The expansion of the organization had exploded faster than Nikki could have ever imagined. So much so that she was able to move out of the apartment and purchase her own home within two months. It wasn’t quite like Esposito’s, but that would come with time. She even sold Greta her SUV and purchased her own brand new black Mercedes Cabriolet Convertible.
As her birthday approached in February, Nikki decided to use a Saturday to treat herself to a shopping spree in New York. While Al was undoubtedly her best friend and closest confidant, she was still a practically a tomboy, so it was Erica that went along. The two had grown significantly closer in recent months and she had been thriving in her new role within the group.
Nikki wore a tight red top, tucked into a tight pair of light blue bootcut jeans, tied together with a thick black leather belt, her black leather high-heeled boots and leather blazer. Meanwhile, Erica was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and black leather riding boots and a leather motorcycle jacket.
During the ride to the city the two had the opportunity to talk quite a bit. Erica bounced ideas off Nikki for marketing the club, which was becoming one of the most popular spots in the area, which impressed the latter. It also gave Nikki a chance to smoke a seemingly endless amount of cigarettes. Erica wasn’t quite the smoker the other three girls were, but she kept a pack per day habit at this point.
The two spent the afternoon exploring the shops in New York. Nikki bought a few new tops and dresses, but her big purchases were new gold bracelets, a gold chain that drooped to her cleavage, as well as a gold crucifix that also fell to her breasts. Her favorite item was an expensive thick-banded gold Rolex watch that slid halfway down her wrist much like her Cartier watch did. She couldn’t wait to see Esposito to show him all of the new items. Although she wouldn’t see him until her birthday a few days later.
When the day finally came, Nikki put on her brand new strapless red dress, along with a her knee-high black leather boots with the stiletto heel and her new gold jewelry. She tossed on her black leather car mid-length car coat and hopped in her Mercedes to travel to Esposito’s house.
Esposito didn’t tell Nikki much about the events planned for the evening other than they would be heading to Manhattan for the night. As it turned out, they would be spending the night in a suite at the Four Seasons, while also have dinner at one of the city’s top restaurants. Nikki felt like a celebrity getting out of the back of the limo at each stop. She had never craved a glamorous lifestyle, but she was sure enjoying it.
When they returned to the hotel suite, it didn’t take long for Nikki’s dress to end up on the floor and by the end of the night, both were extremely satisfied individuals. Afterwards, Nikki stood on the balcony of the hotel room enjoying a well-deserved cigarette when Esposito came out and put his arms around her. She immediately turned around to kiss him.
“Did you have a good birthday?” Esposito asked.
“The best,” Nikki said through an exhale.
“What would you think about spending the rest of them together then?” Esposito asked.
“What do you mean?” Nikki asked quizzically.
Esposito then fell to one knee and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a gold engagement ring with a massive diamond.
“I mean, will you marry me?” Esposito asked.
Nikki’s jaw dropped as she quickly discarded her cigarette and put her hands over her mouth. Marriage wasn’t something she had put any thought into prior to this moment. After all, they had only been dating since November and she was only 19 years old. Nonetheless, she knew exactly what she wanted.
“Fuck yes!” Nikki screamed.
Esposito slipped the huge ring on her finger. It was a good thing she had recently bought all of that jewelry.
When they went back inside, Nikki was grinning from ear-to-ear as she looked at the ring on her finger and her future husband. Then some thoughts popped into her head.
“Wait, I just bought a house,” Nikki blurted out. “I can’t just sell it.”
“Keep it,” Esposito said simply. “You can stay there when you are in the neighborhood.”
“What about my business?” Nikki asked. “We’re just getting started.”
“I was thinking we could merge them,” Esposito said.
“Hold on now. I told you I didn’t want to be second to anybody,” Nikki said sternly.
“That’s why I was thinking that you could run it yourself,” Esposito said. “I enjoy going to galleries and spending time at my club. I don’t want the hassle anymore. So you would be the boss.”
“Seriously?” Nikki asked in shock. “You would give everything to me?”
“Yes,” Esposito said.
“How can I say no to that?” Nikki said excitedly.
In one night, Nikki had become engaged and the most powerful boss in New Jersey. Talk about a whirlwind sequence of events.
____________________________________________________________________________
Nikki’s friends were thrilled with news, perhaps more so due to the business opportunities than her engagement, but she had a feeling her parents might not be quite as happy with her choice of life partner.
So, Nikki ripped off the bandaid and invited them to come meet Esposito. It had been more than six months since she had seen them also. When she told them about her engagement, they were not quite as happy as they hoped given they had never met him, she had only been dating him a few months and they hadn’t had any contact with her in such a long period of time.
Luckily there were a few weeks to prepare for the visit, but when they arrived, Nikki was working at her club so she had them meet there for dinner. When they were brought up to her office, she was quite a vision.
When her parents walked through the doors, Nikki was sitting behind her desk, talking on the phone. As they approached, she hung up and rose from the chair. She was wearing a tight blue dress that came down a few inches above her knees, while wearing her knee-high black leather boots with a stiletto heel and her gold necklaces dangling from her neck. Of course, all eyes were drawn to her left hand, which featured a large gold Rolex and her massive engagement ring, along with a fat Cuban cigar between her fingers.
Nikki hugged both of her parents and invited them to sit down at the table in her office for dinner. Naturally they had some questions about the setting and the reason for the visit.
“Nicole, is this where you work?” Her father asked.
“This is my club,” Nikki responded as she puffed on her cigar. “I own this place.”
“What do you mean you own it?” He asked again.
“I mean I am the owner,” Nikki said. “My name is on all of the papers. What I say goes.”
“How can you afford a place like this?” He asked in shock. “You’re 19 years old.”
“Can’t you just be happy for me?” Nikki demanded as she tapped ash off her cigar. “I’m doing well. I’m getting married and the first fucking thing you say to me after not seeing me for seven months is judgement.”
“Nicole, we didn’t mean to judge,” Her mother said.
“Yeah well, you could have fooled me,” Nikki snapped.
Tempers simmered down after that and they were able to get through dinner without any arguments. When her last bite was devoured, Nikki reached for a cigarette as usual and lit up, her arm cocked at a 90-degree angle, causing her watch to slide down to the middle of her forearm. Just then, a large Italian man walked into the room and whispered in Nikki’s ear.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Nikki told him and used her hand to shoo him away.
Nikki looked at her parents and told them she would be back momentarily. She got up and briskly walked out of the room and down to the basement, where a man was tied to a chair and the large Italian man -- Tony -- was standing behind him with his crew.
“What’s so fucking important that you had to take me away from my guests?” Nikki snapped.
“Well, we have a gentleman who is late on his payments,” Tony offered.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Nikki shouted as an unlit cigarette bounced between her lips. “You don’t know what to do in this situation?”
“Well this is one of the first since you took over,” Tony shrugged.
“I’m sorry,” Nikki conceded as she blew out a stream of smoke. “I didn’t realize I had to write a goddamn manual for you.”
“I’m sorry, Boss,” Tony said. “I just wanted to be careful.”
“Careful? Why the hell did you tie him up and drag him here?” Nikki demanded to know. “Are you trying to get a kidnapping rap? Seriously, how’s it possible that three women can do this job better than you after so long?”
Nikki walked up to the man tied to the chair and looked down at him. Tears of fair were streaming down his cheeks and he was sweating profusely.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Nikki assured him. “We’re going to get you out of here. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”
Just as she was about to leave, Nikki stopped, pulled down the neck of his shirt and put out her cigarette on his chest, causing him to writhe in agony. “I suggest you get my money!” Nikki told him as she held his face to hers. For good measure, she put her high-heeled boot into his chest and kicked him over backwards.
“Break his thumbs and take him home,” Nikki called to three men as she stomped out of the room, her butt shaking back and forth as she walked. “And don’t bother me with this bullshit again.”
On her way back upstairs, Nikki sent a text message to Al to make sure the mess was cleaned up and to take care of any future confusion of what was supposed to be happen in such situations.
Once back to her office, Nikki dumped her phone and cigarettes into her purse and grabbed her leather car coat, telling her parents they would stay the night at her place before going to meet Esposito the next day. Again, not only were Nikki’s parents shocked that she was now driving a Mercedes, but shocked she could afford such a beautiful house despite being a college student.
“Let’s not get into this again,” Nikki said as she took off her leather coat, cigarette dangling between her lips. “Just enjoy it.”
______________________________________________________________________________
The next morning, Nikki got up to make her parents breakfast before setting out to Esposito’s house. Once breakfast was finished, it was time to get dressed.
Nikki decided on a pair of tight red straight-leg slacks, along with a tight white turtleneck sweater that fell just below her navel, revealing a thick black leather belt strung through the loops of her pants. She rolled up her pant legs to put on her black leather boots with the stiletto heel and rolled them back down over her boots. She put on her large gold Rolex trotted back downstairs. She then plopped down on the couch and lit a cigarette as she waited for her parents to get ready.
As Nikki lit a second cigarette, her parents came downstairs, so she got up and put on her leather blazer, freshly lit Marlboro dangling from her lips as she did so. They went outside and a limo was waiting for them, much to the surprise of her parents.
“Is this for us?” Her mother asked. “How can you afford all of this?”
“Seriously, this again?” Nikki moaned as she exhaled a large stream of smoke. “Just get in the fucking car and stop worrying.”
When they finally arrived, her parents were floored by the Esposito’s extravagant mansion. They couldn’t believe this was the house of their daughter’s future husband, which naturally made them more inquisitive.
Esposito greeted them on the porch, as Nikki got out of the car and gave him a kiss. Upon seeing the man in a perfectly tailored suit and slicked back hair, her parents could see he was significantly older than Nikki. Throughout the day Esposito did his best to charm them, but her father was a near impossible sell.
Once back at Nikki’s house, she got an earful as a result of her choice in fiancee, much to her annoyance.
“Nicole, that man is twice your age,” Her father scolded.
“So?” Nikki asked, puffing on a cigarette.
“So, what does he want with a teenager?” Her father continued. “That man has a 13-year-old teenage daughter. How are you going to be a parent to a kid that’s hardly any younger than you?”
“I’m a grown woman now,” Nikki snapped. “I’m not a kid anymore, but you can’t get that through your fucking head. I haven’t needed you in six months. I’ve been doing this all on my own. When are you going to get that?”
“When you show you can do things legally,” Her father shouted back.
“Don’t tell me how to live my life!” Nikki screamed back. “You are supposed to be happy for me because I’m your daughter. I have never been arrested, I have a 4.0 GPA at an Ivy League school and a found a man that treats me with the respect that I deserve. I guess that’s not enough for you.”
“You don’t see what you are doing to yourself,” Her father said as he shook her head. “You’re going to end up dead or in jail.”
“You have no idea where I’m going to end up or how I live my life,” Nikki said. “You chose not to accept me. You know what? I tried. I tried to involve you in my life and you can’t do it respectfully.”
“Nicole, I’m not going to watch you do this to yourself,” He said. “We’re leaving.”
Her father packed up the bags and stormed out. Throughout this ordeal, her mother had been oddly quiet. When he stormed at the door, she simply looked at Nikki and shrugged, as if to say, “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Just know that we love you very much no matter what,” Her mother said as she closed the front door behind her.
Nikki just stood there, seething and staring at the closed door. She wasn’t sad or hurt, she was furious.
“God, I need a fucking smoke,” Nikki said to herself as she retreated to kitchen to light a cigarette and pour herself a stiff drink. She was livid and someone was going to pay for it.
After downing a glass of vodka, Nikki texted Al and Greta to have every one of her captains meet at the club. She put her leather blazer back on and got back into the limo to go to the club. Since her parents left there was a cigarette practically attached to her fingers and it had done little to calm her down.
When she arrived at the club, Al was waiting for her outside. Nikki climbed out of the back, cigarette dangling from her mouth and she flicked it aside as she went in the back door, still exhaling as she entered the building.
“I take it things didn’t go well with your parents?” Al asked.
“Do they ever?” Nikki said with an annoyed look on her face. “It’s whatever, we need to take care of some business now.”
“Maybe you should chill out a little bit,” Al said. “Everyone has been doing a pretty good job.”
“Maybe you should fuck off,” Nikki snapped as she stopped dead in her tracks. “Don’t tell me how to run my fucking business.”
“I’m just sayin’ that you are pissed about your parents,” Al told her calmly. “Don’t take it out on them. They’re bustin’ ass for you because they believe in you so don’t fuck it up by throwing a fit.”
“Damn, I hate you,” Nikki said as a smile slightly creeped across her face.
“Let’s go upstairs and have some fun,” Al told her. “You ain’t drivin’ tonight anyway.”
Nikki obliged and decided this might be a good night to have a little fun with her friends rather than take out her aggressions on her employees. Greta and Erica met them in her office above the bar. Nikki did some shots, snorted a few lines and danced with her friends. It seemed like the perfect way to blow off some steam. Just as they thought it would be a night free of drama, things took a turn.
Just as Nikki lit a cigarette, one of her bouncers came in to tell her they caught someone selling cocaine in the bathrooms, and it wasn’t one of her employees.
“Why do you motherfuckers always tell me about shit as soon as I light up a smoke?” Nikki joked. “I can’t take it through the damn bar.”
Nikki finished her cigarette before she and Al followed the bouncer down to the basement where they were holding the drug dealer. Naturally they would not call the police for such an offense. They didn’t want the bar to have any reputation for wrongdoing.
Given the mood she was in when she got to the building, it would have been a good bet that Nikki might go after the man immediately, but instead she remained eerily calm when she entered the room. She even paced around the man before finally addressing him.
“So who do you work for?” Nikki asked.
“Fuck you,” He said.
Nikki simply smiled and continued to pace. She took out her pack of cigarettes from her blazer pocket and lit one, slowly exhaling before crouching down in front of him. Her leather blazer rising up in the back to reveal her belt.
“Honey, we can do this easy...” Nikki paused, took a drag on her cigarette and blew it directly in his face. “Or we can do this really fucking hard.”
“You’re used to easy aren’t you?” The man laughed. “I heard you’re a who--.”
Nikki slapped him hard across the face with her right hand before he could finish his insult, but she was careful not to prolong it until she got the information she wanted.
“Strip him,” Nikki told her bouncers. “Let’s see if he has any ink.”
Sure enough, the man had tattoos that linked him to another New Jersey family. Usually they steered clear of each other’s turf, but this was an unprovoked invasion. Nikki knew she couldn’t simply rough up the man and end the situation, but it needed to be in the meantime.
“Tune him up and dump him,” Nikki commanded. “For now, we’ll send a message that we’re not going to be bullied.”
On her way out, Nikki stopped and put her cigarette out on the man’s chest -- which had become her trademark -- before waltzing back upstairs to her office.
A day that had intended to be one of celebration turned into disaster. Twice. Now Nikki had two fires to put out, in her personal and professional life.
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