Chapter 53: Drunken Frustration

2 hours later,

"I had it all planned out, every detail." Rick slurred slightly, his tone edged with anger. 

"But one crybaby b*tch just comes along and ruins it, RUIN'S IT!" Ricky punctuated his words by downing a glass of cheap wine, his frustration palpable.

For Ricky, wine was his go-to whether he needed to drown a bad mood or elevate a good one. 

It usually lifted his spirits, but tonight, as he drained the glass further and further, his anger lingered just below the surface, refusing to be washed away.

"It's nice to see you as well, Slick." Booker laughed heartily from the other side of his cluttered table. 

After Ricky's plans had been ruined, he decided to get wasted and for reasons he couldn't quite understand, he found himself in Booker's cramped apartment instead of drowning his sorrows alone.

Ricky burst into the room, causing Booker to instinctively rush to shield his wife. 

But when he realized it was Ricky, he relaxed slightly but not for long and before Booker could say a word, Ricky grabbed a bottle of wine stashed away for special occasions and started drinking it without hesitation.

"Oh sweety, here." Tania felt guilty after Ricky's confession in the kitchen, so she quietly placed a bowl of grits in front of him, hoping to offer some comfort.

"Dada, what's a b*tch." Booker's youngest son waddled over to him, asking a question that made Booker freeze in place.

"It's someone who's a c*nt." Ricky, slurring his words, drunkenly clarified things to the child before the boy thought about it for a moment, then nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

"BUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Louis, Booker's old man, laughed while opening the door after hearing his words.

"If it isn't my favorite white boy himself, how ya doing Slick." Louis heartly walked over to Ricky who stole another sip of wine.

"Sh*tty and blue balled." Ricky didn't even hide it as his drunkenness made him entirely blunt.

"Been there-"

*Smack*

"Keep talking." Marie, Louis' wife, smacked him on the back of the head before huffing off to the kitchen, leaving Louis frowning in her wake.

"God dammit woman, can't a man console another man in peace!" Louis yelled, taking a seat at the table with the other two.

"No sir." Ricky chimed in as Booker sighed.

"Ahem-" Booker whispered under his breath, and his wife's ear twitched in response.

"What!" Tania snapped her head back, making Booker shut his mouth.

"Wow, these are good." Ricky drunkenly declared as he devoured the grits, Tania smiled at the sight, and Booker let out a relieved sigh at the welcome change of subject.

*GULP*

*GULP*

*GULP*

"Woah, slow down a bit Slick-" Booker nervously eased Ricky, suddenly started drinking the remainder of the bottle in one fell swoop.

*BURRRRRRP*

"Alright, I'm ready to drive~" Ricky stood up, wobbling unsteadily toward the door and Tania shot Booker a worried look as she followed him with her gaze.

"H-Hey Slick, you're heading to the club right, let me drive for you as a way of thanking you for all you've done for me!" Booker was quick on his feet, determined to prevent Ricky from driving in his condition while Louis also stood up, sensing the urgency of the situation.

"Yeah kiddo, it's the least my boy can do for you." Louis spoke up, and Ricky paused, contemplating the suggestion before tossing his keys toward Booker.

*TINK*

Instead of handing over the keys, Ricky threw them carelessly against the wall. 

The wine's effects made everything blur, and Ricky saw double as Booker stared at the keys, momentarily stunned.

"Let's go, I've got more bottles to chug and a agenda to get my d*ck sucked." Ricky proclaimed, his voice unsteady, as Booker walked over to the keys and followed him out the door.

"THIS COLD STREAK AIN'T GONNA BREAK ITSELF!" Ricky yelled from the hallway, eager to break this dry spout of his.

"Youngins these days." Marie sighed as Louis nodded, picking up the paper. 

Meanwhile, Booker drove Ricky's extremely expensive Ford with the utmost caution, carefully navigating the streets as he tried to keep the situation under control.

"It always seems like there are more and more homeless people on the streets these days," Ricky commented, pointing to the side as he noticed many Black men and women crowded in the alleyways. 

"Well you know the saying that's being popularized with people like us 'first fired and the last hired'." Booker let out a nervous laugh, aware that unemployment among Black people had been skyrocketing each year since the Depression.

"That sucks." Ricky commented on the situation, and Booker nodded with a sad smile, his expression reflecting the weight of the ongoing economic struggles.

"Indeed Slick, it does." Booker turned the corner, and the wail of police sirens began to fade into the distance.

"What the f-"

*WE*

*WOO*

*WE*

*WOO*

"I'm so sorry Slick I-"

"Shut up and pull over, I'll deal with this." Ricky, already in a bad mood, waved Booker's respectful words away.

"I swear I was going the speed limit and-"

"Oh my god Booker, calm down your fine." Ricky rubbed his eyes as Booker started to panic before two cops strolled out of their car.

"Nice car ya got here." The cop said, tracing his hand alongside the blue paint job until he arrived at the window to see Booker.

"I-It is-"

"Feller, did I say you could talk back to me?" The cop scoffed, reaching to his side which made Booker shut his mouth tight. 

"Step out of the car-"

"What's your name?" Ricky suddenly asked a question in a drunken slur, causing the cop to turn toward him with an air of arrogance. 

However, as he took in Ricky's appearance, his expression shifted to one of shock and discomfort, mirroring the stunned look of his partner.

"Oh my god, M-Mr. Luciano I didn't mean-" The cop stumbled with his words, recognizing Ricky in a second.

"Did I say you could talk back to me? Answer the question." Ricky pointed at the cop, who immediately took two steps back from the car, his discomfort evident.

"I'm officer Richards Sir-"

"Then if you don't want to be formerly officer Richards, then you better scram." Ricky scoffed and then turned to his partner, who froze in place at the sight of him.

"Got it piggy?" Ricky asked, and the portly man coughed nervously, nodding before hastily retreating to his cop car alongside Officer Richards.

*Snap*

"Alright, drive." Ricky snapped his fingers, causing Booker to flinch and quickly, he shifted the car into drive and started it up, ready to move on.

"And for god sakes Booker, stop being such a pussy when I'm around you." Ricky leaned back in his seat, taking a swig of the wine as Booker nodded, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

"I apologize Mr. Luciano-"

"Stop calling me that."

"Slick, I apologize-"

"Stop f*cking apologizing-you know what? Just shut up and drive." Ricky let out an annoyed sigh and spoke, causing Booker to shut his mouth and continue driving. 

Ricky, simmering in silence and fully immersed in his drunken state, waited until Booker parked the car. 

As soon as they arrived, Ricky stumbled out and headed straight into the club while Booker quickly followed, greeting the staff with a wave before settling himself at the bar.

"Give me the usual, Buck." Ricky yawned, tapping the bar as Buck smiled and nodded quietly.

Buck was a recent hire of Ricky, a towering figure standing at 6'5" with a powerful build. 

However Buck was deaf and had been working at a rundown bar where he was overworked/overutilized. 

Ricky had stumbled across him one evening and, impressed by the quality of Buck's cocktails, offered him a job on the spot.

Buck was taken aback by Ricky's offer to double his salary, especially given the difficulty he faced finding work due to his condition. 

Although he could read lips, being a deaf bartender came with its own set of challenges.

As Buck placed a cocktail in front of Ricky, the latter took a sip, savoring the drink and Buck, already anticipating Ricky's next request, began preparing another cocktail.

"F*ck yeah~" Ricky let out a refresh breath, glad that he stumbled upon this refined gem in this age where drinking things neat was the norm.

'Rough day boss.' Buck signed with his hands and thanks to the ring that spoke all languages, Ricky signed back unconsciously.

Buck could read lips just fine, but Ricky couldn't help it sometimes since the ring's translation seemingly took over and he simply did it in the heat of the moment.

'Hell yeah.' Ricky's comment made Buck cackle with laughter.

As soon as Ricky finished his previous cocktail, Buck placed another one in front of him with a grin.

'Girl troubles?' Buck asked with a knowing look, and Ricky scoffed but nodded, impressed by how easily Buck had read him.

'You read me like a book, Buck.' Ricky gave an ironic smile, and Buck shook his head.

'Only a guess, Boss.' Buck flattered him, but Ricky didn't care either way.

'How's the wife?' Ricky asked, setting down his empty cocktail, only for another to be promptly placed in front of him. 

Buck's supernatural speed in mixing drinks complemented Ricky's alcoholism perfectly as the two were shaping up to be good friends.

'Loud and demanding, so nothing new.' Buck joked, causing Ricky to let out a loud laugh as he picked up the glass.

'You're a riot Buck-'

"Slick!" Jake, hearing that Ricky was in the club, rushed in to converse about Club matters, making Ricky sighed.

'Here, go buy your wife and kids something nice.' Ricky slapped a hundred-dollar bill on the counter, and Buck gratefully accepted it.

"Alright, lead the way." Ricky wobbled to his feet though didn't spill a drop of his cocktail.

"Wait." Ricky suddenly stopped in his tracks as Jake raised and twitched an eyebrow, clearly curious or unsettled by the interruption.

'Buck, give me some of the good stuff that I told you to put under the bar in case of a special occasion.' Ricky let out a sloppy sigh, his hand resting on the bar. 

Buck nodded and reached under the counter, pulling out a small bag filled with powder.

"You're the man, Buck!" Ricky snatched the bag of powder from Buck's hands and pocketed it, yelling with a fervent smile. 

Jake shook his head in response, and Ricky followed him to the office. There, Ricky plopped down in front of a desk buried under towering stacks of papers.

"Ricky we've got a problem-"

"Can it wait?" Ricky took a sip of the cocktail, while the extremely tired Jake shook his head in exasperation.

"No Slick, your failing business cannot wait." Jake tiredly remarked, while Ricky downed the last of his cocktail and tossed the empty glass to the side.

"Well, that's not good." Ricky said, pulling out the bag of powder filled with an illegal substance, cocaine.

"Slick this is serious-are you serious?" Jake rubbed his forehead in frustration as Ricky poured some of the cocaine onto the desk, arranging it into lines using Jake's newly minted business cards.

"Oh I'm always serious when taking drugs~" Ricky drunkenly slurred out as he started forming three lines.

"Ricky, I bought the two buildings in different neighborhoods, but the funds only covered the start of construction. All the repairs, including those on the Cotton and Stork Club, have pushed us into the red," Jake informed, plucking a few papers from the stacks as he looked up to see Ricky rolling a dollar bill into a circular tube.

*SNORT*

"Holy sh*t!" Ricky, who was originally a little loopy, immediately woke up as he started to become his favorite kind of faded, cross faded.

"RICKY!" Jake stood up, his expression a mix of palpable worry and simmering anger.

"I get it, you want to do a line too-"

"Ricky, you could lose your clubs! If we launder even more money then we'll raise suspicion-"

"Oh, who cares~" Ricky waved his hand before positioning his nose for the second line.

*SNORT*

"Mother Mary's tits." Ricky said, rubbing the front of his pearly white teeth, while Jake collapsed back into his seat, overwhelmed.

"We're doomed~" Jake covered his face, the exhaustion and stress visibly eating him alive. 

This was his first task assigned by Ricky, and he was determined not to let him down.

This was why Jake wasn't delegating tasks but instead trying doing everything himself as he wanted to prove that he was good enough and earn his place. 

Yet, that same tenacity for greatness was eating him up from the inside.

"Come on Jake, do a line with me." Ricky beckoned over to Jake, drooping his hands down his face.

"That stuff is bad for you-"

"So what? We're all gonna die someday so might as well have fun today." Ricky offered reckless yet encouraging words, but Jake remained unconvinced.

"Listen, you're tired right? Well this stuff will make you wide awake." Ricky approached Jake, guiding him gently to the line. 

With practiced ease, he handed the wary, barely eighteen year old a rolled-up dollar.

"It does?" JJake hesitated, his exhaustion gnawing at him despite the tasks still looming ahead.

"Oh yeah, it wakes you up real good, heightens the senses." Ricky smiled and patted Jake's shoulder reassuringly. 

Jake hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted the rolled-up dollar, positioning it carefully right before the line.

"Now, sniff it up with your nose." Ricky gave Jake's back another reassuring pat as Jake nodded, his movements slow and deliberate as he positioned the rolled-up dollar against his right nostril.

*Snort*

"Ow, ow, ow!" Jake immediately clenched his nose in pain, only snorting up half the line as he backed up.

Then as he looked up, his pupils dilated as his once hazy and tired gaze turned into an energetic and sharp one.

"Woah." Jake whispered, his mind as sharp as a blade which made Ricky laugh erratically while picking up the rolled up piece of paper.

"Oh Jake, we're just getting started."

1 hour later,

"Wow, WOW!" Jake was speeding through the paperwork as Ricky set up another line.

*SNORT*

"WOOOO!" Ricky let out an excited yell as he pumped his arms into the air.

"I'm gonna list possible names for our new night clubs and you tell me if they make the cut!" Ricky started pacing back and forth energetically while Jake nodded vigorously from the side.

"Got it, got it!" Jake's smile widened as everything became remarkably clear to him as he breezed through the papers with an ease that made tasks that usually took him ages feel effortless.

"Moonlit Madness"

"No."

"Galactic Groove."

"God no."

"Twilight Twist."

"Nope."

"Velvet Veil."

"Oh, that's good." Jake finally looked up and Ricky clapped his hands as the image showed itself to him.

"Alright, alright, alright alright, alright alright alright, alright alright alright, alright listen to this!" Ricky rubbed his nose, then his pearly white teeth before looking at Jake with a serious gaze.

"We make it like the stork club but instead of a dining restaurant, it's a snazzy lounge for the upper class, no food only drinks and cigars, with some light entertainment." Ricky clapped his hands together, his approval evident as the idea took shape and spread out.

"It'll be membership based which is where we'll make the bulk of the dough."

"And it's saved." Jake enthusiastically wrote it down as Ricky started pacing around while thinking about the next club's name.

"Now the next club." Ricky jumped up and down, feeling better than ever at this moment.

"You ready?!" Ricky looked back, Jake already filling out three forms and holding up a thumbs up to him.

"Velvet Vibes" 

"No."

"Midnight Mirage" 

"Wrong."

"Eclipse Lounge" 

"Too sissy."

"Neon Nocturne" 

"What the f*ck-"

"Stardust Haven" 

"NO!"

"Electric Eden" 

"NO!"

"The Moonlit Grove" 

"DAMMIT NO!"

"Twilight Pulse" 

"DAMMIT SLICK, WHAT ARE WE DOING!" Jake yelled in anger, none of these names fitting the design they desired.

"WAIT, JUST A FEW MORE!" Ricky yelled back, rubbing his forehead before snapping his fingers.

"Radiant Rhythm" 

"NO!"

"Luminous Lounge" 

"NO!"

"Celestial Beat" 

"NO!"

"Pulse Paradiso" 

"NO!"

"Mirage Nights" 

"NO!"

"The Vortex" 

"NO!"

"Mystique Lounge."

"YES, THAT'S IT!" Jake stood up, both of them jumping up and down in celebration.

"Alright for the Mystique room we'll make a club though unlike the Cotton Club, you'll have to pay an entry fee to even enter." Ricky waved his finger, and Jake responded with vigorous nods, his enthusiasm matching the gesture.

"This'll be good. Attendance has dwindled recently, even after I made a white only day, but this should integrate those lost numbers back." Jake informed Ricky, who dumped some more cocaine onto the desk, before making a line.

*SNORT*

"I-I just got to dance." Ricky jerked his head up, feeling the tingling sensation in his entire body before he suddenly bolted for the door leaving Jake all alone.

Ricky had left half of the bag on the desk and as Jake looked up, he saw no sign of Ricky, only the bag of cocaine. 

Hesitating, Jake bit his lip before taking the bag and stashing it in his drawer as he then continued with the paperwork. 

Meanwhile, Ricky made his way toward the all-white crowd, who were dancing to Booker's blues.

The disbandment of the whites only policy left many patrons angry. While the influx of Black clientele made up for the loss, Jake still wanted to regain the high-paying white customers who couldn't afford the Stork Club. 

To address this, he designated Fridays as whites-only nights and Sundays as Black-only nights, which somewhat quelled the discontent but it was a temporary fix.

Surveying the battlefield, Ricky's eyes swept alongside the crowd as he got in tune with the rhythm.

Honestly, Ricky was looking for a quick fix, searching for either a girl dancing vigorously all alone or a dispute between an already functioning couple.

"Ugh, sometimes Danny I swear!" A girl yelled at her boyfriend Danny, catching him dancing with another woman.

'Eye of the tiger, eye of the tiger.' Ricky rubbed his hands together, knowing that this was the day he put it all behind him.

Ricky slowly went to cut off this girl trying to leave while her boyfriend chased after her, trying to explain the reasoning behind his actions.

"Hey gorgeous, I know this is sudden but could I have your hand for a dance?" Ricky asked, the girl scrunching her eyebrows until she side-eyed her boyfriends hateful glare. 

"Hey fella, that's my girl-" Danny couldn't even finish his sentence before Ricky pushed him aside, his gaze still fixed on the girl who responded with a smiling nod.

"Mary Lou." Mary smiled, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush as she extended her hand toward Ricky and with a graceful gesture, Ricky took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it.

Mary was slender and petite, standing out in sharp contrast to the other women dancing around her.

Though she was thinner than most, it was her hazel eyes that truly set her apart as they shimmered with an intensity that drew attention, even amidst the dancing crowd.

Her brown hair, soft and silky, framed her face as it gently cascaded down just above her neck.

She wore a simple blue floral dress, adorned with a few patches that seemed hand-stitched.

These small repairs, rather than detracting from her appearance, added a unique charm, accentuating her delicate physique and giving her an air of quiet elegance.

*DING*

[Mission Received: Mary Lou]

Difficulty: Easy

Character Sheet: D+

Description: Mary is someone who is looking for a good time which is why she accepted the date request of a man who'd been holding to ask her out for the longest time.

Objective: Make her a mother and breed her ass into oblivion.

Reward: 10,000 IP

Main Mission: 

Impregnante Once(Incomplete):

Rewards: 50 Gacha or Mary Lou's skills

Impregnate Twice:

Rewards: ?????????

Additional Missions:

Knock Mary up in the vicinity of her date(Incomplete):

Reward: Rare Weapon Coupon

Impregnante Mary with her first ever time(Incomplete)

Reward: +4 Charm

Bonus Missions:

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'Oh yeah.'

"Ricky." Ricky introduced himself, pulling Mary close before his smile snaked up even further than before.

'Wet to the touch.'