by Meghan Quinn
A tickling war with Kace? Yeah, I wouldn’t pass up that opportunity. My heart belonged to Jett, but I had a vagina, and she knew what a little touching spree would be like with Kace.
“So, how’s the club? Does anyone miss me?”
“They do,” he reassured me. “We’re not allowed to contact you, actually, but it’s not very often I pay attention to the rules.”
“Hence, you boning Pepper.”
“Watch it,” he warned, but with a smirk, making it hard for me to take him seriously. “Lyla is a Jett Girl.”
“What?” I asked, as I felt my eyes pop out of their sockets. “Lyla, my roommate? My friend Lyla?”
“Yeah, she’s filling in for you right now, keeping the members happy, and swears she can help bring you back.”
“She’s high,” I joked. “I bet she is one hot piece of ass up on the stage. She would put me to shame if I was next to her.”
“She’s pretty damn gorgeous,” Kace admitted, as he looked away from me.
Oh, my God!
“You like her! Oh, my God, Kace, you like her! You like Lyla!”
“Squeal one more time…pretty sure the neighbors didn’t hear you.”
“Eeep! I’m sorry, but you and Lyla. Oh, my God, you would make the most gorgeous babies. Jesus, I’m kind of getting a lady boner over the thought of you two together.”
“Cool it,” Kace said, getting tense on me once again. “I just said she was gorgeous.”
“No, you said pretty damn gorgeous and then had this look in your eyes, like you wished she was pumping up and down on your shaft right now.”
“This is why we’re not friends.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“Of course I’ve talked to her; I’m not a mute.”
“Oh, really? Because I’m pretty sure you don’t ever talk when I’m around.”
“That’s because I want to see what kind of insane shit comes out of your mouth. You never cease to amaze me.”
“I aim to please,” I smiled. “Seriously, though. Are you going to ask her out?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe. She has a mouth kind of like yours. You should have seen her when she walked into Jett’s office and told him how things were going to be if she was a Jett Girl. Jett didn’t even have a chance to get a word in. I kind of wanted to fuck her right after that.”
I sat there with my mouth open, hanging to the floor. I was shocked, not just because Kace was telling me about his feelings for Lyla, but because he was able to speak more than a few sentences. Maybe the man did need closure, because right now, I felt lighter, happier to just be talking with Kace, not fighting, not trying to dodge the sexual tension between us.
“This makes me so happy,” I giggled with joy, making Kace roll his eyes.
“Jesus, this is why I don’t tell you things, because you do this girly shit.”
“I’m sorry, should I pretend I have a dick and jerk off to the information?”
“Is that what you think guys do? Jerk off when they tell each other shit?”
“How else would you celebrate? Dick high fives?”
“Normally, we don’t just whip our dicks out when we’re around each other. Pretty much keep those wrapped up.”
“That’s boring. Guys have that whole vision of girls hitting each other with pillows in their underwear at slumber parties. Well, in my mind, when you’re all together, you hang out with your wangs out and just jostle them around when talking. You know, like, ‘Hey, man, great game today,’ jostle, jostle,” I said, while pretending to jostle my own pretend dick.
Kace gave me a questioning look and then shook his head. “There is something so beyond wrong with you.”
“So, I take that as a no?”
“No,” he said, while blowing out a loud breath. “So, has he been treating you well?” Kace asked, while taking in the surroundings of Rex’s room.
“Sure. He hasn’t really done anything bad to me. He’s kind of moody, and even though he says he wants me, he wants us to be together, I know he’s lying, because when he’s at his club, he goes and fucks some girl in the back.”
“And you’re mad about that?”
“Well, I mean, I don’t want to sleep with Rex, obviously, but it does something to a girl’s ego when a guy goes off with another woman when she’s supposed to be having a fake relationship with him. You know? I mean, how rude.”
“Don’t you have bigger things to worry about than who Rex is having sex with? Maybe like what the hell you’re doing here in the first place? What are you trying to accomplish?”
Sitting back on the bed and resting against the headboard, I said, “Diego told me about some illegal business Rex and Leo might be conducting, and I knew if I could get some evidence, figure out what they were doing, I would be able to bury them and live my life with Jett. I’m sick of hiding. I’m sick of not having a relationship with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Kace cringed for a second and then asked, “Are they doing illegal stuff?”
“Oh, my God, yes. So, it’s like a sex club, but worse. The girls are crazy fem-bots that walk around with their heads down, waiting to be plucked away by one of the members to be fucked in the back room. I haven’t really seen what goes on back there, but I know the girls are getting paid for sex. It’s consensual, believe me, I’ve asked them, but it’s paid for. I just don’t know how to pin him for it.”
“Can you record it?”
“That would be the easiest solution, but I’m not allowed to bring in any kind of phone or electronic device. I’m surprised I’m allowed to wear clothes in there. You should see it, Kace. The girls are naked all the time. I know who has a mole where and what cup size each of the girls are. I mean, who wants to be naked all the time, in front of people, and with other girls? The shit going on over there is so fucked up. And, get this, the bartender, his name is Blane, and apparently…”
“Blane Wilson?” Kace asked, cutting me off.
“Uh, I don’t know his last name. He has blond hair, and he’s a beefcake.”
“Blane Wilson,” Kace said, shaking his head.
“Do you know him?”
“Yes, he went to school with us. He hung out with the wrong people at school and ended up getting into drug trafficking.”
“Holy shit, seriously?”
“Yes, he’s not from here though. He grew up in Australia and moved here to be with his uncle when he was young. Technically, he shouldn’t be in the states, but if he goes back to Australia, there are men there waiting to kill him.”
“Noooo,” I said dramatically, as I leaned forward.
“Yes, the dude is a good guy, but made some bad choices in his life.”
“That explains what Rex has hanging over his head. Pretty much, Rex is blackmailing him to work at the club and dominate the women in front of all of the members. Rex calls them demonstrations; it’s so fucking weird.”
“Sounds like it. How do you plan on exposing Rex and Leo?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out. I heard that they were in the lead for Lot 17; they’re the top contender right now. Without this information to expose them, I’m afraid they might win the space, then what happens? Would I ever be able to live my life with Jett the way I want?”
“I don’t know,” Kace shook his head. “I wish I had a more solid answer for you, but Leo, especially, is a dangerous man, and he will do whatever it takes to make things happen for him. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants or he’s exposed, and I know damn sure, he’s never fully satisfied.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” I admitted. “Blane wants to work together to get the information we need. We just have to figure out how to do it first. We have a week still, right?”
“Pretty much, a little over a week. Interviews are next Friday.”
I nodded and then said, “I have an event I have to go to with Rex. Please tell me Jett is not going to be there.”
“Kace…” I warned.
“He might be there, Goldie. Whatever you do, avoid him. I know you, you’re going to want to coddle him, but you have to be cold, you have to stay away. If you don’t, you’re going to tip Rex off, and then everything will go downhill from there.”
“That makes sense,” I swallowed, trying not to panic from the thought of seeing Jett on Saturday. I wanted nothing more than to see the man, to touch him, or just even be close enough to smell his masculine scent, but I knew I had to keep my distance. I had to act like I despised the man, when in fact, I loved him.
10
“Hard Work”
Jett
“Mr. Black is available now,” Aubrey, Zane Black’s assistant said, as she escorted me back to his office.
She was your typical secretary, blonde, busty, and sexy. I applauded Zane for having good taste; I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the man. Even though she was quite beautiful, there was something about her that told me her hair didn’t match her mind. She seemed intelligent and loyal; I liked that about her. And what I liked best about her was she didn’t seem to eat me alive with her eyes. It was refreshing.
We walked up to a grand door and I allowed Aubrey to open the door for me, escorting me into Zane’s office.
“Mr. Black, Mr. Colby is here to see you.”
Zane Black, a real estate mogul in New York City, stood up from his desk while buttoning his jacket and walked toward me. The man had quite a story, working from rags to riches, making a name for himself without help from anyone. He was a man to be admired.
Sticking out his hand, he introduced himself, “Mr. Colby, what a pleasure.”
I took his hand and said, “You can call me Jett.”
“Then, please, call me Z. No one really calls me Zane, and Mr. Black seems too formal for both of us. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“I’m quite fine right now, thank you.”
Quietly, Aubrey closed the door on us and Zane led me to the sitting area in his office, a move I found to be quite humble. Any other power hungry man would have had me sit across from him at his desk, but not Zane, he welcomed me into his office and offered me an even playing field. I liked the man already.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Z.”
Zane crossed his foot over his knee and relaxed in his chair, making me feel more comfortable with the ease in his posture he was displaying.
“I have to admit, when I heard you wanted to meet, I was intrigued as to what you wanted to talk about, since we’re both bidding for the same piece of property. Does this have anything to do with that?”
“It does,” I said, shifting in my seat and adjusting my jacket.
There was a limit of information I wanted to divulge when it came to talking to Zane. I didn’t want him to know about Goldie, because that would show weakness, and I didn’t want him to know about my feud with my father, because that would show jealousy. I wanted him to know the basics, but I wanted him to work with me.
“How important is Lot 17 to you?”
A small grin spread across Zane’s face as he thought about what I asked him. I could see this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it was when I first walked in. He was easygoing, but he was still a business man.
“It would allow me to expand my racing business. I have some thoughts about racing down in New Orleans, and Lot 17 would help with that.”
Zane Black owns Black Top Racing, an underground racing company in New York City. Black Top Racing wasn’t how he made all his money; it was a hobby he developed once he made his billions. The whole concept of Zane’s racing was actually intriguing, and I considered standing in on one of his races one day because of the uniqueness of his speedway. Thanks to Jeremy, I knew all about his underground secrets.
“What would you say if I told you I had access to the Riverfront Expressway Tunnel and could get you the rights to the underground road?”
Visibly, Zane perked up at my mention of the unfinished underground expressway in the heart of New Orleans. It was a tunnel the city started to build to ease traffic in 1960, but it was never completed, and instead of opening it up, it was closed off to the public. The Expressway was an attribute I knew Zane would be interested in obtaining, since he kept his speedway private.
“You’ve peaked my interest. What do you need from me?”
Smiling inwardly, I folded my hands together and said, “There are three bids up for interview next week, you, me and Rex Titan. Lot 17 means a great deal to me. I have plans to make a park for the local Boys and Girls Club, an organization that’s very dear to me. Right now, Rex Titan has the upper hand, due to his illegal plans, which have caught the eyes of some city officials.”
“What do you mean illegal?”
“Currently, he has a gentleman’s club, which a good portion of the city’s elite attend…”
“Don’t you have a club like that?” Zane asked.
“I do, but mine differs from theirs in a vast way. In my club, the women hold the cards. They are never touched, never naked, and earn all the money from the members. It’s a classy form of debauchery where they use choreography and handmade outfits to entice the members. Rex’s club is, unfortunately, more of a brothel, where club members pay to have sex with the girls. Although, I don’t have proof of the inner workings of the club.”
“And you want to bring them down, but need information on the inside, and can’t do that yourself,” Zane cut to the chase.
“No, I can’t.”
“And that’s where you want me to come in, am I right?”
“Yes,” I said, without hesitation.
“I’m not really down with paying for sex and getting caught.”
I knew this was going to be an issue, so that was why I’d already talked to one of my friends who was a detective in New Orleans. Ordinarily, I would have let the police handle such a call, but Rex knew everyone in town; he wouldn’t just let anyone in his club. There had to be a reason as to why Rex would allow someone on the outside to come into his club.
“I can understand that. That’s why I talked to a detective friend about giving you immunity for going into the club and gaining evidence to take down their business.”
Zane rubbed his chin and asked, “And what would I receive in return?”
Smart man, always wanting to know what was in it for him.
“If you back out of the bidding process for Lot 17 and assist me with infiltrating Rex’s club, I will guarantee you the Riverfront Expressway Tunnel.”
“How do I know you can guarantee me the tunnel?” Zane asked, looking skeptical, but hopeful.
From my jacket pocket, I pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Zane. He glanced up at me in question and then unfolded the paper carefully. He studied the paper for a few moments and then looked up at me with a little bit of shock on his face.
“This is the deed to the expressway. How do you have this?”
“I’m an influential man in New Orleans; it’s my city, Z.”
“If you’re so influential, how come you’re having such a hard time acquiring Lot 17?” he asked, sitting back in his chair.
Cocky bastard, I liked him.
“Public bidding process. I can’t do anything about that besides work behind the scenes to make things happen. What do you say? Do you want your second speedway?”
I watched as Zane quirked his lips to the side and thought about the proposal I was offering him. I knew I had him; there was no way he would give up the rights to the Expressway Tunnel…it meant too much to him. I had something he wanted, and he was going to have to work with me to get it.
“I believe I can help you, but I need to know what it entails first. How much of my time will be spent down there? What exactly is the plan of getting into his club?”
Grinning, I adjusted my seat again and leaned forward to lay i
t out for him.
“Like I stated before, Rex won’t let you in the club unless he trusts you, and a sure-fire way to get him to trust you is to devise a plan to take me down.”
Nodding, Zane rubbed his chin and said, “I take it you two have a history.”
“You’re correct, but I won’t bore you with such petty back stories.”
“Thank you,” he smirked.
“First course of action is for you to call Rex and set up a time to meet up with him. He will be intrigued to hear what you have to say, since you’re in the bidding process.”
“That will be easy.”
Zane and I talked for the next hour, devising a plan to find a way into Rex’s club without getting caught. I explained to him the no phone policy, so we would have my detective friend outfit Zane with a hidden camera to record the inner workings of the club.
The time spent with Zane was rather enjoyable. The man had the same attitude toward business as I did, and he was grounded. He wasn’t like every other business man I had to work with. I could foresee a friendship developing between us.
Once we finished, Zane stood and walked me to his door.
“Thank you for seeing me today,” I said politely, as I buttoned up my suit jacket and adjusted my tie.
“I appreciate the offer,” Zane said with a smirk. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to get my hands on the Expressway. Never thought my racing would be taken outside of New York City, but this is an opportunity I just can’t possibly refuse.”
“That reminds me,” I said, while holding my hand out. “I will take that deed for now,” I smirked.
“Damn, thought you would forget,” Zane laughed, as he handed it over to me.
“Let me know how your conversation with Rex goes. I’ll be interested to see how he takes your offer. When you come down, be sure to visit when all is said and done. I would love to show you around town.”
“You can count on it,” Zane answered with a smile. “Just after everything is completed.”
“Naturally. I’ll be in touch. Thank you, Zane, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help.”
