Beyond the Velvet Rope

by Tiffany Ashley

  When Markie closed the door behind him, it was impossible to hear anything from the arena floor. Thandie arched her brow at him. “Let me guess,” she said. “Soundproof?”

  “Of course.” He nodded to the phone on his desk. “Dial nine for an outside line. If you need me for anything, press two. That goes straight to my headset.”

  “Got it. Thanks, Markie.”

  He nodded and left the room.

  Thandie called Raja for an update. Raja answered on the first call. She informed her they were a few blocks away, but were stuck in traffic. Samara had a group of three people accompanying her. Thandie asked a few more questions before ending the call. She then began dialing her contacts at two local radio stations. They promised not to make the announcement for the next thirty minutes. She then pressed two and was immediately speaking to Markie. She informed him of Samara’s arrival time, and asked for him to notify security.

  When she was done, she left Markie’s office and went in search of Adam. Surveying the club, she noticed tonight had a gothic theme. The dancers were wearing black leather and waving fringed whips. The acrobats had not begun their show, but she could see they were beginning to harness themselves in.

  Thandie climbed up the steps that led to the first VIP level. She saw Adam in the far corner, shaking hands with someone distantly familiar. Seeing her, Adam waved her over.

  “Where are the girls?” he asked.

  “On their way. They have a guest.” She filled him in on the details.

  Adam listened carefully and was soon speaking rapidly into his headset, alerting the waitstaff. “By the way,” he said while half-heartedly listening to Markie bark commands into his ear. “I’m not sure how you did it, but Tiny says the line outside is wrapped around the corner. Markie has increased security.”

  “What about the girls?” she asked. “Will they have any problems getting in?”

  “They shouldn’t,” he answered. “Their car just pulled up.”

  From this level, Thandie had a great view of the entrance. She turned just in time to see Len and Raja enter the arena. Turning back to Adam she asked, “Are you ready?”

  He held up his hands, as if saying, “I’m always ready.”

  Thandie smirked. Adam had proven himself more than competent. In the short time she’d known him, she could honestly say he was the best VIP manager she’d worked with.

  Then her attention was snagged by Tiny’s wide form parting the crowd on the arena dance floor. Thandie focused on the group following in his wake. Raja and Len were easily noticeable. Tall, statuesque and very confident. Latin singer Samara, however, could have gone completely unnoticed standing next to Len and Raja. She was considerably shorter and curvier than her escorts. The soon-to-be-famous Samara wore a Red Sox baseball cap, tank top and ripped jeans. It was fashionable enough when paired with her long hair extensions and a dozen bangles hanging from each wrist, but it wasn’t glamorous. Samara’s lack of presence caused onlookers to stare at Raja and Len. Curious dancers craned their necks to get a better look. They could not identify who they were, but were determined to guess. Certain Len and Raja were the real celebrities, the two of them attracted the bulk of attention.

  Upon entering the VIP area, Samara looked smaller than before, her clothing baggier. Her bushy hair, which Thandie was sure looked great on a concert stage, was too big for her body.

  In spite of her presentation misstep, Thandie knew she was looking at a future star. Jarvis saw something in her that was worth cultivating, and everyone knew Jarvis Taylor had yet to associate himself with a failed project.

  Not exactly comfortable with her new stardom, Samara seemed unsure of her surroundings, as if they would suddenly be cast out of VIP at any moment. Determined to make their guest feel welcome, Thandie greeted the singer like an old friend. “Samara, I’m so glad you’re finally here. How was the show?”

  Samara nodded. “Cool enough. Of course, everyone comes to see Shay. But Jarvis says it’s good for my career.”

  The ball cap was pulled low over her eyes, making them impossible to see. Thandie guessed that if she could see them, there would be a lot of uncertainty swimming in those brown pools.

  Thandie gave her a reassuring smile. “Well, you’ve worked hard and now it’s time to play.” Taking Samara’s hand, Thandie led her to the reserved booth Adam had selected earlier that evening. “We’re going to take care of you tonight.” Raja and Len flanked her sides. “But first, let’s have a drink.”

  As if on cue, Adam appeared with a waitress in tow. A bottle of chilled champagne and flutes. This went over well with Samara’s entourage. Assured he had impressed her group, in one showy motion, Adam poured a glass and presented it to Samara with a wink. This act of mild flirtation made everyone in their party laugh. Everyone except Len who, for reasons Thandie did not understand, grimaced.

  As the conversation became livelier, Samara began to loosen up. Half an hour later, the girls were finally able to coax Samara onto the dance floor. Confident their guests were in good hands, Thandie stepped away from the group to check her phone. Jarvis had called her twice. Unable to make a phone call with the noise around her, she escaped to Markie’s office. She tried to reach Jarvis, but the call rolled right into his message center.

  Thandie returned to the VIP area. It was becoming increasingly congested. Craning her neck, she caught sight of Adam through the crowd. She moved to him. “Is everything all right?” she asked.

  “Better than that,” he said. “We’re doing pretty well for a Sunday night.”

  Thandie nodded and checked her phone again. She did not want to miss Jarvis’s call if he tried her back. She assumed he was calling to check on Samara, but why now? And why twice? He knew it would be nearly impossible for her to hear in the club.

  “I’ll be damned,” Adam whispered.

  “Hmm.” Thandie was in the middle of sending Jarvis a quick text message. Suddenly, there was a loud gasp from the crowd, before the sound of cheers and whistles erupted. Curious, Thandie looked up. “What’s going on?”

  Adam pierced his lip, staring intently at something across the arena floor. “I believe our little celebrity just got eclipsed by another star.”

  She frowned at his words. “What star?”

  “That star.”

  Thandie followed his gaze across the room. To her astonishment, a large group of men were crossing the arena floor. Babylon bouncers and several beefy men she’d never seen before ensured the group had a wide berth. In front of the marching army was Markie, who herded them toward the VIP level. Romero followed closely behind. Stationed in the center of the group were two unmistakable faces. Elliot Richards was talking earnestly with singer Shay Thomas.

  The sight of the two of them being so friendly made Thandie momentarily speechless. Was this where Elliot had been all night? Had he been at the concert? If so, why hadn’t he told her he knew Shay Thomas? Bringing such a big celebrity to the club demanded planning and security.

  Their entourage arrived on the second level. The temperature seemed to heat up the moment Elliot entered the VIP area. He was wearing a gray suit tonight, with a black satin shirt. The shiny material of his shirt seemed to match the glossy tresses of his hair. She found it impossible to tear her eyes away from him. Even standing next to the handsome superstar Shay Thomas, who set a new standard for the term “bling-bling”, Elliot more than held his own.

  Adam welcomed the group into the VIP area by guiding them to corner sofas, the best seats in the house. Their booth was large and excellently positioned to be easily seen by the crowd below and the many terraces hovering over the arena floor.

  Shay and Elliot took their seats and began ordering drinks. The two men talked and laughed together like old friends. They might not have been true friends, but one thing was evident: they had known each other long before tonight.

  Cutting her way through the crowd, Thandie made a direct path toward the large group. Shay, whom she’d met briefly a
few times before, noticed her.

  He stood to hug her. “Hey, girl, how are you?”

  “I’m great, Shay. I heard the concert was amazing.”

  “We can only hope so.”

  Thandie turned to Elliot. She gave him a tight smile. “Elliot,” she said, acknowledging him but refusing to say anything else.

  In response, Elliot stood and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. He said nothing, but allowed his eyes to slowly sweep her body. This was purposely done. He knew she would not make her anger visible in front of Shay. To prove his point, he winked at her before reclaiming his seat.

  Returning her attention to Shay, Thandie was able to get a few words out before they were interrupted. As if conjured by magic, Raja and Len appeared at her elbow. Thandie introduced them to their idol. Raja played it cool, but Len practically implied she would do anything for him. Shay gave them a mild smile before turning back to his entourage.

  Elliot was clearly amused. Romero gave a heavy sigh, not caring to mask his annoyance with Raja and Len. Not to be ignored, the girls hovered close to Shay’s group, inserting themselves into the fray. Shay didn’t outright ignore them, but he didn’t exactly welcome their presence. He did this not with the same grace Elliot always managed, but he got his message across. He might be a free agent, but he wasn’t interested.

  Satisfied the girls would keep a close eye on Shay, Thandie searched for Samara. The Latin singer was quietly sipping a club soda when Thandie found her. Her eyes lit up when Thandie sat down next to her.

  Since the girls were occupied, it was now her responsibility to keep their guest entertained. It took a great deal of effort to ignore Elliot and Shay. Everyone seemed to be interested in their group. Beautiful women were circling around their table like predatory sharks. The prettier amongst them were invited to sit at their booth. Raja and Len sat on opposite sides of Shay, while two unknown women pressed themselves close to Elliot.

  Frustrated with everyone residing on that side of the room, Thandie forced herself to focus on the task at hand, which was to ensure Samara enjoyed herself. It was irksome having her guest upstaged by Elliot’s superstar.

  Finally, she got Len and Raja’s attention and motioned them over to keep Samara entertained.

  Thandie then started communicating with every gossip columnist and local journalist she could manage. Through a series of text messages, emails and online message boards, she made sure everyone knew Club Babylon was the party to be at tonight. For safety reasons, she’d withheld mentioning Shay Thomas’s name. Thandie planned to broadcast this news at the most opportune moment.

  It came time when Elliot normally made his rounds to mingle with the club guests. Like clockwork, Thandie saw him rise and shake Shay Thomas’s hand before leaving the VIP area. She couldn’t resist watching him step onto the arena floor below and ease into the mass of dancing people. He quickly became a magnet for attention. People sought him out, encircled him, embraced him; as if he were some majestic being. Thandie huffed. With everyone always treating him like God’s gift to women, it’s no wonder he was so arrogant. Thandie turned away, no longer interested in the Elliot Richards show. She had more messages to send.

  About an hour later, Thandie was admittedly tired. The women were becoming aggressive in their efforts to meet Shay, and he did little to deter their affections. Shay enjoyed dancing, and for the most part, people gave him plenty of room to do so. With hours of professional choreography under his belt, no one was eager to dance too closely. Needless to say, he was entertaining to watch.

  Samara wasn’t as thrilling. Len and Raja made attempts to lure her onto the dance floor, but she was reluctant. She swayed in placed halfheartedly, and showed little interest in doing much else. When Shay pulled Samara next to him and began dancing with her, she actually managed to smile. They danced to the cheers of the crowd. The DJ was accommodating, playing one of Shay’s songs followed by Samara’s. The dancers moved in unison.

  Tonight would have been a perfect time for Elliot to reconsider his “no camera” rule. Thandie could have kicked herself for not pressing him harder on the issue. Pictures of Shay and Samara dancing together would have been priceless.

  Eventually, Shay was ready to move on to the next club. He said his goodbyes to the room at large and made a noticeable exit. Thandie knew it had taken a great deal of self-control for Len and Raja not to push Samara into the nearest corner and take off running after Shay Thomas’s motorcade. When they found out Samara was staying at the same hotel as Shay—right down the hall, to be exact—they immediately considered her their new BFF.

  Having weaved his way around a clutch of dancers, Adam came up on Thandie’s left, and whispered loud enough to be heard over the music, “Whatever you’re doing is working.” At her puzzled expression, he added, “Everyone in the city seems to know Shay Thomas is here. The reporters are out in full force. Ed wants to call the police to direct traffic.”

  “That’s not such a bad idea,” Thandie said, keeping a leery eye on the girls as she spoke.

  “I noticed you didn’t take credit for the crowd,” he teased.

  “I didn’t realize I had to.”

  Adam laughed.

  Predictably, Raja and Len soon cornered Thandie to ask if they could take the car. With exaggerated sincerity, they explained how fond they were of Samara and, being the good friends they were, desired to show her more of Miami. According to them, Babylon was too much for her. She needed to go somewhere more intimate. Adam, who’d overheard the entire tale, offered to call his friend at Opium Garden.

  The idea of leaving Samara alone with Len and Raja made her nervous. She consented with reluctance.

  “Okay, you can go. But—”

  “Don’t get into trouble,” Raja finished for her.

  “Right,” Thandie nodded, “And—”

  “Don’t drink and drive,” Len supplied.

  Thandie frowned. Was she really that predictable? “Well, for heaven’s sake—”

  “Don’t get caught doing anything illegal,” both girls chorused in a parody of her voice.

  Unsettled, Thandie presented the keys to the Expedition. Adam offered to take her home, but she was in no mood to hang around the club until eight in the morning, waiting for Adam to get off work. She’d happily take a taxi back to Warren’s home.

  When there was nothing left to see, Thandie said her goodbyes, warned the girls to behave and descended from the VIP level.

  Miami weather was a strange thing, Thandie thought as she stepped outside. It felt the same as it did ten hours before, when the sun shone bright and fat white clouds dotted the sky. There was a slight breeze, but it wasn’t cold. The many lights that lit South Beach made it appear as if it were still daytime. She could truly understand why Warren enjoyed it so much down here.

  Apparently, her thoughts had jinxed the moment, for it was at that very second she felt the first drop of rain fall on her shoulder. The reaction was quick. The sparse few droplets instantly began a shower of fine white tears. Thandie screeched. She could hail a cab under any weather conditions, but rain created a problem. Competition for a taxi increased considerably. Looking up the street, she saw several cabs flying in both directions. She would have to move decisively.

  Thandie stepped toward the curb and lifted her arm to gain the attention of the next passing taxi, but she was brought up short when a hand took an iron hold on her upper arm

  “What are you doing?” he snapped.

  At the sight of Elliot, Thandie groaned. Annoyed he kept appearing unexpectedly, she rolled her eyes. “I’m going home.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “I loaned it to the girls.” She pulled out of his hold. “Good night.” She hoped she had put an end to the conversation, but found she was wrong.

  “I’ll take you home,” he said determinedly.

  Desperate to get away from him, Thandie shook her head. “I can hail a cab.”

  “No, I’m taking you home.”r />
  “No, you aren’t,” she insisted.

  “You’re arguing with me in the rain?”

  Suddenly she realized that the downpour was drenching them both. His dark suit was being pelted with raindrops. His neatly combed hair fell in dark, loose locks about his temples, giving him a devastatingly sexy look. “Yes,” she said in a stronger voice. “I’m arguing with you in the rain.”

  Elliot gave her an incredulous look. “You’re going to take a cab in a strange city, rather than allow me to drive you home?”

  “Yes,” Thandie said. Spotting an available taxi, she skipped hurriedly over to the vehicle and pried the door open. To her horror, she was once again yanked by the arm, and the cab door was slammed closed. “What the hell?” she sputtered.

  “I’m taking you home.” As if on cue, Elliot’s car slid up to the curb, stopping just feet from them. Michelle got out of the driver’s side and jogged over to Elliot, holding an umbrella over him.

  Looking between the two men, Thandie shook her head. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

  “Thandie,” he said in a warning tone, “get in the damn car.”

  Not waiting for her reply, he took the umbrella from Michelle and held it above her. All but pulling her to his car, he roughly helped her into the passenger seat of his Range Rover and walked to the other side to claim the driver’s seat.

  Elliot locked the car doors. “Just so you don’t get any bright ideas.”

  Reaching around her, he fastened her seatbelt before adjusting his own. Dragging his fingers through his hair, he cleared his vision from wet wayward tendrils. Winking at her, he pulled into South Beach traffic, flicking on the radio in the same motion.

  Thandie was surprised to hear soft jazz fill the car’s interior. It was a far departure from the heavy hip-hop beats often played in his club. Grudgingly, she had to admit this style suited him well.