That evening, Jamie, Eddie, Erin, Henry, Nicky (Erin's daughter from her marriage to Jack Boyle), and the eldest Reagan son, Danny (and his son, Sean) celebrated Frank's birthday at Jamie and Eddie's apartment.
All throughout the evening, Jamie, Eddie, and Henry made knowing glances to each other. A few hours before the party, Eddie had been Jamie and Henry's plaything, fucking her husband while his grandfather watched and then sucking the old man off while Jamie pressed his thumb into her asshole.
Frank kept the story of his own sexual tryst that morning to himself, but couldn't stop thinking about the expert blowjob that Baker had given him.
The party was still going when Sean made his way towards the door, putting on his coat. His father stopped him before he could exit.
"Hey! Where d'you think you're going?" Danny asked.
"Dad, it's 8:30. I told Neil and Eric I'd be over to study by 9. We got a big test tomorrow," Sean said.
"So you're bailing on your granddad's birthday party?"
"What? I need an A or I'm going to flunk the semester," Sean said.
Danny was a great detective and he could sense that something wasn't 100% true about whatever Sean was saying. But he was also the kind of father who wanted his sons to know he trusted them.
"Alright, well, give your grandfather a hug and then get out of here. I'll meet you back home. Curfew is midnight, not a minute after, got that?" Danny said.
"No problem," Sean said as he made his way back towards the dining area where the rest of the family was sitting. He hugged his grandpa, wished him a happy birthday, and made his way out the door.
*********************
Sean wasn't going to study with Eric and Neil, though. Instead, he was off to a club.
His buddy Neil had been telling him all about it: Club Dynamite. It was downtown and somewhat of a secret. There were strippers. There were cheap drinks. And Neil's uncle Hector was one of the silent partners, which meant they'd have no problem getting in and getting served, even though they were only 18.
Sean knew that he was breaking the law and that Hector was a sketchy dude - the rumor at school was that he was connected to a major crime syndicate - but he also didn't want his friends to think he was a "goody two-shoes" just because he was a Reagan. Plus, he'd never been to a strip club before and he was dying to go.
Arriving at the club, the three boys saw Neil's uncle Hector sitting at a nice round table in the corner with a topless stripper at his side. Near the table stood 2 bodyguards in all black, sporting dark sunglasses and surveying the club at all times. Hector handed the stripper a $100 bill, kissed her on the cheek, and off she went. Hector pointed to the opened seats and gestured for the boys to sit down. Hector raised his arm, signaling for a waitress from the bar.
Sean couldn't believe what he was seeing. The club was dark but lively, bumping with loud music. On various stages, beautiful women danced topless, some bottomless as well, shaking their chests and asses for men of all ages, most of whom were waving 10s and 20s. The more he examined the scene around him, the more he noticed that in some corners, there were women rather openly giving men handjobs and even blowjobs.
When the waitress arrived, Sean was stunned.
It wasn't just that she was very attractive and wearing the shortest skirt possible with a top that was easily two sizes too small or that her make-up was extra slutty or that the stockings she wore reminded him of the stuff he'd only ever seen in his dad's hidden porno mag stash, but that he recognized her. It wasn't just some cocktail waitress in a seedy strip club - it was his dad's partner, Detective Maria Baez.
"Oh shit, she must be under cover," he thought.
Baez recognized Sean immediately. She'd met him countless times. She knew he was only 18 and shouldn't have been there. They locked eyes.
"Um...I'll take a...a...Coke, I guess," Sean stammered.
"A Coke?" Hector asked with a laugh. "No, no, young man, what you need is a Jack and Coke. Make that 3. One for each of my boys here," he continued. He slipped Baez an extra $20 and sent her off to get the drinks.
"What did you think of her? She's new here. Just started last week," Hector said.
"Very pretty," Sean said. His buddies nodded in agreement.
"I haven't had the pleasure of getting too acquainted with her personally...but I'm sure I will sooner than later. I like to sample the girls myself," Hector told the boys.
Baez returned with the drinks. As she was putting them down, she accidentally-on-purpose spilled a little bit on Sean's pants.
"Oooh, I'm so sorry!" she said.
"You dumb bitch!" Hector shouted. Hector stood for his seat.
"Hey! It's no big deal, just a little wet," Sean said, standing up at the table as well.
"Here...please...let me help," Baez grabbed a stack of paper napkins and started wiping down the front of Sean's pants. She wasn't surprised to feel his erection. After all, they were in a strip club with multiple naked women dancing around on stage. She looked up at him, using just her eyes to convey that she needed him to play along with whatever she said.
"I'm so sorry, sir...but maybe...I can make it up to you in the back?" Baez said, nodding towards the private dance area. This was all Hector needed to here. Hector sat back down.
"Yea...yeah, you do that. I don't need my customers sending me their dry cleaning bills," Hector said, going back to focusing on the other dancers.
Baez led Sean to the back of the club. There, in a private room, she could speak openly about what she was doing there. She closed the curtain behind them and Sean took a seat.
"That guy you're with is Hector Garcia. He's one of the biggest cocaine dealers in the whole city. I've been here undercover trying to get close to him all week. But what I'm wondering is how you ended up here," she said.
"Well...uh...see...my friend Neil...well, he says Hector is his uncle and he was saying how fun this place is and one thing led to another and..."
"And you decided to tag along?" Baez asked. "You know your father would kill you if he found out you were here."
"I know...I'm really sorry...I promise I'll come up with an excuse and just get out of here...but please, don't tell my dad," Sean begged.
Baez thought for a minute. She had an idea. After spending a week trying to get some sort of hard evidence against Hector, she had little to show for her efforts. Maybe Sean could help. She told Sean her plan and sent him back out to the table.
Sean nervously approached Hector.
"Wow...you're back fast. She's either very good...or very bad," Hector laughed, staring off at other dancers and taking a sip of his drink. Sean's friends chuckled nervously.
"Actually...all she did was dance...I mean, she was very good, don't get me wrong, but when I tried to...y'know...go further?...She said she needed something to get her in the mood," Sean said.
"Something to get her in the mood?" Hector asked. He was a little suspicious.
"Yeah...y'know...like, maybe something that could give us a little boost?" Sean asked. He then wiped his nose, making it even more obvious what he was asking for.
"Oooh...now I see...she wants some candy, eh?" Hector said.
