Ruby's Palace

by KERRY BARNES

  Ruby relaxed her shoulders and looked around, hoping that the atmosphere would resume and the punters would go back to enjoying themselves. The music was turned up a notch and girls got up to dance. Ruby sensed a man staring at her. As she turned her head, he smiled a half smile which just showed his very white teeth. There was something about him, and the way he tilted his face and bit his lip, which grabbed her attention. As she headed for the office he disappeared and her curiosity got the better of her. He was a real good-looking fella. She hadn’t seen him in the club before but, then, there were new people arriving all the time. He was special. With a glint in his eyes he stood confidently, showing he had a decent body too. She tried to stop thinking about him but as soon as she reached the bar a soft, sexy voice spoke. She guessed it belonged to the mystery man.

  “May I have a brandy and coke please?” He had a tiny hint of an Irish accent.

  Ruby turned to face him and unexpectedly blushed.

  Without thinking, she served him his drink. All the while he stared and smiled. She handed him the glass and, with the light from the bar, she could see clearly his bronze complexion and was awestruck by his brilliant green eyes. He winked and gave her his half smile. Ruby felt awkward. Usually she brimmed with self-confidence. Her cheeks glowed and she was lost for words.

  “Hello, my name is Ocean.” He held his hand out to shake hers.

  “I’m Ruby.” She shook his hand, almost trembling.

  “You’re not the Ruby of Ruby’s Palace now, are you?” he asked, still holding her hand.

  Coyly, she nodded.

  “Well, Miss Ruby Palace, it’s lovely to meet you.” He winked again and walked away.

  She was still staring when he looked over his shoulder.

  She took a deep breath and poured herself a brandy and then asked the barmaids if they knew who he was, but none of them did.

  The night dragged on and, every so often, Ruby scanned the club to find her mystery man. She felt disappointed when he wasn’t in sight. Then, just before she prepared for last orders, he appeared again to order another brandy. This time, Ruby was more confident.

  “So, Ocean, is this your first visit here?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I think you have done a good job. It is a great achievement for someone so young,” he replied, trying hard not to let his gypsy accent show.

  “Thank you very much,” she replied.

  “Not at all, I admire a person such as yourself.”

  Ruby enjoyed his soft Irish brogue and felt complimented. She had become used to the way men spoke about her looks, but somehow Ocean was different.

  “So, Miss Palace, what do you do in your spare time? If, of course, you have any?”

  Ruby was caught off-guard and had to think. The truth was, she shopped or worked.

  “Well, not a lot really. I have been too busy getting this club up and running,” she replied.

  “Would you have time for the pictures?” He cocked his head to the side and smiled.

  Ruby tingled inside. “Maybe I could find time.”

  “Do you think you could find time on, say, Tuesday night?” asked Ocean.

  Ruby smiled from ear to ear. “I think I could find myself free on Tuesday night, say seven o’clock, here, outside my club.”

  “It’s a date,” said Ocean, who knocked back his brandy and left.

  Ruby was bemused by the whole event. He didn’t hang around, he didn’t kiss her, or even ask for her phone number. However, she did appreciate his obvious good looks and air of mystery.

  The evening came to a close and the doormen waited for Ruby and Jack to close up. It was a necessary precaution – to ensure they were safely in the cars. Sadie was standing by the office, praying it wasn’t her first and last shift.

  “Oh, yes, sorry, Sadie, to keep you waiting. Here, take this.” Ruby handed her an envelope.

  “Am I fired then?” she asked, assuming it was her wages for the night. Usually, the staff were paid monthly.

  Jack glanced at Ruby with a frown. He didn’t interfere with the bar staffing issues. She laughed. “No, that is to show you I am not a bitch. See you Saturday.”

  Jack laughed. “Fuck me, sis. You have to bribe people to believe that now, do ya?”

  Once outside the club, Sadie ripped open the envelope to find one hundred pounds in cash. She decided, there and then, she would make sure she never let Ruby down and would go the extra mile.

  *

  Ocean arrived back at the site to see the eager Farley and Levi. Billy had taken to his bed with a chest infection.

  “Well?” enquired Levi, throwing Ocean a can of beer.

  He grinned. “Putty in my hand!”

  “Did you give her one?” asked Levi, rubbing his hands together.

  “What’s with you, mush, can’t you get any sex these days? Is it your flat nose?” Ocean was annoyed with Levi. He always saw him as a pervert and right now he felt guilty for almost cheating on Kizzy. Come Tuesday evening he would be cheating, but the only girl Ocean wanted was down in Kent.

  “Fuck off, Osh, my nose ain’t that bad.” Levi got up to look in the mirror.

  “Well! What happened?” asked Farley.

  “I’m taking her out Tuesday night!” His voice was flat.

  “Yeah… so what’s the problem, Oshi boy?”

  “Noffin. I just don’t fancy her, that’s all.”

  “Do you want in on the deal, or what?” shouted Farley out of frustration.

  Ocean nodded.

  “Well, fucking learn to fancy her. Win the malt over and get us in that club!”

  Ocean chewed the inside of his mouth. He wanted in on the action, but his head told him to stay clear of Ruby if he was to keep Kizzy.

  He left the caravan and headed home. Marching up the hill, he thought of Kizzy and instantly ached to be in her bed but he had to be patient and give her time.

  Behind him he heard the roar of Levi’s BMW, the latest model. He turned to see the bright red monster tear off into the night. He chewed the inside of his mouth again, which was something he always did when deep in contemplation. The car, the trendy flat, the respect, would all be his, if he managed to get Ruby in the sack and keep up the pretence. He deliberated over Kizzy. She would never know. Not if he was clever. She lived down in Kent with her horses as she wasn’t brave enough to visit the London site. Her safety net was her caravan.

  He concluded that to get anywhere in life he had to take risks, and the benefits were his and Kizzy’s to share.

  He thought about Ruby. She wasn’t like his Kizzy. But she was still a nice-looking woman and it wouldn’t be so hard to lead her on and show her a good time.

  The Nappers’ club in the Old Kent Road was snapped up by the Vincents but under a different name. It had been turned into a club called Little Palace and was being managed very well by Celia, Napper’s widow. ‘Ironic,’ laughed Celia when Dan handed her the keys. She had worked hard and proven to them she was more than capable of running it. He knew she wouldn’t stand any nonsense. Her aim was to execute a clean and profitable business and show any of Kenneth’s friends she wasn’t fucking around. The pikeys tried a few times to get in but she wasn’t having any of it. It was Billy O’Connell and Ocean who made the first attempt. They had arrived, suited and booted, and the naive bouncer let them in. Celia had been doing the paperwork that evening and didn’t notice them peddling their gear. They were premature with their new-found confidence in supplying drugs to the punters in Little Palace. The fact that no one had noticed was not a good reason to go in the following week with a serious amount of cocaine stashed in their jackets. There were plenty of buyers, as everyone fancied a toot, and the first night was rocking. They had punters asking if they would be serving next week. Ocean had sold his car and set aside the money on cocaine, eager to be a big shot dealer. Potentially, this was a huge earner and theirs for the taking.

  The following Friday they arrived, as they had the week before, only this time with
enough gear not to run dry. Some of the regulars made a beeline for them, which caught Celia’s attention. She was at the bar and instantly clocked them. The sovereign ring on fat Billy’s little finger gave them away. He had tried hard to get it off but he was so fat these days that only the fire brigade could have removed it. She remembered Johnnie telling her about the travellers and their drug scams, and she would not have a hedge mumper crossing her Palace.

  Jason, Johnnie’s brother, was head doorman and he was the one who threw them out bodily. But not before Celia gave them a good look over.

  “Come near me club again, and I’ll make sure you wished you had been born a porker, not a fucking pikey.” Her face looked tight and spiteful with anger.

  Jason looked out for Celia. Always by her side, he knew that’s what Johnnie would have wanted.

  He got two other bouncers to give Ocean and Farley a slap and, while they had hold of them, Jason frisked their pockets and pulled out a good thirty grams of coke. They opened the packets, to the dismay of the wide-eyed pikeys, and let the wind blow the powder into the night.

  It was the half smile of satisfaction on Celia’s face which Ocean would not forget. That bag of cocaine was his and there she was, a midget of a woman, grinning at his misfortune. He walked away with a black eye, a debt of two grand, and hatred towards the Vincents.

  *

  Dan’s Palace still brought in the most money, but when Dan looked at Ruby’s books his eyes lit up. The takings were increasing each week and the youngsters were spending more than the rich old boys. Dan held business meetings every Tuesday. Ruby loved to be part of that. At long last she was being treated as an adult and respected for her handling of the club.

  Jack also went along, but Ruby put forward the new ideas and updates.

  “I want to have a foam night once a month!” she said excitedly.

  “Rubes, foam nights went out in the eighties, it won’t work!” laughed Fred, who loved his niece but liked to reel her back in every so often.

  “Well, Uncle Fred, you’re so wrong. I have asked my punters if they like that sort of thing, and they love the idea. Come the summer, I want my customers dancing in the wet, sexing it up, and downing the vodka. Jack’s well up for it.” She giggled and the rest joined in.

  “That shut you up, you old timer!” laughed Sam, who was proud of his kids and their success. Aware of his son’s protective nature, he knew only too well that Ruby couldn’t manage the club completely on her own and was content in the knowledge that Jack always had Ruby’s back, no matter what.

  The profits from each club were put into the pot and divided equally amongst the Vincents. It was the fairest way and everyone agreed to it. Ruby reserved herself the BMW she was after and had the cheek to call it a company car. Jack had tried to purchase a number plate with ‘princess’ on it, just for a laugh, but anything similar was already gone. So he bought a plaque which fixed to the rear window and read, ‘Keep back, Princess on board’.

  Ruby accepted it, all in good faith, ready to be stuck on.

  The new car was available for her to collect on Monday, and she was brimming over with excitement. Jack drove her to the garage and she very excitedly took her princess plaque with her. A brand new BMW sports car, in midnight blue, was there on the forecourt, awaiting the princess’s arrival.

  “Fucking ‘ell, Rubes, you had better retake your test. That is one mean machine. Are you sure you can handle that?”

  Ruby was simply glowing. Her new baby was there, ready for the taking.

  The salesman was a good-looking young man, dressed in a blue pinstripe suit and a hairstyle which suited a Calvin Klein model. The diamond stud in his ear and Rolex watch said, ‘I’m successful and flash’. So typical. He eyed Ruby up and down and liked what he saw, but assumed she was daddy’s princess and this was a twenty-first birthday present.

  He dangled the keys in front of her face and grinned. “Shall we take her for a spin before you go it alone, just to make sure you are one hundred per cent happy.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, any problems and it’s coming straight back here.” She smiled sweetly, but her tone said, ‘Don’t fuck with me’.

  Sean, the salesman, was intrigued. Usually he was good at summing up girls by the way they looked, but he guessed he was wrong this time.

  “So, Ruby, the car, is it a birthday present or —” Before he could continue, Jack jumped in.

  “No, mate, my sister bought it for herself.” Jack stood by Ruby’s side and looked the salesman over.

  Sean felt his neck get hot and hoped he hadn’t offended his customer, as the sale had been done over the phone. Ruby had seen the car in the showroom and decided there and then she wanted it so she’d made the arrangements. Sean, of course, assumed daddy was footing the bill.

  Out of embarrassment, he said, “So, you have a good job then!” and then nearly kicked himself afterwards.

  Ruby felt sorry for him and smiled politely.

  “I run Ruby’s Palace in the East End. Here, take my card and pay us a visit one night.”

  Sean gracefully took the card, realising he was facing a woman further up the ladder than himself, and felt foolish.

  As they left, Ruby gave Jack a dig in the ribs. “You are wicked sometimes!”

  He frowned. “Ruby, he was chatting you up.”

  “So?” she spat.

  “Well, sis, don’t get sucked in by any old Tom, Dick or Harry. You have got status. You want someone on your level.”

  Ruby took a deep breath. “Jack, you need someone… anyone, on your level or not!”

  He rolled his eyes and waited for the princess to get settled in her new set of wheels before he left.

  Ruby itched to get going. She secretly wanted this beauty before her meeting with the mystery man to impress him – as if owning a nightclub wasn’t enough. Before Tuesday approached, she paid her hairdresser a visit and had a spray tan followed by a manicure. There was something about Ocean: maybe it was the lack of words, or just facial expressions, which made her want more. She was intrigued by his obscurity and charmed by his looks. She hoped, by looking her best and driving a flash car, she would secure his attention.

  *

  Tuesday night arrived, and both Jack and Sam sensed Ruby was going on a date. She spent far longer than usual getting ready and the strong perfume could be detected down in the wine cellar.

  Jack called up the stairs, “Rubes, your hairspray has anaesthetised me tonsils!”

  Ruby carried on adding more, ignoring her brother.

  Eventually she emerged, looking too sexy for Sam’s liking.

  “Ruby, you can’t be fucking serious, your boobs look like they are balancing on that… whatever that is,” snapped Sam.

  “Dad, it’s called a corset and they are not balancing. These puppies are well and truly strapped in!” laughed Ruby.

  She looked down at her outfit – the black sequined top and tight jeans. She glanced then at her brother. “Well, Jack, how do I look?”

  He smiled. “Like you're carrying two bald puppies.” They both laughed.

  If her brother noticed the glamour side to her, then certainly Ocean should. That was her intention.

  The summer evening was perfect for Ruby to put down the soft top on her convertible and head off into the sunset. She hoped he’d be there waiting, just so she could pull up looking the part. The sun was setting and everywhere had a warm, bright orange glow.

  As she pulled up outside the club, there, not twenty feet away, stood Ocean, leaning against a smart red BMW. Ruby’s heart began to pummel. He put her in mind of James Dean with his leather jacket, jeans, those blonde locks, and the way he tilted his head and lowered his gaze.

  She waved as she locked the door. He walked slowly towards her with that half smile which made Ruby melt.

  He kissed her on the cheek and led her to his car, well, Levi’s car. The wheels and the flat were part of the bargain. Ocean could use it all as long as he reeled in the V
incent girl.

  “So, Ocean, where are we going?” Ruby mistakenly assumed he was loaded. The BMW he drove was top of the range, and the leather jacket had a Prada tag sewn on the side.

  “I thought maybe a light meal, perhaps Italian.” He tried hard to sound posh but was struggling. A traveller all his life, with a real tinker accent, he would indeed find it hard. His lack of words gave Ruby the impression he was a man of importance – perhaps a wealthy stockbroker.

  “So, tell me, Ocean, what do you do for a living?” she asked, as they sat in the romantic bay of the Lugini restaurant.

  He smiled. Knowing that question might crop up, he had the answer planned.

  “My business is in race horses. I buy, sell and breed.”

  Ruby raised her eyebrows. It sounded exciting. She took it all in. He was rich, interesting and extremely handsome.

  “And what do you do, Miss Palace?” he asked.

  Ruby frowned. She had told him she ran Ruby’s Palace.

  “You know what I do,” she laughed.

  Ocean looked over his menu. “But I thought you were joking.”

  Ruby was foolishly pleased. He was with her for herself and not for who she was. So she believed.

  They spent the evening talking and smiling whilst Ruby yearned for him to kiss her or say something more complimentary. As the evening came to a close, Ocean drove her back to her car and stepped out to say goodnight.

  “Ruby, I have had a wonderful evening, and I would like to do it again sometime.” He was acting the perfect gentleman, much to Ruby’s disappointment. All she wanted right now was a passionate kiss and the promise of more. She was so immersed in his sexy green eyes she would have fucked his brains out in the back of the car.

  “Yes, Ocean, I have too, and I would love to meet again. How about tomorrow night?” She was being forward but she couldn’t help herself. He was so gorgeous.

  He almost gasped. Tomorrow was too soon. He had made plans to be with Kizzy and nothing and no one would get in the way.

  “How about Thursday, only Wednesday I won’t be home until late? I am off to Birmingham for the day.”