caidenwilcox:
Caiden had always found Felix a bit strange, a man who took some time to get used to. Men like him were dangerous - men who smiled too much, men who were too smart, too sharp, too aware. Men who looked like they barely cared but really, they were getting everything they needed out of you. Caiden thought himself clever, once, but Felix? He found himself worrying around Felix. “Your dedication to your nickname really is incredible, Poseidon.” He mused, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he listened to him pratter on, eyes focused on the oyster plate behind him. “Both, I don’t know. They’re the ones without their parents around. You remember how Harvey used to always go on about how he grew up in the system and all the shitty things he had to do to get here? Hell, I’d actually pay to hear that old man talk about it all again.”
His lips twitched. When I want something you’ll know about it. It sounded vaguely like a threat, though it wasn’t an unwelcoming one. Not if he played it right and Felix would let him play. “You know, this doesn’t have to be someone else’s turf.” Caiden spoke again after a moment.
“Isn’t it getting a little boring, entertaining Ruby, watching television and scratching your belly? Just imagine what you could do with all of us running around, selling your stuff for you. You can still lounge on the sofa and scratch your belly. You’ll just be making more money and getting your name out there. People go nuts for your stuff, Fletcher.”
In truth, Felix had always thought that Harvey should talk a little less about the struggles of his youth — humanising yourself to your business associates was a dangerous game when you had so many enemies. Felix had always much preferred the unknown; it was what kept people like Wilcox cautious about sticking their nose too far into his business. “Tragic,” he replied with a broad flash of his teeth that seemed entirely at odds with his sentiments, “The old man did know how to spin a line, didn’t he?”
And you need to work on yours, he couldn’t help but think as Caiden wound up for the pitch, eyebrows inching upward in apparent interest as he reached for a glass from a passing tray. He was apparently going to need it. “I wouldn’t say boring,” he replied lightly, “Sometimes Ruby scratches my belly for me.”
Making more money. Getting your name out there. He took a long sip from his glass, wrinkling his nose against the taste (he hated champagne) and replied slowly, “This thing is, Ace, I like you — I do, and I want to give you a chance but there’s a few too many loose ends lying around for me to have faith in your ability to not get my product blown up.”
He tipped the champagne glass contemplatively, watching the bubbles fizz their way to the top of the glass before he smiled. “But because I like you, I’m willing to give you a chance to prove yourself to be the kind of leader I know you can be. The same chance I’ll offer the other side, level playing field and all. Bring me the head of the individual responsible for that unfortunate explosion at the docks and we can set down a new arrangement; you get sole distribution rights of my product inside the city in your hands.”
