by Nicola Jane
“What can I do for you Tag?”
“I need help finding someone. Female, works for London Gazette. She’s black, gorgeous looking and I’m pretty sure her name is something like Tyler. It’s actually her friend that I’m after but all I have on her; is her name which is Lucy.”
“Leave it with me man, I’ll look into it.” We shake hands and he disappears into the crowd. I slide into the booth next to Anton. We’re joined by a few other guys, all around our age and all sons of important families. Anton is filling them in on the details of next week’s fight. I join in the conversation but my mind is on hatching a plan, one that gets me keeping my apartment and winning Ella. As if my mind conjures her up, I spot Ella entering the VIP room. Her skin tight pants have my eyes bulging from my head, and the fact that her mid-riff is on display because her top is practically like underwear. I nudge Anton and he follows my stare.
“What the fuck,” he growls. We both march towards her and she rolls her eyes, “Seriously Ella, what are you doing here?”
“I’m out for Tiffany’s birthday. Daddy cleared it,” she says with a shrug.
“Does he know that you came out in your underwear?” growls Anton.
“It’s what all the girl’s wear Ant, don’t start,” she sighs.
“But not the daughter of Conner Martinez,” I say firmly, “Have some fucking self-respect.” Ella turns her hurt eyes to me. I don’t want other men looking at her skin but I can’t tell her that, not in front of Anton and not until she’s mine.
“You two want to lecture me about self-respect when you sleep with girls for a stupid game?”
“Go home Ella,” says Anton. He indicates for his driver who is standing by the exit. “Take Ella home please.”
“For god sake,” she yells, “I’m not a kid Anton, I don’t have to do what you say!”
Anton grips her by the arm and yanks her closer to him, I grit my teeth because every fibre of my being wants to rip his hand from her skin. “You’ll do as you’re fucking told,” he growls. Ella pulls her arm free, there’s a large red mark on her pale skin and she rubs at it.
“I hate you!” She stomps away with Anton’s driver following.
Cruise is standing by my table when I return, “Boss I have some good news,” he smiles. “The journalist is Tyra James-Banks and she’s in this club.”
I grin wide, patting him on the back, “That was quick work,” I point out.
“I know someone that works on the Gazette. Then I tracked her cell and she pinged up in here. I’ve sent security to invite her into the VIP area.”
“You amaze me Cruise, you fucking genius.”
I relay the information to Anton who smirks, “So the plan is to what exactly?”
“I’m gonna do some homework on number ten and then make my decision on our little bet.”
Anton shakes his head, laughing, “No way. That’s not how this works. You made the bet, either take it now or forget it.”
Tyra is led into the VIP lounge, another friend is with her, she was also there last night but there’s no sign of ten, which disappoints me. How hard can it be, I’ve slept with hundreds of women and it’s never been an issue getting them to fall for me. I hold my hand out to Anton and he smiles, gripping it in his. We shake on it and the deal is set. Now I need a plan.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucy
I re-read the text from Tyra. ‘Oh my god Luce, you will never guess where we are. In the VIP lounge in Breach!!!!!’ Looking around the huge room, surrounded by important people from the business world, I sigh. I would much rather be at Breach with the girls. I drum my polished finger nails on the table and Noah shoots me an annoyed look. He’s spent the entire evening so far, chatting with his new prodigy, Emma, while I’m stuck listening to his parents bickering about where they want to go on vacation next month.
My cell flashes again, this time it’s a photograph of that ass from last night, Tag. He doesn’t know that she’s taken it, he looks deep in conversation and it’s been taken from a distance. I text back, ‘Stop stalking him you crazy bitch!’
‘I’m gonna stalk that beast right into bed seeing as you wasted the chance, I’ll let you know how big he is’ she texts back followed by a winking emoji. I shake my head and laugh, stuffing my cell back into my clutch bag. She’d be crazy to go anywhere near that creep; he’s more than likely riddled with std’s.
I lean in towards Noah, “When can we go?” I whisper.
“After the awards,” he says, and I groan. That’s going to be another couple of hours at least, they haven’t even begun yet, the meal has only just finished.
“Well could you at least talk to me; I’m sitting here listening to your mother moan about holidays to France.”
“I’m trying to make Emma feel comfortable, she’s up for best newcomer,” he says.
“They have best newcomer to business?” I smirk, “What do you have to do to get that award, show up for work every day?”
Noah scowls, “I know you don’t take all of this very seriously but the rest of us here do.”
“It’s not that I don’t take it seriously, I do, I just think it’s weird having an award for best business newcomer. Anyway, why haven’t you mentioned her before?”
“Because you don’t listen when I talk about work. Do I need to start reeling off a list of people I work with?”
“No, just the ones that you’re mentoring, especially when they look like Emma,” I hiss.
Noah rolls his eyes, “You’re being ridiculous. Is it any wonder I’m sitting here talking to Emma when you’re behaving like a child?” He turns back to Emma and I sigh. I look over to where Lucille is sitting just three tables over. There’s a vacant seat next to her and so I make a dash over to her.
“Can I sit here for a minute, my table is so boring,” I whisper.
“Please do,” she whispers back, “I think the woman that was sitting here left, she said she was bored. I’m actually debating following her. Wyatt has spent most of the time wandering amongst the tables talking to other people, he didn’t bother to eat half his food.”
“Noah spent most of the night talking to Emma,” I mutter, glancing back to where he is still animatedly chatting to her.
“Who’s Emma?”
“Apparently, Noah is mentoring her, not that he ever mentioned her at all, don’t you think that’s weird?”
Lucille shrugs, “Not really, if he spoke of her all the time, you’d be suspicious.”
“Well, I don’t like her and I certainly don’t trust her.”
“Is she pretty?” asks Lucille, arching her brow.
“Well yes, but that’s not why I don’t like her. Earlier, I was looking for another bathroom and I saw Clyde Fielding and her fucking against the wall upstairs. It was very awkward.”
Lucille’s mouth drops open, she loves gossip. “Oh my goodness, did he see you?”
“Well not at first but then Charlotte made an appearance and he heard her voice. Of course, I saved the day and marched her back downstairs but then I find out that Emma’s working so closely with Noah and I can’t help but wonder if she’s just trying to make it to the top by sleeping her way through the partners.”
“Sweetie, no one would sleep with Clyde just to make it to the top, maybe she wants his money?” It’s a more likely scenario, he is very rich but then so is Noah. Clyde isn’t the best looking of men, his face is tired and ruddy and although he likes to keep fit by running every day, he’s still looking rounded in the middle.
“Is Wyatt up for any awards?” I ask, not really caring either way. Why do the people in this room care about stupid contributions to business awards when they are so rich and busy?
“No, his firm might be. The whole thing is pointless, just an excuse for rich assholes to get together and talk about how great and powerful they are.”
“We could always sneak out, Tyra and Maribel are at a club. They got into the VIP lounge. It looks pretty amazing.”
“I’m sure Tyra would love to see me there,” says Lucille dryly and I laugh. I love all of my friends but it’s no secret that they aren’t so keen on each other. Tyra hates, what she likes to call, ‘my people.’ She thinks they are all stuck up and show offs. It’s not entirely true, I think Lucille gets nervous around Tyra and so she sometimes blabbers away about money and holidays just to fill the silence. I try to keep the groups separate. Things I do with Bel and Tyra, like going to cage fights and night clubs are not the sort of things I do with Lucille, Gabriella and Francesca. With those guys we go for dinner and the theatre.
“Well I’m going to the bathroom seeing as the last time, I got distracted.”
This time, the bathroom is completely free. It’s beautiful inside, one of those large areas in the center of the room that looks more like a living room than a bathroom. There are leather couches and huge vases of flowers. Once I’ve finished, I wash my hands and check my make-up in the mirror. Lucille’s make-up girl was amazing, you can’t see a single bruise.
“Noah tells me you have the cutest job.” Emma approaches me, I watch her through the reflection of the mirror, she reminds me of a panther about to make her first kill.
“He does?”
“Hmm, do you throw parties or something like that?” she pretends to think for a second, “My three-year-old niece has a birthday coming up, shall I pass on your business card to my sister?”
“Actually, I plan weddings,” I say, wiping away the stray mascara underneath one eye. “High end weddings,” I add.
“Oh, so you’re a wedding planner, like in the film with Jenifer Lopez?”
“Tell me Emily,” I say, purposely getting her name wrong, “Are you married yet?”
Emma guffaws, “Gosh no.”
“Pity, it’s always nice to have your own husband rather than to steal someone else’s, especially in your line of work, people might get the wrong idea.”
“What are you talking about?” she snaps, narrowing her eyes.
“I’m just saying, you wouldn’t want people thinking that you slept your way to the top.” I pick up my purse and saunter towards the door, “Does Noah know that you’re fucking his father?” I throw over my shoulder as the door closes behind me.
Tag
I take the bottle of beer from the bartender and nudge my arm against Tyra’s. I purposely stood here so that I could start a natural conversation with her. “Sorry,” I say, smiling wide. She smooths her black hair and flutters her long lashes in my direction.
“No problem,” she smiles, flashing her perfectly white straight teeth. If I wasn’t interested in her friend, then I might be tempted to try it on with Tyra.
“I’ve met you before?” I say, cocking my head to one side like I’m trying to work out where I’ve seen her. “Do you work at my gym?”
Tyra shakes her head, “No, I saw your fight last week. Well done by the way.”
“That’s right, you came back for the after party with your friends.” She’s delighted that I’ve remember her and she nods, taking a sip of her drink. “Why don’t you come over and join me?” I add, nodding towards my booth. She ponders it for a moment and then nods her head, grabbing her friend’s hand and following me.
Some of the guys shuffle around, making room for the girls. I introduce them to everyone and then settle opposite them. “At the after party you had another friend with you?”
“Yeah that’s right, Lucy.”
“She not with you tonight?” I ask, looking around the crowd.
“No, she had a thing tonight with her boyfriend,” says Tyra. “Some posh awards thing.”
“Posh?” I repeat, she didn’t seem the type to attend awards ceremonies. “Is she getting an award?”
“No, her boyfriend probably is, or his stupid company.” Neither of Lucy’s friends look impressed by this.
“You don’t like him?” I ask with a laugh.
“Not really, Lucy can do better,” mutters Bel. That’s exactly what I want to hear, if I play this right, then I’ll have her friends support and then I’ve practically got this in the bag.
“But she doesn’t agree?” I ask, taking a wild guess.
“Nobody ever thinks they are with the wrong person until they are free of them,” sighs Tyra.
“So, what makes this guy so wrong for your friend?” I ask. They both stare at me sceptically, “I’m interested, this stuff helps a guy in future relationships,” I joke and they both smile and relax.
“He just doesn’t treat her nice. Makes back handed comments about what she wears or how she behaves. I mean, Lucy is no pushover, but he’s just mean to her. It’s like he thinks he’s too good for her.”
“To be honest, I spoke to your friend that night, she wasn’t exactly miss friendly!” I point out.
“She’s prickly,” shrugs Tyra, “but she’s really lovely. You should see how creative she is, her work is amazing!”
“She’s an artist?” I ask in surprise and she laughs again, shaking her head.
“No, a wedding planner. High end weddings mostly; but my god can that girl throw the best party!” says Tyra. “In fact, if you’re getting married any time soon you should call her.”
I lean forward slightly, “You never know when that could come in handy. Where is she based? I have a few friends that are getting married, maybe I can send them her way.”
Tyra fiddles around in her purse for a moment and then smiles triumphantly, pulling her hand back out and handing me a buff business card. I glance down at the address, it’s just a short walk from my gym. I smile and tuck it inside my pocket. This was so much easier than I thought.
Monday rolls around and I get into my running gear and spend the first hour of my day running. Conner is waiting for me at my apartment when I get home. I wipe my hand on my hooded top before shaking his hand. “What brings you here so early?” I ask, as I unlock the apartment door and we head inside.
“I came to tell you that your father is officially out of the family. The other families agreed that you will be the head of the Corallo family.” I keep my back to him while I fish about in the fridge for a bottled water. This was all agreed too easy, I wasn’t expecting it. “Of course, there’s one condition,” he adds. “For you to be the head of the family, then the original head needs to be deceased. We expect news of your father’s death by the end of the month.”
I spin to face him, “But that’s three weeks away,” I say, “I don’t even know where the hell he is Conner!”
He scowls at me, “Be careful Tag, remember who I am.”
I bow my head with respect, it’s not acceptable to shoot your mouth off to the head of the mafia, even though he has known me most of my life. “Sorry boss. I’m surprised is all.”
“It’s time to grow up now Tag, being head of your family is going to be a big responsibility. You need to step up your security because we’ll be making the official announcement within the week. I thought I’d pay your mother a visit first, I don’t suppose she’ll be too happy with the decision.”
Conner's right, my mother begged me not to step up but it isn’t quite that simple. It would have gone to my Uncle who’s a total ass and would have ruined our family name and probably gotten us all killed with his bad decision making. I also think he has a soft spot for my mother, making excuses to go and see her.
Once he’s gone, I give Dan a call. He’s my security at the moment, not that I feel I need any security, I’m an MMA fighter after all but if Conner's told me to increase security, that’s what I need to do. I advise Dan that we need two more men and leave him to hire them. I trust him with my life, he’s been around for the last five years and we get along well.
I shower and then spend some time catching up on emails. My mother helps runs one of our family businesses, a jewellery store in central London. We cater for a higher end market and there’s a few emails about meetings this week with suppliers. I forward them onto my mother to remind her of these and warn her that C
onner is on his way to see her.
I dress in a dark blue Armani Suit and then text Dan to get the car ready. I have a certain number ten that I want to see.
The car slows down outside Lucy’s shop. It’s bright, just like I imagined it to be. The white walls make it stand out against the other brick buildings. Her windows are full of balloons and other wedding paraphernalia. I tell Dan to drive around until I call him, there’s no parking around this part of London. Taking a deep breath, I open the door and step inside.
It’s sleek inside, less shop like and more office. There are two desks towards the back of the room where a man is currently chatting on the telephone. He looks up as I enter and holds a finger up to tell me that he’ll be a minute. I nod and begin to flick through a large book that’s lies open on top of a glass cabinet. There are various photo’s inside of number ten in different wedding dresses, she’s stunning and this is the only time I’ve ever been attracted to a woman in a wedding dress.
The man ends the call and then stands. “Sorry about that, how can I help you?”
“I’m actually looking for the owner,” I say as we shake hands.
“Lucy? She’ll be back any minute, she loves her pastries first thing, she’s a cow without her sugar fix. Oh, speak of the devil,” he says, nodding towards the door as Lucy walks in with her back to us. She maneuvers through the door with a coffee in each hand and a brown paper bag hanging from her mouth. She makes some inaudible sounds and the man rushes to help her, taking the coffees.
She removes the paper bag from her mouth. “I mean honestly, some people are just rude,” she rants. She turns to face me and freezes, “Oh,” she mumbles, “It’s you.”
“Number ten, fancy seeing you here,” I say, adding a lopsided smile.
CHAPTER SIX
Lucy
My heart hammers in my chest, it’s hard not to react to the gorgeous hunk of a man standing before me. He looks good in a suit; the navy blue brings out the blue in his eyes and enhances his tanned skin. “Are you here to book our services?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow, I seriously doubt this guy is the type to get married and if he is then I feel sorry for his poor fiancé.
