Larger Than Lyfe Read Free Page B

probability for us now than it has ever been.”

    “That is the nature of this business, Keshari. Now…I need liquidation of this product that’s scheduled to arrive within one month after its delivery,” Ricky said, dismissing Keshari’s concerns. “Winning this trial is not going to come cheaply. Oh, by the way, I’ve been doing some reading on waterfront condominium developments down in Florida. Miami Beach. Get with Strauss and do some shopping. I want to fly down and get my feet wet as soon as this trial is over. I’ll pick up a few units, get the contractor and my interior design people in to upgrade the amenities, and then I’ll flip’em for twice the purchase price. I may even eventually join the roster as a developer myself.”
    Keshari stared at Ricky incredulously as if he had lost his arrogant mind. He vacillated from barely controlled fury over what he claimed was a trumped-up murder charge to cool over-confidence about its outcome. She couldn’t keep doing this.
    “R, there’s something that I’ve been needing to talk to you about and I can’t continue to put it off. It’s the main reason I came today.”
    “What?” Ricky asked, noticing that Keshari was growing increasingly tense.
    She stared down at the huge, Tahitian black pearl on her right hand with its spray of flawless, pave diamonds that cascaded over the pearl and around the band. It had been a gift from Ricky. She hesitated before continuing.
    “R, I’ve been doing some thinking…a whole lot of thinking…and…I…I don’t want to do this anymore.”
    “You don’t want to do what?” Ricky questioned.
    “THIS…The Consortium…I don’t want to do it anymore.”
    Ricky tilted his head to one side as if looking at Keshari from a different angle might make her look like she had not taken complete leave of her good sense.
    “Are you out of your fucking mind?!” he snapped venomously, loud enough to draw the sheriff’s officers’ attention. The officers looked ready to head in their direction to assess the situation.
    Ricky lowered his voice to an angry whisper.
    “You mean to tell me that, with all the shit that I have raining down on me right now, you are going to come in here with some shit like this?! I’m in here facing a first-degree murder charge. This is not some corporation where you can just submit your resignation when you no longer like the company’s politics. You are in this for the duration.”
    Keshari was silent. Ricky glared at her furiously, like he might attempt to physically attack her. Then he just as quickly calmed himself. His mind ticked away in calculation.
    “You remember when you put me on? My mother had just passed. I didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything…not even myself. You were there for me. I didn’t have anybody except for you and Misha. You understood me. You taught me everything I know. Everything you did seemed so exciting to me back then and I wanted to be a part of it. My life and my mind are in a different place now and I have got to get out of this business.”
    “Let me tell you something,” Ricky said. “With the exception of your mother’s passing, I don’t give a fuck about any of that shit you’re talking about now. I groomed you to take the position you now hold in this organization. You are the most powerful woman in the United States. I made you that and this is the repayment I get?! When loyalty and commitment are lost at the top of this organization or any other, it trickles all the way down. I love you and you better always know that, but I will off you and anybody else who seriously jeopardizes my business.”
    “So, you’re threatening me now?” Keshari asked.
    “You know me far better than that, Keshari,” Ricky responded. “I don’t issue threats.”
    “You know what?” Keshari said. “This was patently bad timing to bring up this subject…just like you said. After the trial, when all of this has calmed down, we can sit and discuss it