He paid his personal private investigator Marco his fee for digging up all the dirt he could find on the other interested parties and now he just needed to talk to Tom, his top strategist on how to best go about amplifying the profits of this fledgling startup and turn it into a global monster.
Oh, life was good. The next few years were going to be very lucrative indeed.
Zander grabbed a bottle of Wild Turkey and from his mini bar in the corner of the office and poured himself a highball, his favorite. It was getting towards the end of the day and he felt he’d earned it. Although, he often felt he deserved a good drink to start the day with too. That was one of the perks of being your own man, being the boss.
Zander had always loved being the boss. Ever since he’d started his real estate company right out of college he knew that it was what he wanted to do. He’d worked a few summers learning the business by helping his uncle Rich flip houses and turning a pretty profit. By the time, he was entering his last year in college Zander was flipping and selling houses on his own. And his profits were skyrocketing. He’d already made his first million by the time he graduated. After that the sky was the limit and he was able to devote all his time to his business endeavors, branching out into convenience stores and the restaurant business too.
But then he got involved in acquiring his first start up and it became his new passion. It was fairly easy to do. He hired the best team to search the world until they found the newest and most interesting startups that showed the greatest promise and then he offered them the kind of money for it that they never dreamed was possible.
Of course, these kids didn’t dream it was possible because they had no idea what they really had or how they were practically giving away untold sums of riches for a few million dollars. In the past seven years from startups alone Zander had added almost fifty million dollars to his wealth.
“Mr. Michaels?”
Zander pressed the button on the phone to answer his receptionist, Margo.
“Yes?”
“There is a Mr. Hunt on line one for you,” she replied.
Zander sighed. “Ok.”
He waited a moment before picking up. He had not spoken to Harrison Hunt in almost two years. The guy was a snake in the grass, plain and simple. Zander at one time considered Harrison to be one of his closest friends, but then the bastard betrayed him by moving in on a new startup he was working on. Zander thought that the deal was done and he was just about to swoop in when he discovered that Harrison had dug up some blackmail material on the kids who owned the startup. He basically blackmailed them to sell to him at a much cheaper price than what Zander was going for. So, he used Zander’s own methods in a far shadier way as far as he was concerned.
This was the cutthroat business they had chosen. It was not a place for the meek that was for sure. It was in fact a place for one who had no scruples left.
Zander picked up the phone.
“Harrison, long time- no word,” Zander said in his usual jovial voice. He was fighting the impulse to give this guy the tongue lashing of the century but for now he could fish around and see why Harrison Hunt would be calling him of all people.
“Hey, Z man! How the hell are you?”
“No complaints,” Zander replied. “How are things in your neck of the woods?”
“Perfect as always,” he said. “You know how it is.”
“Yeah, unfortunately I do remember how it is,” Zander said a bit of cold taking shape in his voice. How dare this jerk act like they were going to let bygones be bygones?
“I deserve that,” Harrison said. “I did you raw, and I understand that I am probably not your favorite person.”
“What do you want, Harrison? I’m a very busy man,” Zander said.
“Right to the point. I’ve always dug that about you.”
“I’m still waiting…”
“Ok, you know this new club I opened up called Club Privaat?”
“I’ve heard of it,” Zander replied. He used to go to the club when it was called The Paradise Palace. But when Harrison bought it he decided to go elsewhere for fun and drinks.
“Well, it’s shaping up to be one hell of a lucrative deal.”
“Good for you,” Zander replied. “You still aren’t getting to the part where I care about this.”
Harrison laughed. “Well, this is no ordinary club. We do wealthy auctions with some of the most beautiful women you have ever laid eyes on.”
“You do know that I am rarely lonely for the company of beautiful women, right?”
“I vaguely remember,” Harrison joked. “But these women are incredible. They are like none you’ve ever seen. Most of them are wannabe models who have decided to go a more lucrative route. I think you would be interested in bidding on some of these girls. They are ten times better than the ones over at Maluchi’s.”
“How do you know about Maluchi’s?”
Harrison chuckled. “Please, I know. In fact, I’ve called him a few times to just gloat about how much better my girls are.”
“So, you want me to come to the auction? If you are doing so well, then why do you need me?”
“I was hoping to clear the air a bit with you. Two guys like us, if we put our heads together there is no telling how much of a splash we could make. With all of the things on my plate I hardly have time to really run the place properly. I could use an extra guy.”
“So, you want to be partners in this new venture?”
“Well, yeah. Plus, it’s a great way to drum up business, find out how other guys in our community are running their business and how we might be able to steal their customers.”
Zander laughed. “Same old Harris, always pulling some kind of crazy angle.”
“Well, you can’t really blame me, can you?”
“No,” Zander replied. “I can’t say that I can.”
“So, what do you say? At least come tonight and check out the auction. If things aren’t to your liking I’m open for suggestions.”
Zander thought a moment. Did he really want to even consider going into a partnership with this slime ball? The man was not to be trusted. But then again, all Harrison really did was beat him at his own game. In fact, he had to admire the tenaciousness of his stunt. It was deceptive, underhanded, and totally against the law. Zander couldn’t help but respect it on some level.
“Ok, I’ll come and check it out. That’s all I’m promising,” Zander said.
“Great,” Harrison replied.
“But if I do decide to go in on this I want seventy percent,” Zander added.
The line was silent for a second. Zander smiled. He could practically hear Harrison about to bang his head through a wall at the audacity.
“Ok, I can live with that,” Harrison grumbled.
Zander smiled. “Excellent. But that is only if I climb aboard. I’ll be there tonight. What time is the auction?”
“Eight o’clock, sharp. I would suggest getting there a few minutes early to scout the talent so you are ready to bid beforehand.”
“I know how auctions work,” Zander said.
He hung up the phone and finished his drink. It tasted so good he had to have another one. It would help wash the taste of Harrison Hunt out of his mouth.
He had a feeling he’d just agreed to hear the Devil make him an offer.
CHAPTER 3
Ember
“I just wish you were going too,” Ember groaned. She adjusted her dress once again and began to apply the finishing touches to her makeup.
“Well, I guess I wasn’t what they were looking for,” Liza said.
“That is so unfair. You are so beautiful. They can’t tell if someone is worthy just by an emailed video audition.”
“Well, apparently, they can, or at least they do because that is how it works,” Liza said.
When Liza had first told Ember about the job they’d both been under the impression that they would just show up and sign up at the club to be entered into the a
uction. But that morning Liza had received a phone call from Vienna, the woman in charge of the audition process and she explained that every girl who hopes to sign up has to email them a video sample. They wanted to see if they had any outstanding talents, how they conducted themselves, how they spoke, etc. Vienna was calling all the names on the online registrar which they were required to fill out and she saw that Liza and Ember had failed to send in their audition videos.
So now here they were. Liza had failed and Ember had passed.
“I don’t want to do this,” Ember said.
“What? You would be crazy not to,” Liza replied.
“Part of the reason I talked myself into it was because you were going to be there,” Ember said. “Now I’m going alone. I’m going to feel like some piece of meat on display up there; it’s going to be humiliating. I’m not going.”
“Yes, you are. You have to go now, for the both of us. I know you will do great and have a blast. Just relax. You’ve never been the type to need hand holding. Don’t start now.”
Ember groaned. Her friend was right. She needed this and she knew she deserved it too.
“Ok, I’ll go. I have to admit I am a bit nervous, now. What if I get there and no one bids on me? What then?”
“Well, in the unlikely scenario that happens you had a great time. You at least get a night of free drinks. The girls in the auction damn sure don’t pay for drinks.”
“Then I’m getting beyond hammered,” Ember replied. She walked into the bedroom and grabbed the dress she’d picked out, off the bed. After giving it a final look she began to put it on.
“I like the red better,” Liza commented.
“Really? I’ve always thought that blue was more my color,” Ember said with a hint of sass.
Liza laughed. “Well, every color is technically your color, but the red one happens to be just a bit tighter and it accentuates your booty and your bust just right.”
Ember stared at her incredulously for a second. “Did you get a job as a fashion designer when I wasn’t looking?”
“No, but I did minor in it,” Liza replied.
“I learn more twisted things about you every single day,” Ember teased. “You think you know a person…”
Ember put the blue dress back on the rack in her closet and grabbed the red. After putting it on she realized that her friend was indeed correct. She was killing in this red dress. There was something about it that made her body pop even more.
Liza picked out a pair of her own shoes to go with the ensemble and the outfit was complete.
“You should wear your hair down,” Liza said.
“Really? You don’t think it looks a bit more upscale and chic when I wear it up?”
“It does, which is the problem. You want to appear high classed and fancy, like fine wine, but you also want to appear youthful and playful.”
“I think you missed your calling,” Ember said letting her hair down. After a few strategic fluffs, she had to admit she did look dressed to kill.
She said goodbye to Liza and left the apartment. She decided to drive herself to save money on a ride. It was actually not that far to Club Privaat. She’d driven by there several times over the past few months while running errands around town.
The night was warm and somewhat comforting. She loved the summers in New York City. They were mild, sometimes hot, and very humid. Most people hated the humidity but she’d always embraced it, like a warm blanket on a cold night. The air had that same kind of comforting weight to it.
She started to turn the radio on, but decided to drive along in silence. She wanted to clear her mind and get a strong head going into this. Her nerves were still rearing full force and she was tempted to take a valium to calm down. She used to have difficulty relaxing, especially when she was in college and her doctor had prescribed the Valium for this reason. It helped quite a bit except it helped a little too much and she was left almost unable to function until they got the right dosage for her.
With her new job and the stresses of adulthood being thrown at her from every direction she had her doctor refill the prescription. Just having the meds available had given her the peace of mind she needed to calm down and she had not taken any of the pills since she had the prescription six months ago. Growing up in such a religious house she’d been taught the dangers of medication and how easy it was to abuse such things. An attitude of hating medication had been instilled in her at an early age. But it wasn’t just the idea of medication being unhealthy. Ember felt that taking it was admitting defeat somehow, that she could not handle things on her own. This was a feeling she’d fought hard her whole life to suppress, which was the main reason she worked so hard. Of course, the downside of all of this was that eventually the stress built up inside and ate away at her until it just overwhelmed everything.
But Ember was tough and she believed in fate. If she just held on good things would happen, like tonight for instance.
Ember pulled up to the parking lot of the club and walked toward the door ignoring the looks from the line that was forming halfway around the block already. She pulled up the screenshot of her auction acceptance on her phone and held it out for the bouncer, walking past all of the other people standing in line with gawking faces, which became even more pronounced as the bouncer nodded and ushered her right through the door.
“That’s not fair!” “What the actual hell?” “How come she gets in?”
The sounds of dissention echoed behind her disappearing into the roar of the music inside the club as Ember made her way through the entrance.
The club was intense. The floors were made up of tiled squares that lit up different shades of neon under your feet seemingly moving in time with the driving beat that was pounding in her ears. The lights were flashing multicolored beams at her face blinding her momentarily until her eyes adjusted. She could now see several disco balls hanging from the ceiling pulsing out beams of light becoming giant strobe lights.
So far, the club was mostly empty except a bevy of girls, most of them hanging out with each other by the bar area already getting very drunk. It was almost as if it was planned…
Sexy bartenders with muscle shirts stood behind the bar mixing drinks, flirting, singing and dancing a la the Tom Cruise movie “Cocktail”. Ember was caught up in the sexy distraction for a few moments herself, but she had somewhere she was supposed to go, if only she could find out where that was…
That was when she noticed the doorway towards the back of the club with another bouncer standing there.
“Are you here for the auction?” He asked her at the entrance.
“Yes,” Ember said showing him her screenshot pass.
“Ok,” he said. “Follow me.”
This bouncer was really loving life…
She followed him down a long corridor with all sorts of risqué posters hanging in glass frames propped on the wall. Most of them were posters of adult movies, although some were in French it seemed. The pictures were descriptive enough and Ember found herself becoming a bit embarrassed.
They ended up in a large lounge area with a small bar where a group of beautiful women were all gathered around mingling and laughing with each other. Most of them had drinks in their hands and Ember could have sworn that they had pre-gamed before they got here. Did they think being staggering around drunk was going to make them more desirable?
“Just wait here,” the bouncer said. “Vienna will be in shortly.”
Ember stood there for a moment feeling a bit awkward. She took the time to access her competition. The intimidation was already setting in. These women were beautiful. Most of them could have been Victoria Secret Models if they would just develop a slight eating disorder.
She ordered a Malibu Rum and Coke from the bartender and took a sip. Wow, that was strong. Maybe they did want the girls to be drunk. Perhaps the guys were counting on it. Well, they were going to be disappointed in her.
“Hi, I’m Violet,” a voice blasted i
n her ear.
Ember turned a bit startled to see a beautiful blonde girl with a doctored chest, long toned legs, and a wide smile. She looked as if she were finding it difficult to stand still and find the floor at the same time.
“Hi, I’m Ember,” she said.
“Oh, wow! That is an awesome stage name! I wish I could have thought of something better than Violet, but someone told me it suited me.”
“It’s not a stage name; it’s just always been my name.”
“That is so cool!”
Ember was tempted to ask Violet her real name but quickly realized she did not care.
“So, is this your first auction?” Violet asked.
“Yeah, it is. Is it that easy to tell?”
“Well, you do have that deer in the headlights thing going on, but that will disappear soon. I’ve been doing this a few months.”
“Really? What’s it like?”
“Oh, it’s fantastic. The guys have all been great and the money is so nice. It’s like getting paid to be treated like a queen.”
“Wow, that sounds like something I could get used to.”
“Oh, you will,” Violet said. She ordered another drink from the bartender.
“Are you sure you should get drunk before? I mean, is that normal?”
“Yeah, definitely. The guys love it. They want fun, sweet, girls. I’m never sweeter than when I’m a bit tipsy. And if you can play up the ditzy angle then that is all the better.”
“Really?” Ember asked. “I’m not sure I can do that. Hell, I’m not sure I want to do that.”
“You might get lucky. I mean all the guys are different, which makes things fun.”
Hunter (The Bad Disciples MC Book 2) Page 39
