot, or else this conversation would be boring.

He chuckled as she asked about classes. No, he wasn’t in school any more. He barely even went to school. All the classes he’d missed, he shouldn’t have even been allowed to graduate, and he’d missed so many classes thanks to his job in the mafia. He didn’t have time for college after high school either. “No, I’m not in school any more. I went straight to work after high school.” he took another swig of his vodka before looking her over quickly. “And yes, I do work. I’m an associate at a design firm.” it was a lie. One that he’d told so many times that it would sound believable. He had done his research on the subject enough that he knew everything to talk about to make her believe that he worked at a design firm.

“Do you work then? Finding yourself, while getting set up, before college?”

The idea that his ID could be fake hadn’t crossed his mind before. With the way that he looked, it was possible that his driver’s license could be a fake. He looked practically eighteen and he was actually thirty. He wondered what she would say if he told her his real age. Would she think him creepy for talking to someone so much younger? He didn’t want to know.

“No, it’s real. Why, how old do you think I am? I’ve already told you I look younger than my age, take a guess,” he smiled casually at her, taking another sip of his vodka. He would have to get a refill soon but it could wait. He glanced over at the bar as Nikki glared at the bartender. He came over to refill her drink, glancing at Alek with his own glare. He knew, he had to know. Oh well, nothing he could do about it.

“An architectural firm. I’m an architect.” another lie. He had to lie to her though. He had to lie to most people about what he did for a living. He even had to lie to Nikolai sometimes. The boy was only nine and couldn’t handle some truths some times. He didn’t like to lie to people, but it was part of his job.

“Well, I didn’t go to college, not properly. I took some online drafting courses, got a job as a drafter at first. I eventually learned some more and then took the qualifier test to get my architect license and here I am. Only took me a few years,” he knew that he was rambling on about something she probably had little interest in. Heck, he wasn’t that interested in it, although he didn’t sound that way when speaking. He’d told this story so many times, it was getting boring. Maybe he should have chosen a new lie to tell instead.

“If you’re wondering about whether or not you need to go to college, I didn’t and I turned out fine,” ‘Aside from the fact that my parents were famous hit men in Russia and that’s basically what I do for a living,’ he thought to himself.

Insulted him, there was no way that she could possibly insult him. There was no way she would possibly guess around the thirties for his age. And it was better that way. He didn’t want her to know his real age. “You’re close. I’m 26,” Another lie, but it was only four years. “So actually, that was a compliment,” he smiled back to her, finishing off his drink and motioning for another. The bartender reluctantly moved over and poured him a new glass, taking the dirty one away, a slight scowl on his features. Awe, who was being a bad sport about this, he thought to himself. “I’d have to guess that you’re eighteen. Just out of high school, about the right age to start college,”

As long as he enjoyed what he did, any job can be justified. He wondered what she would think if he were to tell her that he was part of the mafia. Better yet, what would she think about his age? Okay, he had to stop thinking about how old he really was. It wasn’t healthy, even if it was just common passing thoughts. “Oh yea, it’s lots of fun. New designs for buildings, bridges, even things like shopping malls.” He imagined that she was the type to enjoy shopping frequently.

“Complicated how? And college isn’t just for brainy people. It’s also for the rich,” he chuckled, taking a swig of his vodka again. That sharp sting brought him back to his thoughts. “If you were to go, what would you major in? Hypothetically.” it was a simple question. Like asking her what her hopes and dreams were.

He knew why the bartender was glaring. It was simple to figure out. The name he’d given to Nikki, although a common name at the length he’d given it, was also an uncommon Russian name. There was also his features, which some would be able to tell that he was distinctly Russian by his nose and high cheek bones. Russians usually had dominant noses as part of their facial makeup. There was also his drink order. The only people to drink vodka alone were Russian. The bartender assumed he was Russian. And this bar had to be owned by someone in the French mafia or else the bartender wouldn’t have cared. He wondered if the bartender knew anything else, aside from his nationality, about Alek.

“I just think this place is worried about potential suspicious people. You’ve seen the news about the gang wars that happened, and how the Japanese mafia was recently arrested, right?” he was making idle chatter with her about the staff of the bar. He didn’t realise that he was revealing a lot of in detail information that most wouldn’t pay attention to unless they were part of it. “I mean, it’s interesting stuff. Makes me feel like Manhattan could be part of a Godfather movie, don’t you think?” that was a good enough cover. It would sound like he listened to the news a lot and was an enlightened person by doing so.

His last project... this was a new question that he hadn’t encountered before. He knew enough about architecture to make people believe that he actually worked in the industry, but he hadn’t been reading up on recent projects that had been built. He could always lie his way through this, it shouldn’t be too hard.

“I was working on an overseas project. We were designing plans for an office building owned by an American company. They wanted an eco friendly building, something with a green roof.” there, that wasn’t so hard. And it was believable as well, that was the best part. It would make sense to someone who wasn’t up to date with the industry that an American company would hire an American design firm to design buildings even if in a foreign country. “By green roof, I mean, one with plants, trees, flowers, etc, being able to grow and live on the roof of the building. It was quite interesting,” Might as well finish up his point before moving onto a new topic. She may not have known what a green roof was.

So, her dad killed people, that was how things got complicated. Alek heard the small laugh and wondered if it really was a joke. There were so many people in the mafia these days that it could be that her father was in it as well. However, the way she joked about it made him wonder if she was joking about the killing part. Maybe that was why the bartender had taken offense to his being here so quickly. If she was a mafia daughter, then he would have to be careful. “He would kill for his daughter, how sweet,” he returned the grin, taking another sip of his drink.

Art, something he wish that he’d been able to pursue. With his parents killed while he was so young and being sent to live with his mafia uncle in America, it wasn’t an option for him. He was expected to be a great hit man like his parents. “That sounds like something interesting. So why not pursue it? It sounds like your dad might be willing to pay for it if money’s the problem.” he was assuming, by the way that she practically said ‘daddy would do anything for her’, including kill—which was a joke—that he would surely pay for her schooling if she weren’t able to herself, which was probably the case. Children had a hard time saving money, even with a job as a teenager, there was no way they could save enough money to pay for all of their education because it was so expensive.