Beyond the Velvet Rope

by Tiffany Ashley

  “Now,” he said in a voice that was as cool as it was impassive, “you may go back to your room.”

  “What?” Thandie blinked slowly, confused. “What’s happening?”

  “Absolutely nothing, pussycat.”

  She blinked again. “We—we aren’t going to—?”

  Elliot shook his head.

  Embarrassed, she rolled out from under him, reached for her towel and quickly wrapped it around her.

  “It’s a bit late for that,” he said casually.

  Thandie screeched in outrage. “You’re a real bastard, Elliot,” she hissed.

  “That’s actually truer than you know, but at least I’m a fair bastard.” He took hold of her, gripping her forearms tightly. “You had your chance, now we’re going to do things my way.” Leaning close, so that his words were whisper-soft. “I’ll fuck you when I’m good and ready. And not now.”

  Abruptly, he let her go. Thandie stumbled back before catching her balance. She could literally feel the steam coming out of her ears and the tightening of her lungs. She gasped for breath. It was not enough. Not nearly enough. Her hands formed into tight fists at her sides. She strained to keep her focus, but bright stars burst before her eyes.

  Oh, no, not here. Please not here. Not in front of him.

  Frantic, she stormed out of the room, pausing only to burn him with an enraged glare. She marched to her room and slammed the door. She’d made it just in time. Right before the doubled over with uncontrollable quakes. She wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Elliot Richards had lived up to his infamous reputation. She cursed his name. He’d made a fool out of her. Painful as if was, she’d learned a powerful lesson tonight. Thankfully, she’d learned it before she’d made a bigger mistake.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Thandie fumbled to find her phone among the bedsheets. She felt as if she had just laid her head down on her pillow before the annoying ringtone woke her up.

  “Huh?” she grunted.

  “Have you seen the papers?” an exasperated voice asked.

  “Gage?”

  “When you wake up, I’d advise you read the morning paper.”

  “Which one?”

  “Take your pick.”

  Thandie muffled a yawn. “What is this all about?”

  “You’ll know soon enough. Look, I’m going into a meeting. Give me a call later.” The line went dead.

  Thandie pushed her phone beneath the covers. She was too tired to give much thought to Gage’s cryptic message. Whatever it was, it could wait until she had at least six hours of sleep. Until then, she didn’t care if the sky came crashing down and killed them all.

  Unfortunately, no one seemed to share her view. What felt like only minutes later, Thandie found herself sitting in the dining room, nursing a cup of black coffee. She was sleep-deprived and irritable, but nevertheless duty was calling.

  After Gage’s call, she’d barely slept an hour before Raja was knocking on her door to join them for press calls. Thandie had dragged herself every step of the way. Her late-night encounter with Elliot weighed heavily on her mind. He’d intentionally meant to humiliate her. When she thought back to how easily she’d welcomed his advances, she wanted to crawl into a hole. She was mortified by her behavior. If he still entertained any ideas of being welcomed into her bed after his performance, he had another think coming. She didn’t want to be within ten feet of him.

  Thandie was brought out of her thoughts when Len tapped her knee. She forced herself to concentrate on the situation at hand. Word about Ruark Randall visiting Club Babylon had spread fast. Due to a slow day in celebrity news, Ruark’s visit to Miami made unnecessary headlines in the gossip papers. Pictures of him entering the club were accompanied by articles that were as short as they were vague. Thandie’s job would be to call her contacts and give them a full account of Ruark’s time at Babylon.

  It did not take long for Thandie to figure out the reason for Gage’s call. In a handful of the pictures, a glimpse of Thandie could be seen in the background. Unfortunately, they showed a pompous Ruark with his arm tossed around her waist.

  The pictures would require explaining.

  Mira was their final call for the morning, and she was literally saving the best for last. Apparently, the gossip mill was strong in Miami. Having somehow learned ahead of time that Thandie would be escorting Ruark to Babylon, Mira managed to plant a photographer inside the club. The results were a series of pictures of Thandie and Ruark cuddled together in a booth. Depending on the picture, some of their positions were questionable. Mira had delighted in emailing Thandie sample shots. Thandie called her as soon as she viewed the email attachments.

  When Mira answered the line, her cackling echoed through the phone. “What do you think, Thandie?” Her voice was practically gleeful.

  “I think you need to delete the pictures,” Thandie said. “I was very clear regarding Babylon’s camera policy.”

  “Oh, you were clear,” Mira agreed, “I just decided not to listen to you.”

  Thandie pinched the bridge of her nose again, staving off a headache. As much as she disliked the idea, she would have to report this to Elliot. He would not receive the news well. “What do you plan to do with the pictures?”

  “Run them, obviously.”

  “All of them?” Thandie asked.

  “A select few,” she said vaguely.

  “Which ones?”

  Mira took her time answering. “You’ll see soon enough.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The issue is already out.”

  “Out?” Thandie repeated in a dry croak.

  “Yes,” Mira practically sang. “Thanks to good timing, we received the pictures before we went to print. It was a rush job, but well worth the trouble. The issue hit newsstands a few hours ago. You should pick up a copy, Thandie. I think you’ll find it quite flattering.”

  Checking her email, Thandie reviewed the pictures again. She groaned. Every one of them implied more was happening between her and Ruark than was true. Thandie now regretted having worn a ponytail. With her hair pulled back, there was nothing to obscure her face. She could be identified from the moon. She swore under her breath, then asked, “Did we at least get a spread in Look?”

  “I did better than that.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “You’ve got the cover.”

  Thandie felt stunned. Because of the success of his TV show, LA Homicide, Ruark Randall was a popular celebrity at the moment. Having him photographed in Babylon was exactly the kind of attention Thandie had been hoping for. What she hadn’t planned on was her being trapped in the spotlight.

  “I’m impressed, Thandie,” Mira drawled. “Is this really you kissing Ruark Randall?”

  Thandie sighed. “Yes, Mira, that’s me.” It would serve no good to deny what the woman already knew. “And for the record, he was the one doing all the kissing.”

  Mira grunted in disbelief. “I can’t tell from the pictures.”

  “Take my word for it. By the way, how did you get a photographer into the club?”

  “I have my sources.”

  “Elliot is going to hit the roof when he hears about this.”

  Mira laughed. “Elliot Richards will be fine. He’ll have no choice but to be. I’m running the cover story with or without his consent.”

  Thandie rubbed her temples. “No more photographers in the club, Mira. Seriously.”

  “I know you’re obligated to say that, dear, but let’s be realistic. I’m the chief editor of Look. I’ll do my job any way I want.”

  “I know,” Thandie conceded. “I just have to give you a heads-up that camera access inside Babylon will not be as easy next time.”

  “I’ve been warned,” Mira snorted. “And so have you.”

  There was no reason to argue. Mira Dietrich was the press. She would do whatever she could to get a good story. Incidentally, Mira’s tactics provided a silver lining for Thandie.
Since Elliot had not been willing to bend on his camera policy, Thandie could inadvertently achieve her goal of getting pictures of VIP guests through her media contacts. Hopefully, by warning Mira of the camera policy, Thandie had piqued her interest to send more photographers. Babylon needed all the publicity it could get.

  Made curious by Mira’s taunts, Thandie sent the girls out to shop the newsstands. They returned fifteen minutes later, their arms laden with purchases. They spread out the gossip papers to see what the headline stories were. Len and Raja got a kick out of the Look cover story. True to her word, Mira had made sure the story was front and center. In big, bold letters the banner read Ruark Randall Finds Love in Babylon!!!

  Len excitedly volunteered to read the article aloud. “Actor Ruark Randall,” she began, “from the hit show LA Homicide, did very little dancing while partying at South Beach’s popular Club Babylon Thursday night. Instead, Ruark kept himself busy locking lips with a mystery woman. Who is Ruark’s new girlfriend?”

  Raja laughed. “This is hilarious, Thandie!”

  “You’re famous now,” Len teased.

  “I think you mean infamous,” Raja corrected her.

  Len gaped at the large picture of Thandie wrapped in Ruark’s arms, receiving an open-mouthed kiss from the famed actor. “Where was I when this was happening?”

  “Chasing Elliot,” Raja sang.

  “Raja!” Len cried, clearly embarrassed.

  Thandie shook her head. “Believe me, I would have switched places with either one of you.”

  Raja frowned at her. “You didn’t like it?”

  “Not even a little,” Thandie muttered, starring at the picture in disbelief. She’d known Mira would see to it that Look used the pictures to paint the most interesting story, but she hadn’t thought she’d be slammed in the process.

  “This is going to be a big deal,” Len whispered more to herself.

  “I think you’re right.” Raja looked at Thandie. “It’s only a matter of time before someone realizes you’re the same woman Ruark was seen with in New York.”

  Thandie couldn’t offer an answer. Even though she’d already previewed the pictures, it was ten times worse seeing them in print. The vision of Ruark forcing his tongue into her mouth was horrifying.

  “This might be a good thing, guys.” Len’s voice turned high-pitched. “The press will be eager to see you, Thandie. That means you can bring more press to the club.”

  Raja looked up at her. “Do you want me to tip off the press? We could have them at the club tonight. Thandie? Hello?”

  Thandie had to jerk herself out of her stupor. “Yes,” she said in a hoarse voice. “That would be nice.”

  “Are you concerned about this article?”

  “Of course not,” she lied. “Len’s right. This gives Babylon publicity. That’s all I care about.” She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. The headache she’d been hoping to avoid had arrived in full force. “Now that we’ve seen the worst of it,” she said, waving her hand to the newspapers. “Let’s make the most of it.”

  With their scheduled press calls out of the way, they had time to manipulate the situation. Even if Thandie didn’t want to be on the receiving end of the media scrutiny, she had to take advantage of the opportunity. If played right, they could bring invaluable attention to Babylon.

  After making a quick call to Markie about stepping up the security in the upcoming weeks, Len and Raja got to work rallying media interest in the club.

  Meanwhile, Thandie busied herself preparing for tonight. Deadmau5 would be performing, and the details going into his show were the most elaborate they’d attempted so far. Lunch was a hurried affair, eaten between more phone calls and email exchanges. The entire time, Thandie had been bracing herself for when Elliot finally emerged from his wing of the house. She’d expected a showdown.

  As it turned out, her worry was pointless. She learned from Lucinda that Elliot had left an hour before she’d awoken, to tend to something at one of his other clubs.

  At any rate, his departure saved her from having to break the news to him about Mira’s photos. She was now able to take the less confrontational route. She’d send him an email.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Her massage appointment at Blu Moon was set for an evening three days from now. Still troubled by the recent developments between her and Elliot, Thandie had left the responsibility of handling press calls to Len and Raja. The Ruark Randall story was alive and well, and Elliot was furious. He called her into his office and was quite terse on his edict about photographers and the press.

  There were gossip columnists out there who still craved details. And then there was the matter of her costume last night. Based on a text message from Gage, Thandie had been photographed.

  Another reason for her to delegate was she had no desire to run into Elliot in the house. To ensure this, Thandie stayed in bed. Pulling the sheets over her head, she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the water outside.

  Ring. Ring.

  Blindly, Thandie answered her phone. “Huh?”

  “Sorry to wake you.”

  “Cam?” she said groggily.

  “Good guess.”

  “What time is it?”

  “9:00 a.m. I know it’s early for you, but it’s the only chance I had to call. I’m in Rome and about to go on set. Gage left me a message to call you and tease you mercilessly about Ruark Randall.”

  Thandie sighed. “Okay,” she said wearily. “Go for it.”

  “I would if I could,” he admitted. “Who the hell is Ruark Randall?”

  She paused and then burst into a fit of laughter.

  “Did I say something funny?” he asked.

  “No, Cam,” she answered between breaths. “You said something right.” She had been so frustrated by being linked to Ruark, it was a relief to know there were people who didn’t know or care about the actor.

  “So who’s this Randall guy?” he asked. “Is he the guy in Miami you’ve been telling me about?”

  “No.” She rolled over and snuggled deeper into the comforts of the mattress. “He’s an actor who visited the club this week. A real character.”

  “Why was Gage laughing when she told me to call you?”

  “She has a twisted sense of humor.”

  “So everything is okay?” he asked slowly.

  “Yes,” she said. “How’s Rome?”

  “Ridiculously amazing, of course. Hold on a sec.” He muffled the phone with his hand while someone spoke to him briefly. When he returned to the phone, he sounded regretful. “Look, Than, I hate to cut this short, but I really have to go. They’ve loaded the van, and the group is waiting for me. I’ll try to call back later.”

  “All right. Thanks for checking on me.”

  “I can’t help it. Sweet dreams.”

  She disconnected the calle, feeling much better. The sound of Cam’s voice calmed her. After her encounter with Elliot last night, she feared she would have a panic attack she was so badly shaken. She had only a few more weeks in Miami. If she could only hold her own until then, she could return to New York in one piece.

  She was considering getting out of bed, when her phone chirped. A new text message had come through. It was from Rex.

  Are you busy tonight?

  -Rex

  Thandie sent him a reply, confirming she had no plans. Rex’s response came within seconds.

  May I take you up on our rain check?

  She smiled. She’d nearly forgotten about their cancelled dinner. There had been precious little time to think about Rex. Lately, her thoughts had been consumed by a gray-eyed devil. It would be nice to spend time with Rex, and away from Elliot. She agreed to dinner. Rex sent one final message with his arrival time. He ended it by simply saying, “I can’t wait to see you.”

  * * *

  It had been a long day. By the time Elliot arrived at Zuma, he was in a foul mood. One of the financiers was dragging his feet on expanding the b
udget for a new investment opportunity. To add to his annoyance, Thandie was back to hiding from him. She’d been huddled in her room all evening until he’d finally left for the club. She meant to avoid him, but she’d made it impossible for him to do the same.

  There had been more photos of Thandie in the paper today. Thankfully, none were taken inside Babylon, but they weren’t much better. They’d gotten pictures of Thandie in that damned dress. Normally, he thought her sexy attire was amusing, entertaining even. Something you looked forward to with the heady delight of a holiday. But that damned dress, with its glowing bra and panties, had simply been too much. He’d relished sending her home early, if for no other reason than to put an end to men gawking at her.

  Sure, there had been plenty of women there last night in all forms of nakedness, but somehow seeing Thandie baring it all, grated on him. She’d hardly been there two hours, and he wanted her gone, out of his sight, and away from prying eyes. Even if the photographers hadn’t been so aggressive, he would have sent her home anyway.

  Why did everything about Thandie needle him? They’d crossed some invisible line that no longer made his attraction to her simple to explain. This thing between them was far more complicated than he could have predicted, or needed. Why the hell did it matter to him that she was avoiding him today?

  No longer interested, my ass, he thought to himself.

  There was a small line of eager patrons, patiently waiting to be seated. The hostess looked up, and like a majority of people who working in Miami’s entertainment industry, she recognized him. Her smile was warm as she welcomed him. Confirming his dinner guests were already seated, she moved to escort him. Elliot held up his hand, insisting he locate their table.

  As soon as he was past the host stand, he saw Matrix leaning against the bar, grinning wolfishly at an attractive female bartender. He whispered something to the woman, and the smile she gave him was inviting. Looking around them, she grinned at him once more before slipping away toward the employee entrance. Matrix watched her go, grinning to himself.