Chapter 9

After the meeting, I walked up to my new place to show Gary and he liked the rooftop and wanted to use it for the restaurant. I had to tell him it was already rented out. When we entered the apartment, the flooring was all down, the cabinets and appliances were in and the painters were close to being done. Frederick was there and had some tape on the floor and was looking at it. I saw him and asked, “Don’t I get real furniture?”

He looked up, “Bull, I’m making sure there will be plenty of room to walk. I like to visualize.”

“You’re a sight, Frederick. Gary, this is Frederick the designer I mentioned. Frederick, this is Gary the owner of the restaurant that’s going in on the ground floor. He’s looking for a designer or more specifically said he would talk to you before he called his usual designer and give you a chance to sell him.”

He looked at Gary then asked, “Who is your normal designer?”

“Michelle Yost did my last place.”

Frederick was ready to say how much better he was but instead said, “I love her work. If I was too busy, I would send you to her. What kind of theme were you going for?”

“I was thinking about Key West. Not beachy or nautical, just laid back bar and good food in a casual setting. Think Earnest Hemmingway with a cocktail and a burger.”

Frederick closed his eyes and moved as if he was listening to music and swaying to the song. He said, “Show me so I can visualize,” and was dragging Gary towards the door. I had to laugh. I let them go and wandered around my place. I walked out onto the patio and saw a Jacuzzi tub, an outdoor shower and a gas grill. The propane came out of the wall and not out of a tank. I liked it and wasn’t going to complain.

I went out the front and onto the rooftop. There was an outdoor kitchen set up on the side near our mutual wall. They had a sink, gas grill counter space and an ice maker. They also had a bigger hot tub and a fire pit that ran off of propane. I loved the space but didn’t know who ordered it and who did the work.

When I caught up with them down at the restaurant, Frederick was being dramatic with his hands talking to Gary about what he saw for the space. Gary was trying not to laugh but was also nodding with what he was hearing. Gary looked over to me and Frederick turned and stopped talking. I said, “Put it on paper and then Gary can make changes. I don’t think you design commercial kitchens so we can get someone that understands the needs of the kitchen and the efficiencies that can be gained to do that work. Just because a berber carpet looks good in front of the fryer doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.”

After making sure that Gary had a key to the place, I left them to do their thing and headed home. It was still early so I put on my shoes to go for a run. I ran down to the yacht club and it was just starting to warm up and there were chunks of ice from up river that were floating by. I turned south and ran all the way to Battery Park. I slowed to a walk and looked at the Statue of Liberty before turning north and running home. I showered and then went to dinner at a nearby bar.

I made it home alone and was playing my guitar. I sang the song, Drive, that got things going with Jen the other night. I was just finishing the song when the phone rang and it was Jen. I smiled and laughed. She said, “What’s so funny?”

“Just the timing. I was just singing our song. The one that Crystal sang before you made me your boy toy. And then you called.”

“I saw a guitar at your place but didn’t hear you play. Maybe next time. I was just calling to thank you for the weekend. It was fun and when I spoke to Casey we figured out that neither of us gave you our number.”

“So I need to find a pen and paper or crayon and pizza box. Or I could just play our song and you’ll call me.”

“Get a pen.” I did and she gave me the number. I thanked her and she said, “Cynthia said that you rarely call but if you wanted to we wanted you to have the number.”

“Should I ask for Gina if I do?”

“She thinks we spent all weekend sitting around making up a story to freak her out. Casey even pulled down her pants to show her where your cock went but it wasn’t still all stretched out so that didn’t help.”

“Next time she can come along.”

“We can always invite her but she’ll just bitch and blow us off.”

We both were smiling as we hung up the phone.

The phone started to ring again and I picked it up and thought that Jen had forgotten to tell me something. I said, “Hello” and was surprised to hear a guy say, “Is this Bull?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, who is this?”

“Tony, Tony Del Rocco.”

“Hi Tony. What can I do for you?”

“I have my boat down in Palm Beach and was hoping that you could bring it north for me.”

“I actually have time but don’t have a captain’s license.”

“The only people that worry about that are insurance companies and I don’t have insurance on the boat. Why don’t we meet for lunch at the club tomorrow and we can talk about it?”

“Are you a member?”

“I had to join to keep my slip. I got in early and the value of my membership has already gone up. I just don’t normally hang out there. I have dinner and drinks with some of my friends once or twice a month, so I’m not just giving away my money.”

We met the next day for lunch and he really did want me to move his boat for him in a few weeks when the weather got warmer. He also wanted me to bring some money back from the Bahamas.

“Why not just wire the money?”

“The Feds always want to know where it came from.”

“How much do you need?”

“I don’t need any of it but I like it where I can get to it.”

“How about, I move the boat and you move the $20 million from your account to mine in the islands. Then I give you $19.5 million cash. 2.5% to move the boat and cash.”

“Sounds high.”

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Okay, you can move your own boat and your own cash.”

“Fine, 2.5%. What do I need to do?”

“Do you know your account number?”

“Yes.”

We went into the office and made a call to the bank and moved the money. The next day I dropped off $4.5 million in cash and asked if he had anyone that could help me move the boat. “I can’t take a leak and steer at the same time and can’t work the lines at the docks.”

“I’ll get someone. I wasn’t expecting to get paid so quickly.”

“I’ll bring the rest of the payments over the next few days. I have different places around the city where I stash cash. Bus and train station lockers.”

“That’s a funny picture but you’re a funny guy so I wouldn’t put it past you.”

He received his payment in full and when it was warmer, I’d move the boat. It was a Thursday of the same week that I did my normal routine and found a small bar that served food. I wanted to visit different places as research for the place we were opening. I ordered some food and a beer. As I looked around, I saw a pool table and some darts in a side room. I thought that it took up a lot of landscape for the few that could play and drink beer at the same time. When I was done eating, I went back to see how crowded it was. There were three tables and one was being used. There was one guy practicing darts. When he saw me walk in alone, he asked, “Are you up for a game?”

I wasn’t a dart player but said, “As long as it isn’t for money and you teach me the rules of the game.”

One of the guys playing pool said, “He sounds like a ringer. Hold onto your wallets.”

They soon found out what a neophyte I was as we all joked around and took turns playing darts and pool. They asked how I could suck at both. I responded, “There are some games that are meant for firm ground and these both qualify. I grew up on boats sailing the globe. It’s hard to line up a good pool shot in six foot seas or when you are off two degrees of level because of the amount of fuel in the port fuel tank.”

The guy that invited me to play darts was named Darren. Darren Albers. When I started to talk about traveling the world he perked up and started to ask questions. He worked for an import export company but wanted to branch out and start his own. He had spent his college life in England at Cambridge but was back in the states now. I looked at him funny and said, “Thus you were hoping to play me for money in darts, the indoor pastime of the Brits.”

He may have blushed, but smiled and we all just laughed. I told him how and why I’d stumbled in. They all thought it was cool to get paid to drink beer and do research for new restaurant concepts. I didn’t correct them but bought us all another round when the waitress stopped by. I told them I would expense it to my company.

Darren told me about another place he liked and we agreed to meet up there the next night for more research. We showed up early and I told him that I wanted to look at different things on the menu and watch the transition as to what crowd showed up at different times as the night progressed. We talked about importing and exporting. He told me that he planned to finish up some contracts he was working on for his current company and when he got the commissions in six months or so, he planned to move to south florida and open up his own place.

The night was interesting as we started trying some of their different drinks, talking to the bartender and one of the servers while the place was slow. We tried and shared several of the dishes. We also watched the people getting off work and dropping in for a drink, grabbing some dinner and then starting their Friday nights. I hadn’t planned on staying out too late but some girls came in and Darren got their attention. I was soon the wingman for him and he for me. The girls knew each other and around 1am we stumbled out of the bar and took a cab back to my place when they found out that I owned one of the few ‘spare’ bedrooms in the city.

I think the girl’s name was Sarah or Shawna but we were all in the living room kissing and drinking when she undid my zipper and pulled out my cock. She was soon on her knees and then riding me while the beer never left my hand. The girl with Darren was Page and she didn’t want to be outdone and did the same with Darren. When they both finished they trotted off to the bathroom together and I could hear them talking and laughing on the other side of the door while Darren and I just smiled and pulled up our pants.

When the girls returned, I went to take a leak and then went to get more drinks while Darren cleaned up. When we were all back in the living room, Page sat next to me and Sarah or Shawna took Darren’s hand and led him to the spare bedroom. I just raised my eyebrow and Page and she said, “We just wanted to have fun tonight and let off some steam. When I saw that I got the dagger and she got the sword, I wanted to switch for the second round. Do you want to go to your bedroom?”

When I woke up, Page had her butt pressed against me as I spooned behind her. I just laid there and held her for a while and when I was fully awake, I played with her nipple until she woke up. She looked over her shoulder and smiled then looked at the clock on the nightstand. “I have to be somewhere at noon but I have time for a quicky, last night was a good time.”

My cock was already hard so I just lifted her leg and placed the tip at her entrance. She moved her body to the right angle to receive me and then pressed down as I rocked my hips and slid inside. We took things slow as we were both still just waking up. We found a rhythm that we were both happy with and I continued to slide into her and play with her nipples until we both had a good start to our day. We then took our turns in the bathroom. Page went first as I made coffee and when I walked out after my shower the other two were drinking coffee with Page.

I picked up my guitar and sat down and strummed some while Darren used the restroom. I started to sing James Taylor’s “There’s Something in the Way She Moves,” and the girls just stopped and stared at me. I sang the whole song. The girls both clapped and said they loved it. Darren came out when Sarah or Shawna had a chance to take a quick shower, the girls left to start their days. Darren asked if I needed any more help in my research.

We took some time to make notes on the bar from the previous night and he made some good observations about the weather and day of the week that he thought was important. We agreed to meet again that same night to check out another place. He became my research assistant as we visited bars for the next two weeks. We didn’t always pick up friends and even struck out on a couple occasions. One night we both did the same girl. She was beautiful and alone. Darren’s pick up line was, “Have you ever had four hands, two tongues and two cocks whose only purpose in life was to bring you pleasure?”

She blushed but said, “Buy me a drink and we can talk about it.” I was glad it was on the weekend because that girl wore us both out. I had my first double penetration with me in her pussy and Darren slipping into her ass. Since I was in front, I got an earful of her cursing and screaming and begging for more. When I helped her into a cab around 3am, she kissed me and thanked me for an experience she would never forget.

It was finally time for me to move into my new place but I was also supposed to move a boat for Tony. I hired a local company to move my stuff after I had packed all the boxes and tagged what to take to the apartment and what to take to the Salvation Army. I even used different colored tape and markers.

Tony was going to give me a ride to the airport or at least his driver was. When he showed up there was a woman with him, Michelle Rossi. He said she was his sister. She didn’t have a ring on but she saw me looking at her hand. Michelle said, “I was married young and my husband had an accident at work so I’m a widow but still have his name.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” was my reply.

She just nodded and said, “It’s been a while.”

As we drove, Tony said, “I need to have some things moved from the islands up to the city but I’m afraid that my boat is too big of a target.”

“I’m trying to get out of that business but know an importer that I can talk to, he may have some ideas.”

“Let me know what you find out.”

When I got out at the airport, so did Michelle. She was going to be my helper, moving the boat. That was fine with me. I really just needed a body to help me with eyes and hands when I couldn’t be in two places at once. I had a small duffle with clothes, my log book, something to read and my guitar. The plan was to make the trip in a week or less. We would go offshore to take advantage of the Gulf Stream unless the weather was bad. The boat had a sweet spot around 15-16 knots. With the push from the Gulf Stream, we should do a little over 20 knots.