CHAPTER 4

The rolls royce comes to a stop outside the back of the Hotel Harding on West 54th street in Midtown. Though I've never been here before, I have heard of this place. Its owned by Owney Madden.

Owney was the King of New York speakeasies. His clubs were all open secrets. Texas Guinan runs this club. Its been said that Mayor Jimmy Walker runs the city by day. The nights below to Texas Guinan.

I knew my father was a regular at Owney's clubs, but I had never been to one of them and certainly not with him. Until tonight, Uranus kept me at arm's length from this side of his life.

Tonight was my initiation.

The hotel was twelve stories tall. It was a swank building packed with showgirls, actresses, playrights, gangsters, and boxers.

They say Legs Diamond lives on one of the top floors. He's one of city's gangsters. Kid Berg, the boxer, also lives in the hotel.

"Are you ready son?" asks my father from his seat beside me.

I cock an eyebrow and roll my eyes. "This is hardly my first time at a speakeasy Father."

Uranus throws his head back and laughs. "Oh Kronos, this isn't one of those little backroom bars you and your friends used to sneak off to in college. Tonight my son, you're about to enter a whole new world. You're going to enter my world."

The chauffer opens the door. I glance at my father's face. His eyes gleam with anticipation. I recognize the same hungry look on his face that he gets just before he destroys one of his business rivals.

I have remind myself not to show my disgust. I remind myself that I am supposed to be a loving son who adores and idolizes his father. At least, that's what I need Uranus to believe.

Father steps out of the car, and I follow. We walk past the line of me in black tie and young flapper girls with their eyes done up in heavy dark makeup. Their lips are painted in bright red cupid's bows.

I follow my father down the cement steps to the entry where a young man stands by the door. He holds up his hands to block my father from walking through.

"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to get in line and wait your turn." My father glances over the kid's shoulder and makes eye contact with a large bodyguard standing in the corner.

The large man nods to the doorman. My father gives the kid a smug look and begins to walk forward when the kid holds up his hand again.

"The cover fee to enter is twenty-five dollar sir." My father gives the kid a bored look as he presses a wad of cash in the kid's palm. The doorman steps aside allowing us to walk in "Gentlemen, welcome to Club Intime."

I'll say this my father was right. This was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Club Intime is a lush cabaret dripping with wall to wall red velvet and hanging Chinese lanterns. The moment we step inside we're greeted by a small troupe of scantily clad fan dancers.

Father winks suggestively at one of them. The girl gives him a knowing look and winks back. I chose to ignore it.

A man dressed in black tie waves to my father. We walk through the crowd towards his table on the other side of the room.

The energy of the place is pulsing. The jazz band plays and the postage stamp sized dance floor is packed. I think I see the boxer, George Raft, cutting a rug with a woman dressed in a black and silver beaded flapper dress with feathers in her hair.

We reach the table on the other side of the room and the man immediately stands up and grabs my father's hand in a firm handshake. "Uranus! Its good to see you man! Whose this you brought with you?"

He looks me over carefully. My father throws his arm around my shoulder and puffs his chest with pride like he did at my college graduation. "Owney, I'd like you to meet my son, Kronos."

So, this is Owney "The Killer" Madden? To be honest I expected him to look more imposing. For such a powerful man he could pass for a broker on one of the lower floors of our shipping firm.

Owney looks me over carefully and that's when I notice the shrewdness in his eyes. "So, you're the Harvard boy Uranus is always bragging about? I'm surprised your ol man brought you here tonight." he drawls in his lower east side accent.

Father exchanges a look with Owney while gripping my shoulder a little tighter. "Kronos is my only son and heir. Tonight is his initiation into the...family business."

Owney smiles at me. "Welcome kid. Have a seat." He gestures to two of the empty chairs. We accept his offer. As soon as we seat ourselves a waitress in an extremely short skirt appears next to the table.

"What can I get you boys tonight?" I don't miss the way my father's eyes roam up and down the girl's legs lasciviously.

"Bring a bottle of scotch Doris." Owney says to the girl. She nods and disappears.

There are two other men sitting at the table. A tall distinguished looking middle aged man with dark hair and intelligent eyes stares at me.

Father gestures to him "Kronos, this is Mr. Arnold Rothstein."

I have never heard my father use such a tone of respect for another human being in my entire life. I've heard of Arnold Rothstein. You couldn't grow up in New York City without hearing some whispers about him. I knew he was Owney's mentor. Rumor had it he fixed the World Series in 1919.

"Its a pleasure to meet you Mr. Rothstein." I say as politely as I know ow. Father gestures to the other man sitting next to Rothstein. He's watching me with a hint of a smile on his face.

"This gentleman is Mr. Luciano." I reach my hand across the table. The man takes my hand and holds it a moment before saying "Call me Lucky kid." I nod politely.

The waitress returns with a bottle of scotch. Owney fills our glasses. "How old are you kid?" I look up at the woman sitting next to Owney.

Her golden blonde hair is styled in pincurls around her face. Her eyebrows are drawn on thin. She looks up at me with great big doe eyes and yet, there is nothing innocent about her.

"I'm twenty-four years old ma'am." She smiles wide at me. "Twenty-four? He doesn't look a day over eighteen Uranus!" The woman throws her head back in a throaty laugh.

I notice Owney has his arm around her. He grins at her and then looks at me. "Kid, this is my friend, Mae West."

The woman slaps him hard on the chest "Friend? Ha!"

Mae West. The movie star. I can only assume the woman sitting next to her is Ethel Barrymore. Mae was Owney's girl. I'd heard they often stayed at the Hotel Harding. Rumor had it they liked to hold seances in their room.

"Its a pleasure to meet you Ms. West." She smiles wide at me. "Better keep a leash on this one boys, or he'll break a lot of hearts tonight!"

She and Ethel throw their heads back and laugh. Owney laughs along with them. Lucky chuckles. My father sits with his chest puffed up in pride. Rothstein regards me carefully. Very carefully.

The band stops playing and a woman takes the stage. "Alright, alright you suckers, c'mon now! C'mon!" Everyone in the room turns their attention towards the stage where the one and only Texas Guinan holds court.

"Now, before I start to sing this song I want it understood that no sucker in this room had better dare mention the name Al Jolsen to me or I'll rave and swear and tear my hair because I'm gonna kill the bum that wrote that song California Here I Come!"

The whole room breaks out into raucous laughter as they chant the name of the song along with her. The crowd whistles, cheers, hoots, and hollers for Texas.

Texas leads the crowd in singing California Here I Come. Everyone throws up their arms and cheers when the song is finished. Confetti is thrown around. Balloons hang in the air just over the stage.

Texas steps forward and gestures with her hands "Alright, alright, c'mon you suckers calm down now. Calm down!" The crowd begins to go quiet.

"I'm wanna introduce you all to a nice shy little girl who comes to us all the way from Chicago." The crowd whistles and cheers. A girl dressed in white steps onto the stage. Her face is hidden behind two large white ostrich feather fans.

Texas pulls the girl to her side. "C'mon now, c'mon, give her a nice little hand. Her name is Rhea, and she is going to do the midnight fan dance for us. Give her a hand folks!"

The crowd goes wild clapping and cheering. The woman steps forward onto the stage as Texas exits. The band begins to play. Slowly, she lowers her fans.

I feel like someone punched me in the chest. I can't breathe. The girl on the stage in front of me looks like an angel sent straight from heaven.

No, scratch that. She's too beautiful to be an angel. She's a goddess. A god damn fucking Goddess.

She is dressed entirely in white satin. Her costume is embellished with crystals that make the whole thing sparkle under the lights.

Her long dark hair hangs past her shoulders in soft curls. Her slim oval face is powdered, but she only put just enough rouge on to accentuate her high cheekbones.

Her eyes are framed by thick dark lashes and dark, thin perfectly arched brows. Her full lips are absent of the bright red lipstick so popular with other girls.

Instead of the silly fake cupid's bow so popular with the other girls in the club, she has just a little gloss that accentuates the natural soft pink color of her luscious lips.

I watch transfixed as she goes through her fan dance. Its an exotic burlesque performance which I would normally enjoy, but right now, I am extremely aware of the fact that all the other men in the room are watching her.

And, I don't like it!

Men are whooping and whistling while she dances. The girl smiles down at them seductively. I can barely breathe. I must be clutching the table pretty damn hard because I feel a soft grip close over mine and look down to see Ethel's hand on top of mine.

"She's a pretty girl huh?" Ethel whispers in my ear. All I can do is nod. I glance over at my father expecting to see him leering at her the way he usually does.

Fortunately, father is deep in conversation with Rothstein and Luciano and a flash of relief washes over me. I really should be paying attention to what they're saying.

Afterall, its the reason why I came here with him tonight, but I can't take my eyes off the girl on the stage, and I'm glad Father is too busy to notice her.

Mae and Ethel watch me with grins on their faces. At last the dance is over. The crowd cheers and claps wildly. The girl bows a few times before exiting the stage.

Texas reappears on the stage and introduces a singer. A man runs up on the stage, and the band begins to play.

Texas leaves the stage and walks over to our table. "Well, well, well what do we have here? Its my favorite suckers all at one table!"

Everyone laughs. I must look surprised because Owney leans over and says to me "No one escapes Texas little barbs kid. Everyone here is fair game."

I glance between her and my father. I've never known anyone to speak to my father like that. Texas looks me in the eye and grins "Kid, they may be all the world to their mothers, but they're all just a cover charge to me."

She winks and gives my father a hearty slap on the back. "Ain't that right sucker?" Father looks up at Texas and smirks. "How are you this evening Texas?"

The woman looks down at my father grins "Can't complain. Can't complain. Got suckers by the boatload in here tonight. Crooked politicians, writers, actors, stock brokers, boxers, bankers, and mobsters. They're all here tonight."

Father chuckles and shakes his head. I look around the room and suddenly I begin to recognize some of the faces. I see city officials, the police chief, even a few congressmen in the crowd.

Texas leans down to me and says "Don't look so surprised kid. A politician is nothing but a fellow who will lay down your life for his country."

Everyone laughs and Texas gives me a slap on the back. "Enjoy your evening kid." She begins to walk away but Owney stops her. "Hey Texas!"

She turns and looks over her shoulder. Owney glances over at me briefly "Why don't you have the new girl join us?"

Texas nods and walks away. My heart thunders in my chest. I turn and look at Owney but he, my father, and the other two men go back into their whispered conversation.

I try to listen in when the most amazing scent hits my nose. Its an intoxicating mix of citrus, vanilla, and tonka beans. Every single one of my senses comes alive. I'm electrified.

The most beautiful melodious voice I've ever heard says "Good evening gentlemen."

I turn around, and there she is. My heart thunders in my chest. Up close, I can see that her eyes are emerald green. I am so lost in them I forget to speak.

Ethel clears her throat and Mae chuckles "Sit down here sweetheart. I think you got our boy here a bit tongue tied."

I flush with embarrassment. What the actual fuck? I don't blush! I feel like a teenage schoolboy. I need to redeem what's left of my dignity while I still can.

"Have a seat honey." This here is Kronos, and his father Uranus." Mae gestures to my father.

Uranus places a delicate kiss on the back of her hand. I want to smash my fist in his face. I don't want him touching her!

Mae makes the rest of the introductions. Rhea sits down next to me. Right next to me. She is so close that when she turns her face to speak we are close enough to kiss.

She smiles at me. "Its nice to meet you Kronos." I stare into her emerald eyes. "Likewise."

And just like that, I'm a goner.

I came tonight to get close to my father, to learn about his business dealings, to earn his trust so I can destroy him.

Instead, I'm the one who is destroyed. Completely and utterly wrecked by a girl who holds my heart in the palm of her hand, and she doesn't even know it.

Fuck.

NEXT UPDATE ON MONDAY MARCH 20, 2023!