by Selena Black
My Blackmail Baby
Selena Black
Copyright © 2016 by Selena Black
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 1
“You’re kidding me,” Gloria said in a disbelieving tone and shook her head. “Please tell me you’re making this up as a bad joke.”
“It was a sure thing,” Jack said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
Gloria’s irritation welled up and her lips tightened together as she tried to control her emotions. Those words were the bane of her life and she couldn’t even begin to count how often she’d heard them from her boyfriend. The annoyance showed in her voice when she spoke again.
“You just told me the horse lost.”
“Yes, well ….”
“Then how the hell can it be a sure thing,” Gloria let out in a louder voice.
She resisted the urge to shout the words in Jack’s face only because of the few people that were nearby although a glance towards them showed that no one was paying any attention to the heated discussion she was involved in. Her boyfriend said nothing and she closed her eyes as she placed her hand on her forehead. She waited a few seconds to try and let some of the irritation fade away, but it didn’t really work.
“So let me get this straight,” she said when she eventually went on. Her voice was quieter, but the annoyance still shone through. “You got drunk last night and agreed to play cards with that lowlife Alain Ledoux and his cronies. Not only did you lose your pay for the night, but they kindly let you play on with an IOU and you ended up in debt to the tune of one hundred dollars. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Jack mumbled. The nonchalance was gone and he was suddenly sheepish as the folly of his drunken exploits was laid out before him in stark black and white. It wasn’t the end of his stupidity though and Gloria went on talking through the rest of his actions.
“Then to get the money for Alain you put your trumpet in hock,” she said. “But instead of actually paying him, you came up with the smart idea of putting the lot on a sure thing at the racetrack today.”
“It was fifty to one,” Jack exclaimed when he looked up. “My friend said there was no way it could lose. I would have made ….”
“But it did lose,” Gloria pointed out.
“Well ….”
It was as far as Jack got before he was interrupted by his girlfriend again.
“And how much winnings do you get when the horse you bet on loses?” Gloria asked in a caustic tone.
“Look are you going to help me or not,” Jack let out in a sudden show of petulance.
“Do I have a bloody choice?” Gloria snapped at him. “Without your trumpet you can’t work and where does that leave us for paying the rent and eating. We’re supposed to be in this relationship ….”
“Well give me the money,” Jack cut in to stop her going on. “It’s six o’clock already and I’m supposed to be on stage at seven.”
“This is the last time,” she said almost to herself as she reached in her bag to get her purse. “All I’m doing is giving you the money to get your trumpet out of hock.”
“That’s all I need,” Jack replied. “I can sort out the rest myself.”
Gloria opened her purse and counted out the money. It was hard earned from her small bookstore and she could ill afford to lose it, but it seemed her idiot boyfriend had landed them in the shit once more. Or rather, he’d got himself in trouble and expected her to bail him out yet again. He reached for the cash when she held it out, but she didn’t let go.
“How exactly are you going to pay Alain the money you owe him?” she asked.
“Don’t you worry about that,” Jack replied.
“How often have I told you to stay away from him,” Gloria went on. “You do remember what happened the last time you owed him money and couldn’t pay straight away.”
Jack unconsciously touched fingertips to his eye socket then realized what he was doing and pulled his hand away.
“Alain and I are friends,” he let out defiantly. “I told you I got that black eye from banging in to a door.”
“By all accounts that door threw some right hook,” Gloria replied.
She shook her head in a resigned fashion as she stared in her boyfriend’s eyes. The deep green color shone out in contrast to the light colored skin of his handsome face and all were attributes that once attracted her to him. That was just over a year ago, when they first met and at that very moment they’d lost their appeal. She let out a sigh as she released her grip on the money and watched Jack count it.
“Don’t you trust me?” she asked.
“No harm in just checking,” he replied.
They were his last words before he turned to walk towards the door of the Reynaud Jazz Club and Gloria shook her head again. His slim frame seemed to be getting even skinnier and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was six feet tall, she could swear the view of him from behind was like looking at a kid. That was certainly the way he acted these days and she wished he would just buckle down and make the most of his talent. He could be one of the best trumpet players in New Orleans if he set his mind to it, but he seemed more interested in coming up with his next get-rich-quick scheme and more often than not that ended up costing her money.
She decided she might as well get a drink while she waited for Jack to return and her thoughts went over the day she was enduring. The fact that she woke up alone in bed that morning didn’t overly concern her, as her boyfriend occasionally stayed with friends after working at the club. His phone being switched off gave away the game that something wasn’t quite right and against her better judgment, she kept trying to get him. That disrupted her work in the bookstore and her messages for him to call were ignored for most of the day. She suspected it was only when he realized there was no other option for getting his trumpet out of hock that he got in touch with her.
Gloria was just about to finish working for the day when she spoke to him. After the call ended, she made the short walk to the Reynaud Jazz Club to get the full story of what happened the previous evening. There was a part of her now that wished she hadn’t bothered and that thought was playing on her mind when she turned to go to the bar. Her gaze was on the floor and she found herself looking down at an immaculate pair of spats. That meant it could be only one person in front of her and she glanced up to the smart pinstripe suit and dark Fedora that her boyfriend’s boss was wearing. His piercing stare almost seemed to burn into her and she was unable to contain the nervousness that flooded her veins.
“Hi Mr. Reynaud,” she said and put a smile on her face.
He didn’t return her greeting and she was pretty sure of what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. The club owner was notoriously controlling when it came to his staff and gave them little leeway. If they wanted to work for him they played by his rules. Gloria was surprised that Jack had managed to keep his job in the few months he
’d played at the club, but she guessed his skill with a trumpet outweighed his deficiencies when it came to acting grown up and responsible. The words she expected to hear eventually came out.
“Where is he?”
The crazy impulse to ask who flashed through her mind, but she wasn’t about to irritate Mr. Reynaud by doing it. There was only one person he could be speaking about.
“Umm …, Jack needed to pick up something from home,” she lied and tried to act as casual as she could, but the unwavering gaze of the older man caused her trepidation to spike higher.
It wasn’t as if she came to the jazz club that often and on the occasions when she spoke to Mr. Reynaud in the past, he seemed relatively friendly to the point of being jovial. He seemed completely unlike the uncompromising man that Jack talked about, but she could now understand what her boyfriend meant. She was slightly intimidated by the steely expression on the face of the man watching her.
“Well, he better be here by seven and on the stage playing,” Mr. Reynaud went on in an ominous tone. “I told him a few weeks ago that he needed to buck up his ideas if he wanted to carry on working here. This is his last chance.”
It was similar to the words Gloria said not so long ago, when she handed over the money. It appeared she wasn’t the only one getting fed up with Jack’s idiotic behavior.
“Don’t you worry, he’ll be here,” she said in an attempt at a convincing tone that she wasn’t sure quite came off.
“He better be,” Mr. Reynaud growled.
He stepped to the side to show that the conversation was over, but Gloria was only a few steps past him when he spoke again.
“A smart girl like you shouldn’t waste your life on a loser like Jack Chambers.”
Gloria halted in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder, but said nothing as she gave a thin-lipped smile.
“He’ll cause you nothing but problems although I’m sure you’re already well aware of that,” Mr. Reynaud went on. “If you want my advice, you should choose your men more carefully and find someone that will treat you better.”
Gloria still said nothing in response and stared at the club owner for only a second or two longer before looking away from him to carry on walking all the way to the bar. The place was starting to fill up for the seven o’clock show, but she managed to get the attention of the barman easily enough. Her initial intention was to buy a soft drink, but she changed her mind at the last minute and asked for a Creole Crusta. A hit of alcohol seemed like a good idea considering the aggravation she was putting up with.
“Thanks,” she said when it was served and sat down on a bar stool.
Mr. Reynaud’s words played on her mind and try as she might, she couldn’t clear them out of her head. She was flattered when Jack first showed an interest in her and his life as a jazz trumpeter seemed glamorous and exciting compared to her more mundane existence as a bookstore owner. Although she was twenty-eight years old, her experience of the opposite sex was limited and while she wasn’t exactly a blushing virgin, she was relatively naïve when it came to men.
The fact that Jack made all the running to get them together was thrilling to her and she fell for his easy charm and good looks. She let out a sigh when she remembered how happy she was in the early days they were together. Being introduced to the jazz club scene was something new for her and she found that she liked the music. She wasn’t so sure about the people and some of Jack’s friends were questionable to say the least. Her affection for him meant she went out of her way to fit in, but it wasn’t long before her boyfriend’s true nature began to intrude on their relationship.
His main idea for life was to find an easy way to get rich, but the plans and schemes he came up with invariably led to nothing but trouble for him. More often than not, she found herself getting sucked in to the situation and her visit to the club that evening was just another example of it. She shook her head as Mr. Reynaud’s words came to her again. They were harsh, but there was a truth to them she couldn’t deny. It was the problems more than anything else that seemed to dominate her life with Jack now and splitting up with him was something that played on her mind occasionally. She resisted doing it for fear of being left alone more than anything else, but she was slowly coming to the conclusion that being on her own might be a better option.
The thought of breaking up came to her again as she picked up her drink to take a sip. She enjoyed the spicy fruit flavor on her tongue, as well as the hint of alcohol and drank some more. A glance at her watch showed it was now almost half past six and she wondered if Jack would actually get to the club before seven to make it onto the stage. She considered leaving the stool at the bar to move closer to the door. It would allow her to see if he returned, but there was nothing she could do to help now anyway and in the end she just stayed where she was.
The sound of lively music started up and she spun around to face towards the stage. The curtains were still closed and Gloria knew they wouldn’t open until the seven o’clock show began, with the pretty dancing girls that came in view going through their routine in front of them. They were the warm up for the main event and the revealing outfits and provocative moves were designed to provide some entertainment and titillation for the crowd. There was no doubt the show was aimed at the men watching although she suspected that many of the women enjoyed it just as much.
She certainly did and the sight of the girls in skimpy outfits that flashed plenty of smooth skin made her wonder what being one of them was like. Not that she held any ambitions to get up on stage, but the thought of men idolizing her was a nice fantasy she occasionally enjoyed. The flicker of arousal came to life as she imagined her voluptuous curves crammed in to one of the sexy outfits as men stared at her. Her dream usually ran on to more than just being watched, but it wasn’t the time or place for that and she shrugged the thoughts aside. The minutes ticked past as she kept her attention on the show and when it got to almost seven there was still no sign of Jack.
“He’s going to lose his job,” she muttered as she picked up her drink.
The dancers walked off when the music came to an end and a slight grimace crossed Gloria’s face when she saw Mr. Reynaud appear. The club owner walked to front center on the stage and picked a microphone from its mount. He tapped it twice with his fingers before bringing it up to his mouth.
“I’d like to welcome you all to the Reynaud Jazz Club this evening,” he started.
Gloria glanced around to see that every table in the place was now full and there were also plenty of people standing. The popularity of the jazz combo that would be playing the main show that evening certainly brought the crowds in and she remembered the excitement of her boyfriend being part of it when they first started going out. Now she considered it might very well be her last visit to the club on the basis that there was still no sign of Jack. She sipped at her drink as the owner went on speaking.
“It’s good to see you all here tonight and I’m sure you are looking forward to the curtains opening as much as I am. So, without any further ado, I’d ask you to put your hands together and show your appreciation for your favorites and mine, the Reynaud Jazz Dandies.”
Loud applause filled the place as the club owner walked off the stage. The music started before the curtains even opened, with the sweet sound of a saxophone bringing a hush over the crowd before other instruments joined in as the song got in full flow. Mixed emotions came over Gloria when she heard the trumpet and saw that it was Jack playing. She was relieved that he made it on stage and wasn’t in danger of losing his job that evening, but also irritated that her boyfriend didn’t even bother to come and tell her he made it back.
“Thanks for the help Gloria,” she mumbled under her breath and shook her head. They weren’t words she heard much from Jack these days.
She could only give him the benefit of the doubt that he returned to the club with only seconds to spare, so he didn’t have a chance to come and see her. In truth, she suspected he got the
re in plenty of time and just didn’t bother. It brought Mr. Reynaud’s words that she could do better to mind and she picked up her glass to empty it. She sat for a few minutes debating whether to stay, but found herself enjoying the music and turned to get herself another drink.
The barman was busy and it was a few minutes before she managed to catch his attention. When her second Creole Crusta was served, she picked it up and returned her attention to the stage. It was where Jack was in his element and she wished he would concentrate his efforts on that to make some money instead of putting all his energy into his next scheme for getting rich. They usually ended up in them being poorer and it was getting more and more difficult for her to accept his behavior as the weeks and months passed.
Gloria tried to get her mind off her boyfriend’s foolishness and just concentrate on the music. She managed it to an extent and closed her eyes to enjoy the jazz. The alcohol began to have an effect as she sipped at her drink and she could sense herself relaxing as she finished it. Two was usually her limit and a glance at her watch showed that it was almost eight o’clock when her glass was empty. She knew the show lasted one and half hours, so she was left with the choice of having another drink and waiting for Jack or going home on her own.
