The exclusive contract

"Hello, Antonio, how's the family?" The car pulled into traffic and the world outside the windows blurred as we moved.
"Everyone's doing good, sir. Thanks for asking", The two of us settled into silence as the car raced through the streets. One thing I liked about Antonio; he knew how to drive, and I was never late to anything.

My phone chimed and I was expecting a message from Nikolai since I was supposed to be meeting him at the sight of the new club. Instead, my mouth dropped open to see a message from Dax.

"Fucking finally!" I cursed out.

"Everything alright, Mr Makalov?" Antonio questioned.
"Uh, just fine. Just work stuff," I inhaled deeply. "Change of plans though. Can you take me to this address instead?" I gave the meeting location that Dax had just sent me.

"Ofcourse, sir." In the blink of an eye Antonio whipped the car across the road and we were taking an exit to leave Manhattan and head to the edge of the Bronx. The short notice surprised me, but I was going to miss this opportunity.

Dax hadn't responded for two weeks but as soon as I told him to name a price, he was eager to meet with me. I didn't have a strong opinion on him the first time we met, but now I was wondering what kind of man he was.

Motivated by money and taking advantage of dancers who needed more than what the New York ballet could offer through their salaries. As I mulled over those thoughts, I concluded that I didn't like him as Antonio pulled up to an upscale Italian restaurant.

My eyes scanned the red brick and balcony railing on the second floor assessing the location. There was a small mark, hidden near the door that made my blood run cold. The mark of the Genovese family. If they owned this establishment and Dax was asking to meet me here, then I had to be careful once inside. Just because Dax was a contact of my uncle's didn't mean I was entirely safe in the enemy territory.

The smell of garlic and wine hit my nose the moment I was inside. The low lights and fake Italian scenery might have been classy to most people, but I saw it for the shame that it was. I also saw the men sitting at random tables around the restaurant pretending to be ordinary customers.

My eyes landed on Dax in the back. The heavy golden chain around his neck and black tracksuit made me roll my eyes.

"Can I help you?" A young hostess stepped in front of me, blocking my path before I could walk to the table in the back.

"No, I'm here to see him," I nodded in Dax's direction and her eyes widened.

"Is he expecting you?" She whispered so lowly I strained to hear her.
"Ofcourse." I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my temper intact. This show was ridiculous and each second that ticked by annoyed me more than the last.

"I'll take you to the table, sir!" She exclaimed as other customers entered the front door at my back. The young hostess grabbed a menu and made a show of getting me to follow her to Dax's table.

"Victor! Good to see you again!" Dad rose and leaned over the table to shake my hand. "You can go Millera, bring us a bottle of that white I like." He waved the hostess away.

"Dax," I nodded and sat in the seat across from him he motioned to. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, sorry about that. You know how it is. Business just gets in the way sometimes", He looked around the restaurant. "It takes a lot of work to change up an established menu."

I stopped breathing and pulled a mask over my face. "But were you able to successfully make those changes?"
"I think so, take one tart off the dessert menu and there will usually be another to replace it", Dax shrugged, and I almost saw red at his analogy. "But you, my man, are you willing to pay a pretty penny for dessert. One of my menu's best sellers at that."

The hostess, Millera, came back with two chilled glasses and a bottle of white wine. Dax stopped talking and openly watched her chest as she leaned over to pour our drinks. Even as she walked away his eyes seemed glued to her backside.

"What can I say? When you get a sweet tooth it's hard to think of anything but that one dessert you really crave", I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest, keeping my hard gaze on the man across from me.

Dax chuckled and nodded, rubbing his hand over his chin before replying.
"Look, Aleksander, I was going to drag this out a bit longer, you know, make you wait for it. But I know your uncle, he's been good to the family, and I know about you."

"A lot of people know about me."

"Ah, yeah, that little interview of the youngest millionaire. Well, I'm not talking about that. I know the Makalov side of you, and I know that you're serious about my dessert. The current swan Queen is one of my top five best sellers. If you want her exclusively, we're talking about a large sum of money." Dax leaned forward, gripping the stem of his wine glass as he talked quietly. The air around us felt heavy, like a blanket of tension was draped over us. "The desserts get a good chunk of the money otherwise they wouldn't take on these contracts.
But what you're asking for is a lot of her time when she already has a full schedule."

"Fair enough." I shrugged.

"We have this deal worked out with our guy at the ballet and he stresses that the desserts he gives us still have their dancing as their priority.

Exclusive contracts don't happen often, but I know you can afford it and I like to think you'll respect what we have going on here. As a Makalov, you should understand what I'm saying." Dax rose one brow, assessing me and awaiting my answer.