The Russian Revolution, May 3, 2011

A Russian oligarch showed up at my Miami Beach nightclub last night. I wasn’t there, mind you–I’m the silent partner, but the guy who runs the place for me, Franco, tells me the Russian had an entourage of at least fifty people. The Russian booked Franco’s upstairs lounge and VIP room, and proceeded to throw a party that lasted until five the next morning. The guy ordered four bottles of Dom Perignon White Gold Jerobaum, the forty thousand dollar stuff, but the best Franco could do was the Dom’s 2002 champagne at the bargain price of 189.99 a bottle.  The Russian wasn’t too happy, but Franco’s is a South Beach hotspot, not a Monte Carlo casino.

The Russians went through eighteen bottles. Franco only had ten in the cellar, and he called me when they uncorked the eighth, and I placed a call to a wine distributor I know in Fort Lauderdale, and he hustled over another ten bottles. It was two in the morning, mind you, but the distributor owes me. He calls me the next day and says, “Lou, I’ve never seen anything like it. There were about a dozen women working the party, all blond and Eastern European, and by the time I arrived, most were naked.”

Hmm. It’s probably just as well that I missed it. I asked Franco what the take was, and he said the Russians are welcome anytime.

The Russian Revolution was written from the point of view of Patricia Bellomo’s main character, mobster Louie Morelli. Bellomo’s mafia thrillers are available on Amazon.com, BArnes and NOble, and on all e-readers.

The Russian Revolution – Bellomo