WARNING:

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“Come on Arthur! I'm not the only one who enjoys a beautiful woman at his side”. He winked. There are others who get better benefits than getting in her lap.

“You're a fucking bastard!” Arthur let out a laugh.

On the latter, Micah was absolutely right. He owed his lifestyle and comfort to his group of friends who contributed to it. Chief among them was Jennifer. Who helped him acquire the penthouse at Gables Estates in Coral Gables. One of the most luxurious areas of Miami, and her BMW Eight Series Concept. According to what she said, it was one for her birthday, and the other for their relationship anniversary. Sometimes I thought that woman in his life weighed more than a shackle.

In his relationship with the congressman's wife, not everything was so bad. In bed, she knew how to please him completely. There was a time when he thought he was completely in love with her. But knowing that she belonged to another man and that he was just a slip of the woman, made him open his eyes. He was not criticizing her infidelity, but it was obvious that she was not entirely loyal and trustworthy.

“Do you think you can get us a pass to that event?” Asked Micah to the bartender, while he kept looking at the two beautiful girls who were standing at the door and were greeted by everyone who came in.

The young man said nothing but shook his head.

Arthur pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his pants pocket, and using his index and middle fingers, handed it to him.

“A good tip always opens doors,” said Micah sarcastically.

“But to open those doors,” he gestured with his mouth to a couple of men standing in front of the security cordon separating the VIP area, “You'll need a couple more of those bills”.

“Perfect!” exclaimed Arthur, pulling out two more twenty-dollar bills. “If they guarantee us entry, I have no problem paying them”.

He looked up, still not wanting to lose the location of the petite woman who had been at the door with a friend. Even if he had no contact with her, it was going to be a great opportunity to interact with those attending the event.

Micah, noting Arthur's insistence on entering an event uninvited, frowned.

“What am I missing?” he asked him, “Why so much interest in this event?”

“It's Friday, so I need some fun, or don't you think I deserve it?” 

Arthur replied with a shrug and pointed his mouth at the woman a few feet away.

“Of course you deserve it, but I'm not sure if it's a good time for you, bro.” 

Micah's voice was a bit serious.

“Why not?” 

The warning in that advice did not please him at all.

“You just told me that your relationship with Jennifer is a little rocky,” he reminded him. “You shouldn't be asking for more trouble than you already have with her”.

“My relationship with Jennifer is based on simple business…”

“With profit, which in addition to money includes payment in kind and a few sex sessions,” the Israeli finished for him.  

“Exactly!” Arthur grinned from ear to ear, “I guess she will have given it some thought, Jennifer is not foolish enough to give up her financial stability for me”. He pursed his lips in a line, “So she can't expect more than I can give her”.

“I gonna remind you again that you're in business with her,” he took a sip of his drink and added, “Jennifer Anderson is your main investor in all your financial ventures, and that's a big plus for her”.

Micah paused and take a drink. 

“Not to say she's the strongest, and she's got you by the balls.”

“You don't have to do that, believe me when I say I appreciate your intention.” 

Arthur snapped his teeth. 

“I know, very well, that without Jennifer I would have nothing. But I remind you that she is not my owner, and she knows it.”

“Excuse me, my friend, I don't want to meddle in your business”.

Micah apologized because he knows that for him that was a sensitive subject.

“It's just that I don't wanna see you get into trouble unnecessarily. You know me, I've always supported you. Remember it, bro.”

“Thanks for the advice, but Jennifer is not mine, only she's my business partner. And she seems to sometimes forget who she's married to. In other words, we benefit from each other.”

Arthur patted Micah's shoulder.

“Nothing will happen, now let's have a good time”.

At that moment, both men left the bar to head for the VIP area, at which point Arthur's cell phone vibrated inside his jacket. The moment he looked at the caller ID, he grimaced and then shrugged his shoulders.

“If you say so…” was all Micah said.

Arthur paid no attention, it was a Friday night. He turned off the device and slipped it back into his suit pocket. He was a free man, and the woman calling was married with two children. Although he had to be honest, despite time and recent events, he still felt love for her. Just not to the extent, Jennifer expected.

For a moment, he thought it was not a good idea to pay to enter the event. As he was reaching his goal, a tall man approached him first.

“Well… I am here now. So you know it”. 

A male voice was heard.

“Don't worry about this,” said the tall girl.

“Exactly, we can understand very well”.

Arthur was frozen when he listened to the petite woman.

“Business is always business, no matter the time or country,” the man concluded.

Arthur stood for fractions of a second motionless until he noticed the man turn around, at the same time his eyes widened in surprise.

“Graham?” Asked the man in disbelief. “Yes, you are Arthur Graham!”

He pretended to be surprised, it was the perfect time to mingle.

“Oh, man!, Really?” Arthur exclaimed, holding out his hand and then giving him a big hug. “Albert Miller, it's so good to see you”.

“I haven't seen you since the contractors' meeting in New York”  Albert immediately put his hand on the lower back of one of the girls, it was obvious that he was marking territory.  “This is my girl, Lorena”.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Lorena,” he said gallantly, and then looked at Albert and winking at him, he added, “Then you will tell me the secret of having such a beautiful woman as a girlfriend”.

Lorena answered with a smile, a little stunned by so much flirting between men, since she had never seen such a thing. She immediately looked at her co-worker, it was her chance to help her with something.

“This is my friend and colleague, Morgana”.

“Morgana…” 

Arthur pronounced the name very softly, stretched out his hand, and when the girl took it. He kissed her torso like a gentleman, he lingered a little too long.