The Carrero Contract - Amending Agreements (Book 2 of Contract Trilogy)

32

I nod in answer and move off to browse the tourist stall next to the hot dog stand, while Jackson chats away to the street vendor as he makes us two fully loaded dogs piled with onions and relish and extra mustard. The smells have me drooling too, but I don't like standing over the steaming cart and stinking out my hair with smoked dogs. I keep my distance and spin the nearby display tower to amuse myself while we wait.

Distracted by lots of garish tourist tat on show, plastic Statues of liberty, foam hats and oversized sunglasses, I turn the little turnstile and catch sight of something that makes me instantly giggle—Ridiculously so. A smile plastering across my face and brightening up my mood tremendously.

It's a pair of men's socks, white, crisp and longish with a black silhouette of the New York's skyline around the base. Right above there's a little black crown and the text in bold capitals 'Kingpin of New York' around the ankle area.

I don't know why I find this absolutely hilarious and Alexi comes to mind, but I do and laugh so hard on seeing them that tears come to my eyes and blur my vision instantly; A bubbling and fizzing swirl of inner amusement as I lose the ability to stand still and end up bending to stop myself getting a stitch from too many hysterics. I couldn't even imagine him wearing these but the thought of it is hilarious.

'You okay?' Jackson looks me over and the only explanation I can have for my complete overreaction is my fragile emotional state today, but then I get a visual of Alexi wearing nothing but these socks and I start hyperventilating with hysteria so intense it only makes my sides hurt more. Crushing ache in my ribs and my stomach cramps up with the effort of exertion. Laughing so much I start choking on thin air.

'Are you okay? Really?' Jackson is by me in a flash, patting my back and trying to get out of me what is so funny. All I can do is point at the ridiculous socks and laugh more, on the verge of dying because I cannot stop long enough to take a proper breath and my chest is caving in on me too. Tears run down my cheeks and that damn image of a naked 'Sexy Alexi' and these damn ugly socks is killing me.

Jackson doesn't get it, which only makes me feel dumber, this thing funnier, and I cry laugh in pain because it's given me about five stitches now. I don't laugh like this very often and I think my body is having an all-out stroke from the experience.

'You like those?' He asks warily, handing me napkins for my runny face as I try to calm down and catch my breath, but all I can get out is ...

'.... For ... Alex ... eee ...' and I set off again. Giggle overload, and Jackson starts laughing at me because I must look so ridiculous. It feels so good to laugh this way and yet also extremely sore.

Jackson sees the funny side when he picks up a pair, examines them a bit more closely, and grins. He shakes his head and hands me them as though that's what he thinks I want.

'I think he might suit them.' He winks cheekily and I finally start gasping in air to stop myself before he sets me off again, clutching my sides and straightening up to pull myself together.

Seeing them closer sets me off once more and I'm done for; laughing harder while I fish around in my purse and wave money at Jackson as if to motion that I need these.

I can't wait to see Alexi's face when I hand these over as a thank you for my London themed birthday gifts. I cannot even imagine him getting it at all or breaking a smile on that moody starchy pants face of his; even better. A joke he might not get, but I cannot resist it. New York socks for Kingpin New York himself.

I try to calm myself as Jackson pays for them and hands me back a paper bag that is so street tacky that it hits me all over again in a third intensive wave. Tacky socks in a brown paper bag and I am giving them to the Mafia billionaire as a thank you for a sarcastic gift—just perfect.