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“Rain?” Black asked.
“I’ll tell you about it when we’re alone,” Rain said.
“Ms. West?”
It surprised her the first time that Rain invited her to join what Jada had come to call, these little chats. Usually they consisted of her and Black listening, while Wanda and Rain debated opposing points, so she saw no point in her being there. But Jada was there because she was a big earner.
Earners deserve a spot and a voice at the table, Rain explained to Jada when she asked. That, and it is funny as fuck watching Wanda, because Jada’s presence makes her so uncomfortable, Rain told Black when he asked that same question and they had a good laugh about it.
“No, Mr. Black, I have nothing to add,” Jada said.
“That’s it then,” Black said, and he kept his seat as Wanda left the office with Jada.
In her limousine on the way back to her hotel, Jada thought about returning from Paris and finding that Fiona shot Simone in the head when she refused to let her stay with Jackie and Travis.
I do get a say, was what Fiona said before she raised her weapon and fired.
She was furious with Simone for trying to sell Fiona.
Simone knows better, Jada thought as she rode in the limo. That is not the way I’ve ever done business.
Jada told Fiona that she was more than welcome to stay and that ended the matter. With that settled, there was now the issue of who would run her New York operation. After giving it careful consideration, Jada decided that her mother, Vivian was quite capable of running Paraiso and Napoleon was running things in Freeport from Palais de Plaisir. She had good people running the smaller operations that sh
e had opened in the islands, so Jada decided to stay in New York and run her business from there. She had proven herself to be useful, as well as being an earner.
When she first started out in the business, Sasha only charged a fee of twenty-five percent for use of her connections and Jada saw no reason to change that policy, but she did have a plan for improving it.
When Jada went on her own, she introduced herself as an entrepreneur and what she had to offer was a business opportunity.
You could probably make a substantial amount of money if you just used some of your other assets and have some fun while you’re at it.
But Jada didn’t just sell women on a lifestyle, it was an opportunity for the women to make money. Her plan was simple. Charge a fee for access to clientele and expenses off the top, invest half for them and pay the women the rest. It was never about selling the women; it was about providing access and the safest environment to maximize their earning potential.
Therefore, the idea that Simone would try to sell Fiona for a quarter of a million dollars, as if a person could or should be for sale, was unconscionable and the thought of it disgusted Jada.
It didn’t take Jada long to find out why Simone needed to raise a quarter mill. An hour with her accountant told that story plainly. Simone was an embezzler and not a very good one. She had stolen more than a million dollars from various accounts.
“That bitch is lucky Fiona shot her,” Jada shouted.
“Jada?” Victor questioned, and Caprice looked shocked at her because neither of them had ever heard Jada curse before.
“That’s right; I cursed,” Jada said after finding out that Simone needed the money to replace what she had taken from that account. After Jada informed her that she was using that account to capitalize the new charter service, Simone quickly replaced it with money from other accounts.
Back in the office, Black was curious about what Rain wanted to talk about now that they were alone.
“What’s up?” he asked Rain when the door closed.
“What you gettin’ ready to do?” Rain smiled and asked.
“Nothing, why?”
“You wanna hang out?”
“What you got in mind?” Black smiled.
“Let’s get in the streets. Find these niggas and kill them.”
“Bet.” Black stood up. “You still got that vest in here?”