Chapter 8 CEO

"Hey!" I yelled, which caused Lulu to scream and throw the TV remote at me. "Lulu! I thought you were a fucking thief!" I exclaimed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Cheap coming from you." She laughed and jumped up. I tucked my pistol away and gave her a hug hello.

Lulu was JB's firstborn. We were only a few years apart and grew up together even though I was her uncle. JB had become a father while still in high school, and even though my Dad wanted to kill him for making a girl pregnant, he let JB's girlfriend move in with us.

"Hello, Jason. Dad said you were sick, so I came to check up on you. You weren't here, so I let myself in with the spare key I snatched." Lulu smiled and picked up the TV remote off the floor.

"I was wondering where that key went." I laughed and walked back to lock the door behind me and grab my food.

Lulu was also my best friend. She had ginger hair like her father and light blue eyes. She had pale white skin, which couldn't go in the sun that much because she turned into a tomato. Her fashion sense was of oversized shirts and hoodies with tights or shorts. I never saw her in a dress, besides when we were in high school as the school uniform had a gym.

I never really saw her as my niece, plus we acted more like cousins than anything else.

"Do you want half of my pie?" I called from the kitchen.

"No, thanks. I just ate before I came. I made myself tea while you were out." She replied.

"Mi casa es su casa," I said in Spanish and walked back to the lounge. It meant: My house is your home. I didn't know much Spanish besides that common phrase.

I sipped on my coffee and looked at the TV. Some reality TV show was on, which Lulu loved to watch. She picked up the remote and paused her show, then looked at me.

"What?" I asked as I took a bite of the pie and got crumbs all over my mouth.

"Don't act dumb. I know you. Usually, you would have made fun of my show by now. So, what's wrong?" Lulu stated.

"Eh, just a woman." I sighed and continued eating my pie. Lulu stared at me with her mouth open and smacked my leg.

"A woman? What... how... when? Why don't I know about her?!"

"Er, I didn't think I would see her again. That's why I didn't mention her."

"Come on! Give me more details."

"On one of my jobs with your Dad...." I started to explain. Yes, Lulu knew what we did for a living. She accepted it because she knew how difficult it was for her Dad to find a job. Plus, the money he made put her into college, so she was grateful.

"I met a woman. Okay, well, I had a one-night stand. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Then today, I ran into her and followed her to a strip club." I added.

"Wait, she's a stripper?" Lulu questioned and seemed interested.

"Well, yes, but she also owns the club," I replied, then continued. "Her stage name is Vixen, and she is really confusing. She rejected me, then gave me attention, then just disappeared and ditched me. Also, she said that she doesn't date. Vixen isn't really the type of woman to stay interested in one man for long."

"So you think you're the one to change her mind?"

"Uh, I don't know. I would like to try."

"Okay, listen to me, bro. Some women are perfectly happy with just having casual sex and not settling down. There's nothing wrong with that. If Vixen says she doesn't date, you have to accept that. You can't force her to be with you."

"I don't want to force her. I just want to prove that I can treat her right, and maybe it will change her mind. I'm not ready to give up that easily."

"Then you go and fucking sweep her off her feet, place a crown on her head and show her how great Jason Hinral is." Lulu smiled and nudged my shoulder with hers.

"Thanks," I smiled back and looked at the TV. "Now, honestly, what crap are you watching?"

Lulu laughed and punched me playfully. I felt better after talking to her. I couldn't let a small defeat hurt my ego. I spent the rest of the afternoon annoying Lulu while she watched her show, Too Hot To Handle, on Netflix. She left as it got darker and drove back to her parent's place.

Even though she was 23 and a fully employed nurse, JB refused to let Lulu get her own place and stay alone. He was just being a protective father, and rightfully so, as Joburg didn't have the best crime rates.

I went to take a shower and ran over ideas in my head on how to win over Vixen.

For the next couple of days, luck wasn't on my side. I waited around at the club almost the whole day, but Vixen wasn't around. Joe didn't seem to like me much but at least didn't give me problems at the entrance. Kedwyn laughed every time he saw me walk into the club. No one seemed to know where Vixen was or when she would return.

I walked into the grocery store with high hopes that I would see Vixen that Saturday night. Yesterday the crew and I successfully completed the art gallery heist and were paid today. I stopped by a really fancy florist and picked up a bouquet of white roses. The florist also gave me a pamphlet for Van Kline jewellers and claimed all women loved to be spoilt with a necklace. I thanked her and shoved it into my pocket.

"Of course. You're here. I would say I missed you yesterday, but that would be a lie." Joe muttered as I walked up to him.

"Good evening, Joe. Has the lovely Vixen graced us with her presence?" I asked with a smile.

"I'll give you the same answer I always do. Get lost, lover boy." Joe grumbled and rolled his eyes.

I nodded and walked into the club. I greeted the women as I walked toward the bar. Since I was a regular, I knew most of the strippers' names. Well, stage names.

"Stepping it up tonight, I see." Kedwyn laughed and had already placed a beer on the table for me. I put the roses on the barstool next to me and sat down.

"Maybe tonight my luck changes." I shrugged and shook his hand. "Don't you ever take off from work?"

"Nope. This club is my life." He laughed, then added. "Vixen was here earlier, but then she left again. I'm not sure if she'll be back."

"Uh, shit." I frowned. "I'll still wait around a bit in case."

"Suit yourself. Also, let me put those roses into some water for you. They probably going to die anyway."

"Thanks," I stated sarcastically and handed him the roses. I chose white to match Vixen's silver hair.

I sipped on my beer and pulled out the Van Kline jewellery pamphlet. Maybe there would be something that Vixen would like. It wouldn't hurt to look. Most of the jewellery was crazy expensive or looked like rich women's jewels.

I flipped the page and froze. There was a smiling picture of Vixen posing to advertise a set of ruby earrings. She had light brown hair in the photo, which was probably her natural colour. Her nose stud was missing, and she bearly wore any makeup. She looked beautiful.

I read over the caption.

"These ruby earrings make me feel like love is possible. They are my favourite piece." -Kiara Van Kline (CEO of Van Kline jewellers).

I felt my heart rapidly beat as I reread the caption. Vixen's real name was Kiara. It was a stunning name that fit her perfectly. She was a Van Kline and the CEO of the company I stole from. My luck couldn't get any worse.