Cartel│Mark Lee

Are you nervous?

I awoke in a strange room. Taking the time to realize I was in fact in Marks house. It was unfamiliar and the room felt empty even though it was fully furnished. I would have never imagined I would be able to wake in a room so lavish as this one. As I remembered last nights deal I made, I was stunned to see that I was moving in right away. Mark was never the one to waste time. My feet touched the cold wood floor and I shuddered. In that moment I felt sad and alone. This big room absorbed me and as much as a longed to be in a space like this, it just didn't feel right for some reason. 

I left the room to wander through his halls, hoping to reach the dining room. When I arrived breakfast was served but there was no sign of Mark. I looked towards a maid who was standing in the corner of the room. "Where is Mark?"  She slightly giggled at my question, keeping her composure. "Miss, the master only eats in his office." I nodded at her and sipped at my coffee. I wondered why he ate there. Was this massive table, able to seat 20 people, too lonely to eat at everyday? I sure felt out of place silently eating a piece of toast looking at the empty seats among me. The doors suddenly pushed open to the room to reveal Mark. He looked handsome, dressed in a black suit with a smug look plastered on his face. " Vanessa, we have a meeting soon what are you doing?" 

I stared at him confused. No one told me about this so called meeting. It was too soon, I just signed the contract last night and I didnt have a clue on how to succeed in my position. I haven't thought about it yet. My stuff from my old apartment wasn't all here yet, I was unprepared and underdressed. As if on cue he read my mind  "I had your closet filled with new clothes hurry up and get dressed." He sighed. My eyes opened wide, a smile threatening to spill out. Excitedly I walked past him as he held the door open for me. I made slight eye contact with him, peering up into his dark eyes as a form of thank you. 

The closet. I stood there alone in awe as my hand reached out to touch the expensive fabric. It was an unbelievable feeling as I slipped on a black Dior dress. As the fabric hugged me perfectly I looked at myself in the mirror almost sighing. I felt the feeling again. The feeling of pure power. I smirked at my reflection. The designer dresses, shoes and purses made me awaken again with a new sense of superiority. This time I did not only feel on top of the world, I looked on top of the world. 

I made my way downstairs. "Miss, he is in the limo. Master does not like waiting." A maid holding my coat at the front of the door ushered me towards her. I stopped dead in my tracks "And I do not like being rushed." Glaring at her, my hand gripped the coat from her arms and I grabbed it with force. The maid, wide eyed, nodded her head and moved out of my way. I took a deep breath and strutted toward the limo outside. It felt amazing. I got in and sat across from Mark. His head tilted to the side, eyeing me up and down. "You fit the part well." The way he said it was almost a snicker. I raised my eyebrows at him as if almost telling him not to test me. He complied and stayed silent on the matter.

The limo left the house and we etched further and further from it. "We are going to an important man's house. He is incharge of the transferring of our goods to the neighboring countries." He looked out the window for a moment before returning his gaze to me. He looked drained. I never took too much attention to his face, most of the time it was because I was too afraid of eye contact with him. The bags under his eyes were very present and he couldn't hide them, even when his hands made it up to his face to rub them. "We have to get him to sign a contract where he agrees to cut the cost with us. The cost of the border taxes of course, which is high due to keeping the police quite." He closed his eyes for a moment leaning his head back on the seat. It was almost like I was seeing the behind the scenes actions of the most powerful man in the cartel. He was stressed and exhausted.

"You look tired." I said making him cut out from his sleeping daze. "Do you understand what I just explained to you nessa." He was annoyed. But I wanted to press his boundaries. We were partners now and whether he liked to think of it like that or not I was allowing myself to ask him questions. "Yes I do understand the reason of the meeting Mark." I let out a deep breath and begged for this tense ride to be over with as soon as possible. "Why are you so tired?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and looked at me. "I was up doing work. Is there a problem?" His voice snapped. I guess he was used to quite rides to meetings and events. Mark was never the one to carry a conversation or explain himself more than he wanted to. I smiled at the thought of this. How he invited me into having the power to annoy him. I realized I was now able to get under his skin without consequences. That contract he had me sign was non destructible for a years time. I could do whatever I wanted as long as I did my job. 

We arrived to a large concrete building. It looked to be abandoned but the trucks that surrounded it were filled with enough white powder that the cartel would never leave it alone. Mark stepped out of the car and reached his hand toward me. It was uncommon for him to send out a nice gesture. It almost made me suspicious. I looked at him confused for a moment. I grabbed his hand and he helped me out of the car. His hand was soft despite the couple of calluses he had. It was a different feeling I perceived from him for the first time ever. He stood in front of me while looking down right into my eyes. "Are you nervous?" He asked. In that moment it dawned on me that I was actually here and this was happening. A rush of adrenaline that could of been mistaken for anxiety went throughout my body. Of course I had no idea what to expect in this meeting. I have heard rumors of deals that have gone bad, leading to shootings and cartel wars. It was important to stay calm and to be able to get on the good side of this man we were meeting. I had no time to be worried in this situation. I had to do my job. I had to prove myself. 

I sent Mark a gleaming smile looking up at him. "Of course not." He looked at me, a sense of proudness leaving his body as he nodded and let out a small laugh. He let go of my hand and suddenly I didn't feel as confident as I did a moment ago. But the smile he gave me almost made me reassured. "Good girl. Let's go in."