Текст книги "Forever a Jett Girl "

Автор книги: Meghan Quinn

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

11

“She Knows”

Goldie

“I have a meeting, Goldie, an important one, so please clean up your dishes and go up to your room,” Rex demanded, as he wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and then took his plate to the kitchen.

I missed Kace already. It was torture being with Rex, and then trying to go to the club to teach the girls, who remained cold and stone-like toward me. I had hope when Blane tried to approach me, but all he asked was for me to give the girls a break…that was it. I wondered if he really was trying to be in cahoots with me, because I didn’t even get the smallest of nods from him.

Rex had been an uptight ass-hat ever since he took a call earlier today. It was like someone strung his balls up and occasionally pulled on them, just to piss him off.

His maid cooked us a delicious platter of lasagna, and did the man even thank her? No. He just ate the food on his plate without even talking to me. I had more of a conversation in my head with George Washington on the wall than I did with Rex.

“Hurry along,” Rex said, while he looked at me, waiting for me to move.

“Do you mind if I finish?” I said in a snappy tone, getting pretty annoyed with his pestering.

“I would tell you to finish upstairs, but I don’t allow food on the second floor. Please, just finish; I need you out of here.”

“It seems like you’re trying to hide me,” I stated with my mouth full of lasagna.

“I can’t imagine why,” he rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair.

“I thought I meant something to you, Rex. I’m sorry, but with the way you’ve been treating me, it seems like you don’t even want me here.”

Where the hell did that come from? And why the hell did I even care?

Looking frustrated, Rex got in my face and said, “You’re the one who wants to build a friendship first. If you were my girlfriend, you would be treated a little differently, maybe with a little bit more respect.”

Ahh, so the man wanted access to the Goldie garden. Not going to happen.

“Well, it would be nice if we could be friends first, seems like it would build a solid foundation. How am I supposed to know if I want to move forward with you if you’re going to continue to treat me like this?”

Irritation laced Rex’s features, but I could see him ease up a bit.

“I’m sorry, Goldie. I’m just stressed, and having you in the next room is killing me. I will do better at being a gentleman. I apologize.”

He sounded almost like he meant it.

Deciding to throw him a bone, I got up from the table, shoved the rest of my lasagna in my mouth, and rinsed my plate off in the kitchen sink. I was about to turn to him and give him a conciliatory hug when his doorbell rang. The look in Rex’s eyes made me think I should probably get the hell out of his sight, or else I would be dragged up the stairs by my hair. Scary.

“Uh, I’ll just head up to my room.”

“Take the back stairs,” he said curtly, ushering me away.

Flipping him off behind his back, I walked to the back stairs and pretended to climb them with great force. I was too curious just to let him get away with tucking me away. I needed to know what this meeting was all about, especially if it possibly had something to do with Masquerade. I was a “manager” of sorts; I needed to know what I was working with.

I heard Rex greet whoever was at the door in the hallway in the fakest tone I’ve ever heard from him. A very strong male voice greeted Rex back, making me wonder who the hell he was meeting with.

Carefully, I padded across the kitchen floor and perched my ear against the door to get a better listen.

“Glad to see you had a safe flight,” Rex said. “I was surprised you contacted me, Zane. I wasn’t expecting to hear from the competition.”

“Call me, Z,” the man said back. “Shall we go somewhere to sit and talk?”

“Yes, follow me back to my office.”

The sound of their footsteps retreated across the hardwood floors back to Rex’s office. Once I heard the door click shut, I pushed past the kitchen swinging door and looked around before falling to the ground and army crawling across the floor.

As I glided along the hardwood, I made a mental note to commend Rex’s maid, Sally, on her formidable waxing capabilities, because what I thought might be a difficult task, going unnoticed while crawling on the floor, was actually quite easy.

I pulled up next to Rex’s office door, under a console table that rested in the hallway, just in case I had to do some quick camouflaging, and pushed my ear next to the crack of the doorway.

“Drink?” Rex asked.

“I’m good, thank you, though.”

The clanking of a decanter sounded off in the room as I heard footsteps retreat away from me.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of you coming to see me? I was surprised, yet intrigued, to receive your phone call.”

“As you know, I’ve put in a bid for Lot 17, and from the looks of it, my scheduled interview is more of a courtesy than anything. I don’t have a chance up against you and Jett Colby.”

Realization hit me as I thought about who Rex was talking about. He must be Zane Black, especially if he was the other one bidding on the property. If he knew he wasn’t going to have a chance with winning Lot 17, then why was he talking to Rex?

“Is that confirmed?” Rex asked.

“It is, unfortunately.”

“So, why are you here?”

“I want in on your club.”

Silence fell across the room, and I could just see Rex trying to understand what Zane really wanted.

“Why would I allow you into the club?”

“We both want something the other has. I know there are some city officials on your side, because of what you’ve offered them when it comes to your club. I have the other few votes to sway in any direction I want, from the connections I’ve made since I’ve been down here. I can guarantee you Lot 17 if you allow me to be a member in your club.”

“And why would you want that?” Rex asked, with skepticism lacing his voice.

The sound of leather being shifted on rang through the room before Zane began talking again.

“Two reasons, when I come down here, I have a lot of city elites to entertain, and I would like to entertain them properly, if you know what I mean. Secondly, Jett Colby needs to be shown that he can’t have everything.”

My stomach dropped at the mention of Jett’s name. How did this guy know Jett? I’d never heard of Zane Black until the Lot 17 bidding came up.

“Do you have something against Jett Colby?” Rex asked.

“I do. Jett Colby stole property from me in New York City. Stealing property isn’t something I take softly. I’ve built an empire with my real estate aspirations, and when someone fucks with me, I hold a grudge. Jett Colby fucked with one of my properties, costing me millions of dollars, and I will be damned if he gets away with it.”

Was that true? The way Zane’s voice rose with anger made it seem like what he was saying was, in fact, the truth, but Jett wouldn’t do that, would he? He always prided himself on being an honest and fair businessman. He wouldn’t screw someone over for property…his father would, but Jett wouldn’t. At least, that’s what I convinced myself.

“The man seems to get away with everything,” Rex scathed. “How do you plan on taking Jett Colby down? He has a golden reputation in this town.”

“Ah, he does in this town, but he doesn’t in New York City. I have a few sources who are ready to come forward at the interviews to shed a rather unflattering light on the man. With my persuasion of some of my connections and the evidence I have of Jett being less than honorable in his real-estate dealings, Lot 17 is guaranteed for you, but like I said, I want in. I want to be a silent partner in your club.”

Zane had evidence of Jett doing something wrong in New York City? What the hell was he doing that was so bad, and the better question was, when the hell did he do it? Because, if he was with me at the time, the man was going to be castrated, that was for damn sure.

“Are you demanding a say in what happens at the club?”

“Not necessarily. I just want to be able to entertain when I’m down here, show my friends a good time.” Zane paused for a second, and then said, “Listen, Rex, you don’t have to hide from me. I know from a good source that what you’re doing isn’t quite legal, and that’s what I like about it. It’s the forbidden. I want to be able to offer that. Everything about my racing business is forbidden, so why not have access to a club that is as well?”

“These witnesses will come forward to testify against Jett?”

I leaned forward a little more to hear how Zane was going to answer, when someone above me cleared their throat.

Stifling a scream, I covered my mouth and looked up to see Sally, the maid, standing over me with her arms crossed and tapping her toe. Quickly, I shimmied out from under the table and stood up.

“Shhh,” I said while covering my lips with my finger and pulling Sally to the side, out of earshot. “Sally, please don’t say anything to Rex. I was, umm, just trying to find out what he, uh, wanted as a birthday present.”

God, that was a lame excuse, but I really had nothing else up my sleeve.

She gave me a pointed look that said, “I’m going to blow up your spot.”

“Please, don’t say anything,” I begged. “It’s important he doesn’t know I was listening. Did I mention how nicely you waxed the floors, by the way, and how amazing your lasagna was? Top notch, Sally. You totally nailed that lasagna.”

A light smirk played across her lips as she nodded and moved past me, allowing me to blow out the pent up breath I was holding in. Note to self, Sally likes to be complimented.

Not wanting to get caught again, I went back to the kitchen and walked up the back staircase to my room. Thomas Jefferson greeted me by staring at my breasts once again, while I flopped myself on the ancient bed.

I couldn’t be any more confused than I was right now. Did Jett really screw over that Zane guy? Zane seemed so passionate. Granted, I hadn’t see his face, but if he was anything like all the other guys in my life, he probably didn’t show much emotion.

My gut twisted at the thought of Zane and Rex ganging up on Jett to acquire Lot 17. Where was this Lot 17 anyway? It seemed like it wasn’t even that great of a property. Was there even a bar nearby? Maybe a Target? What’s the point of buying property if you can’t get drunk and then drunkenly wander over Target to purchase over a hundred dollars’ worth of unnecessary crap?

I was in way over my head. I still had yet to find a way to gather information on Rex’s club, thanks to the no phone policy. None of the girls seemed like they were in a position to testify, and neither was Blane. It was weird; they all seemed like they were having less than a stellar time working at the club, yet they clammed up when I tried to get any information out of them.

Besides the one conversation I had with Blane, it seemed like everyone had some strange loyalty to Rex. I tried approaching Blane a couple of times, but he just shook his head no at me, and on top of that, whenever Rex was around, Blane was a giant ass.

I was lost; I was drowning, actually. I needed Jett. I needed to hear his voice, to feel his touch, but I knew if I reached out to him, if I tried contacting him, he would force me to come back, or at least that’s what I hoped. Maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he’d moved on.

Last I heard, Rex sent Jett a text about me being with Rex, and I just hoped and prayed Jett kept faith in my feelings for him. I hoped that he hadn’t given up on me yet.

I was lost in my thoughts when my phone started ringing. Praying it was Jett, I fumbled around until I was able to grab it and check the caller ID.

Diego.

My heart sank as I answered.

“Hey,” I said softly.

“That’s not the kind of greeting I was hoping for,” Diego said on the other end.

“Sorry, I thought maybe you would be Jett.”

“Are you expecting a call from him?” Diego asked, using a curious voice.

“No, not really. I mean, it would be nice to hear from him, but I guess we didn’t have a scheduled call or anything.”

“Goldie, you left him. Did you really expect him to call you?”

“I didn’t leave him,” I snapped. “I told him I would be back. I’m trying to work some things out; I’m trying to make things better for us.”

Diego was silent for a second before he responded, “And how are you doing with that?”

“Not very well,” I admitted. “I’m not doing well at all, Diego. I thought this was going to be easy, that I was just going to waltz into Rex’s life and grab what I needed so I could ride off into the sunset with Jett, but right now, I feel like there is no way I will be able to ever solve this.”

“What are you trying to do exactly?”

“I want to bring Rex and Leo down. I want to release myself from the shackles they have me strapped down in. With them still around, they’re going to keep dragging me and Jett through their negative lives. They’re going to continue bringing us down, and I don’t want to live like that anymore. I don’t want to be in hiding; I don’t want to have to watch my back or hide behind the closed doors of the Lafayette Club. I want Jett to claim me, for everyone to see. I want him to take me on dates, for him to be proud to have me on his arm.”

“You know he is proud to have you on his arm already, Goldie.”

“I like to think so, but now I don’t know. I think he’s moved on.”

“What gives you that impression?”

I sighed and flipped onto my stomach so I could prop my legs up and talk on the phone like I was a teenager in some fifties sitcom.

“I don’t know, I mean, I haven’t even…”

“Who are you talking to?” Rex asked, as he barged through my door without even knocking.

“Rex,” I said in shock, dropping my phone.

Rex eyed it on the ground and quickly picked it up before I could grab it off the ground. He held the phone up to his ear with a look in his eyes that said he was about to explode in seconds. I’ve never seen the man so mad before in my life.

“Who is this?” he spat into the phone. “Why are you talking to Goldie?” Rex asked after a brief pause. Turning toward me, Rex eyed me suspiciously and said, “Don’t call her again,” and then he hung up and pocketed my phone. “Why did you answer your phone?”

The way Rex was breathing heavily and searching me like he was crazed, set my warning bells off. Maybe the meeting didn’t end well.

“I’m not sure,” I responded, starting to fear what he was going to do.

“Don’t talk to anyone. I don’t trust you,” he eyed me up and down.

“Wh-why?” I asked, stuttering from the way he was closing in on me.

“Because, until you fully give yourself over to me, I won’t trust you. I will always think you’re still interested in Jett. You don’t even come near me…you barely look at me,” Rex stated.

Oh, shit. I, apparently, wasn’t doing a good enough job in fooling the man. But how was I supposed to show him I wanted to “be with him” if I didn’t want to have sex with him, let alone touch him? Rex was a very physical man, and the way you proved your loyalty to him was by showing him how physical you could be. Right now, my physical level was at zero and slowly declining into the negatives with each passing day I was near him.

“I want to, Rex. I want to be with you,” I pleaded, as he pushed me back on the bed and surrounded me with his strong body. Sweat started to trickle down my back from the strength he was forcing on me and the proximity of his body. “I just can’t,” I gulped. “I don’t want to be used anymore.”

“Do you think I like to be used?” he asked with venom in his voice.

“No,” I shook my head.

“Because, right about now, it seems like you’re the one who is using me.”

Where was this coming from? Why was he all of a sudden attacking me? What the hell went wrong in the last twenty minutes that set him on fire?

“Then, I’ll leave. I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you. I’ll go somewhere else, but I would still like to see you,” I bluffed.

His face softened for a second, right before he pulled away and ran his hand through his hair while pacing the length of my room.

“Don’t leave,” he gritted out. “But don’t fuck with me, Goldie. I swear, if I find out you’re fucking with me, I will destroy you. Do you hear me?”

Swallowing hard, I nodded my head and let him walk out of my room with my phone, taking my last connection to the real world.

He slammed my door shut, leaving me completely perplexed as to what had just happened.

Fucking weirdo and his mood swings.

Sinking into my stiff-as-a-board bed, I bid Thomas Jefferson a good night and tried to get some shut eye. I still had a lot of work to do at the club, especially since I had no way of proving what Rex and Leo were doing.

I shut my eyes, but was disturbed when Rex flew through my door again. His shadow was booming through my room with the hallway light backing him.

He spoke firmly and said, “Saturday night, I have some business to attend at the club before the gala. I will meet you at the house. My driver will bring me back here to pick you up before the event.”

“You don’t want me to go to the club with you? It’s the girl’s first…”

“No, I don’t want you there. Just make sure you’re ready for the gala. Be sure to look pristine; I’m counting on showing you off to everyone.” With that, he slammed my door shut.

When he said he wanted to show me off to everyone, I knew he was bullshitting me, because there was only one person he wanted to show me off to…and that was Jett.

12

“Upside”

Rex

The sweet taste of my cigar drifted out of my mouth as I puffed the thick smoke into the air. My temper got the best of me after I got off the phone with Leo the other night, the controlling fuck.

After Zane Black presented me with his business merger, I couldn’t be happier about the prospect of securing Lot 17 and tarnishing Jett Colby at the same time. It was a win-win for me. Granted, I had to relinquish some of the rights to my club, but Zane was a good business man; I trusted him to bring in more members than I could imagine, especially since most of the men he raced with were from foreign countries.

Overall, it was a smart business move, but unfortunately, I was the only one who believed so. After I saw Zane to the door, I called Leo to tell him the news, but he was less than thrilled. He said he didn’t trust the man, and wouldn’t put it past Jett to set up the whole deal.

The man was paranoid. Jett wasn’t smart enough to set up such a deal, and what would he get out of it in the first place? There was no point.

I wound up arguing on the phone with Leo until I hung up on him. When I walked upstairs, I heard Goldie talking, and that’s when I lost it. After hearing Leo talk about Goldie being an insider for Jett and this whole Zane thing, I saw red. I started connecting the dots, and that’s when I went ape shit on her.

When I grabbed her phone, I was expecting to hear Jett’s voice, see his name on the screen, but instead, it was Diego, a harmless piece of trash on Bourbon Street that happened to put on a suit and tie occasionally. The man was trying to be competition with our club, but fell short, with his less than elegant reputation. It didn’t surprise me Goldie would talk to him; they came from the same gutter.

Even though she wasn’t talking to Jett, I still took her phone, because frankly, I really didn’t trust her. I had my own agenda, but sometimes, there was a look in her eyes that led me to believe she had her own agenda as well, and that’s what scared me.

What could she possibly do, though? She wasn’t smart, she wasn’t intelligent at all, actually. She was a pair of tits with a good body. Yeah, she said funny things on occasion, but she was crude, crass, and classless. She belonged up on stage, for all the men to play with her, because that was all she was, a plaything. She would never amount to anything; she wasn’t someone you really took to an event or introduced to your mother. No, she was the girl you fucked in a shady motel to get your fix, and then left for something more sophisticated.

The sooner she figured that out, the better.

Irritation about tonight filled me as I thought about the time constraint I was in. I was in the club, waiting for Zane Black to show up, but had a gala to attend with Goldie. The main point of me attending the gala was to confirm a couple of votes for myself for Lot 17, but what I was looking forward to the most was seeing the look on Jett Colby’s face when I showed up with Goldie on my arm. Just the thought of it had my anxiety hanging back.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. Lately, I’d been a little harsh on Goldie, but in the end, I could see her needing me more and more. After we secure Lot 17, I’ll be making my move with her. I don’t want to play around anymore. I want her to be the one up on stage, the one the members dominate. It would be the final nail in Jett Colby’s coffin.

Checking my watch, I thought about how Zane was a couple minutes late. He didn’t seem like the type of businessman to be late, especially when we had a scheduled time set up to meet.

The girls were ready for their first performance. Blane was going to be demonstrating on Bizzy tonight, leaving Mercy alone. I found that I didn’t want her to be the first to go; I wanted her to be a show-off item, a woman men wanted to come back to see. Bizzy would be a good starter, but Mercy was the girl the men would crave, no doubt about it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zane come to the front door on the security camera. Straightening my tie, I approached the front of the club. All the other members who were attending tonight were mingling in the main room, getting their drinks and talking about the festivities. I had Zane enter from the front, because I wasn’t quite confident yet in giving him full access to the club. I wanted to read his initial reaction when he we toured the facility. Plus, I needed to confiscate his phone, just in case.

From the security camera, I could see he wasn’t shifting in place; he didn’t seem nervous, he looked confident and excited. I was a man who read people’s body language and looking at Zane, he seemed like he wasn’t the least bit concerned about showing up tonight, a sign that he was here at my club for the right reasons, to have a damn good time.

Opening the door, I greeted Zane with a warm handshake.

“Z, so glad you could make it.”

“Thank you.” I shook his hand while he looked around the entryway. “I’m glad you sent a driver, because I’m not sure I would have been able to find this place.”

“We keep it low key on purpose. Once we induct you as a member, we will give you access to the back entrance, which is more private and easier to find.”

“Can’t wait,” he said with a crooked smile.

He stepped forward, but I stopped him with my hand. “Before we walk in, I need you to put your phone in one of the safe deposit boxes that you can access once you leave. We don’t allow any recording electronics in the club; I’m sure you can understand.”

Without a blink of his eye, he nodded, grabbed his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket, and handed it over. I showed him where the boxes were and how he could access it once he left. The girls did the same thing with their personal items.

“Alright, let’s get started,” I smirked, as I led Zane back into the club.

Light mood music was playing over the club speakers, setting a more provocative tone for the members. Yellow lights bounced off of the base of the walls, casting a small glow around the room, giving it an almost sinister look. Everything about the club, I loved. It was dark, it was dangerous, it gave men like me, men who had to be on their best behavior in the public eye, a chance to let go, to have some fun without being judged.

The members nodded at Zane and myself as we walked in, acknowledging our presence. When entering the club, you might see someone you know or work with, but the business side of our lives was never discussed. That part of our lives was never brought up because the club was a safe place for us, a place to step outside the professional lives we lived and indulge. No one talked about the club and what happened outside of it.

“This is the main room,” I told Zane, who was looking around in appreciation.

“I could see bringing my guys here, easily. Are you going to stick with the same theme when you win Lot 17?”

When I win, I was really liking this guy.

“Blane is in charge of the bar and also the demonstrations.”

“Demonstrations?” Zane asked, while we walked over to the bar.

“Yes, we pick one girl a night, who Blane dominates in front of the men, shows them how to properly dominate her. The members love it; it allows them a chance to fulfill a fantasy they might not get back at home.”

“Ahh, so some of these men are married.” Zane nodded his head as he looked around, worrying me slightly.

“We have a non-disclosure contract each member has to sign. Whatever they happen to see in the club is not to be mentioned outside of these walls. It’s a general understanding.”

“Naturally,” Zane replied. He nodded at Blane and said, “Two fingers of Jameson, please.”

Blane acknowledged Zane’s order and started filling it. He was a good bartender, kept to himself, did the job correctly, and then entertained after. Blane was one of the best decisions Leo and I had made for our club. The members looked up to him and the girls obeyed him. It was perfect.

The day Leo approached me about hiring Blane, I was apprehensive at first. I went to school with him and he was much larger than me, when it came to his muscular frame, but sometimes brains beat brawn, and when it came to Blane, he made the wrong moves in his life. Leo and I were able to capitalize on his wrong decisions, just like with the girls in the club.

When we were searching for employees, we made them take lie detector tests, to find out their darkest secrets, what skeletons they were hiding in their closets, and like the master manipulators we were, we used those secrets against them. Did I feel like I was cheating them? Yes, but then again, that was business. Only the strong survived.

Taking a sip from his drink, Zane surveyed the room once again, fidgeted with his watch, and then said, “Tell me about the back rooms. Those are what I believe my friends will enjoy the most.”

“Yes, I believe that’s what every member enjoys the most,” I said, as I started walking to the back hallway. “Once we acquire Lot 17, there will be more rooms, but right now, we have four playrooms where members can pick one of the girls to come back here with. Mind you, it’s a handsome fee to have sex with one of the Masquerade girls, but well worth it. They have signed contracts to allow the members to do whatever they want to the girls, within reason of course.”

“Of course,” Zane tipped his cup toward me. “How did you get the girls to participate in the club? Do you plan on hiring more? Three doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“We have plans for more to come in. It’s hard to find willing girls. They have to be desperate, they have to need the money, and they have to have something we can hold against them.”

“Like what?” Zane asked, starting to ask too many questions for my liking.

Brushing him off, I said, “We can get into that later. It’s something we don’t need to discuss right now. Come with me; I’ll show you the back rooms where members aren’t allowed.”

For the next half hour, I gave Zane a tour of the club, explaining the inner workings, and how we were able to get away with having such a club in the city. Thanks to my connections, we flew under the radar. Zane grew more and more interested with each passing moment, leading me to believe we were going to have a deal by the end of the night, a deal that would clinch everything I’d been striving for.

I took a look at my watch and realized the gala started an hour ago and the girls were going to be coming out soon. So, I took Zane back to the main room and introduced him to a couple of the men that would be sticking around.

“Unfortunately, I have another event I have to attend, or else I would stay longer.”

“Oh, please don’t let me hold you back,” Zane said with a grin. “I’m sure I’ll be plenty entertained.”

From what I had seen Goldie put together over the last week, I knew he would be very much entertained.

“Shall I call you in the morning to arrange contracts?” I asked, while holding my breath.

The light music in the main room cut and the lights dimmed, pointing to the opening where the girls first showed themselves. Mercy’s honey colored hair arrived first, as she strutted out onto the stage. She was a show stopper, no doubt about it.

Looking back up at me after seeing Mercy, Zane nodded his head and placed one of his business cards in my hand. “We’ll be in touch.”

I shook the man’s hand with a new-found excitement brewing inside of me.

Taking one last look at the club, I acknowledged my accomplishment, and went back to my town car, in which I would be taken back to my house to pick up Goldie. I was quite excited to see how the dress I picked out for her fit, and I was even more excited to see the look on Jett Colby’s face when I walked into the gala with her on my arm.

This was just the beginning of the end for the man. You should always tread carefully when dealing with such powerful men, because you never knew who they might know and what they might do to stay on top. Unfortunately for Jett, his time was coming to an end.