“Penny for them?” Archie interrupted her daydream and she looked startled.
“Nothing, Arch, just remembering dad.”
Archie downed another finger of scotch and muttered darkly about vengeance as the car pulled up in front of the Eastend pub where Frank’s wake was being held.
“C’mon, let’s go and make dad proud,” she said, as the driver opened the door and they stepping out into a crowd of people, smoking and chit chatting in the late afternoon sun. Raine disappeared into the throng, smiling at people and stopping to chat to others. She soon had a drink in her hand, and it was only every now and then that she thought about the ticket to freedom tucked safely in her bra.
Chapter Four
The White Room
Tommy pushed his hair back out of his eyes and peered into the mirror behind his desk.
“Get that piece of shit out of here,” he said, licking his finger and wiping a smear of blood from his cheek. “I don’t want to see his ugly mug again or it’ll be even uglier than it is now.”
Tommy punched the kid in the stomach one last time as his boys pulled him to his feet and smirked as the stupid bastard’s knees buckled as they dragged him out of Tommy’s office.
He frowned at the mess. He enjoyed teaching these little pricks a lesson but his OCD made him twitchy at the chaos it caused.
“Roxy?” he shouted, and his PA appeared at the door within moments.
“Yes boss?” She looked around and shook her head. “Another one of the boys causing you bother?”
“Drugs,” he said. “Fucking drugs in my club! I’ve told those boys to keep their dealing off my patch but they think they can pull the wool over my eyes.”
Roxy laughed. “You showed him otherwise I’m guessing, Tommy?”
He nodded. “Could you sort the office out, babe, I’ve got a meeting in an hour and it doesn’t look good does it?”
“Of course I can, Tommy, you leave it to me darlin’. You might want to go and check out the auditions for the singer, I think Barry’s only seen a couple so far but they weren’t much good. Maybe you can find a good one, eh?”
He sniffed, wrinkling his nose.
“I think I’ll do that sweetheart. Thanks.”
He smoothed his quiff into place again, making sure his suit was immaculate and strode out of the office towards the main area of the club. He checked his watch. Several hours until opening, plenty of time for a whiskey and to check out the girls that Barry had brought in to front the house band. The last one had done a runner after Tommy had caught her snorting coke in the ladies loo and dragged her out by her hair.
He leaned on the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks, the girls waiting to audition suddenly sitting up straighter and giggling amongst themselves. Tommy was a good looking boy and he was renowned for his voracious appetite for women. He was also well known for his somewhat deviant tastes and his liking for showing the ladies a strong hand but it didn’t put any of them off.
The trouble was Tommy was bored with the sort of girls that came through his world. Over tanned, over made up, their dresses so short that all their goods were on display. He could smell the desperation on them and they were so fucking needy the morning after. Tommy liked to have his way and get out. Once he’d used them for his pleasure he couldn’t stand to hear them whining on about seeing him again, did he love them, etc. etc., blah blah blah.
Tommy didn’t need anyone. His father had handed him the reigns of the business when he was just twenty one and disappeared to Spain before the law caught up with him. Tommy had weathered the storm of the investigation and come out the other side smelling of roses. He knew how to keep his nose clean and how to play the system, and his men were loyal and vicious. He dealt with trouble swiftly and hard, and he had been a success for over a decade now. The only black mark on his continued business success were the Madden’s. Archie Madden was a jumped up little arsehole and his continued dabbling in the drug trade across the city was starting to infringe on Tommy’s territory more and more each day, bringing the seedy underbelly of the gang world into his nice ordered life.
Tommy ran several rackets but his biggest money maker was his bootlegging business. He had most of the London clubs and several up North in his pocket and he liked it that way. He kept it clean and he kept it old school. Drugs and guns just brought the police sniffing round and the Madden’s had been getting deeper in since Big Frankie lost his wife. Tommy had had to teach them a lesson and Frankie had paid the price for it. He knew that Archie was gunning for him and his gang but he wasn’t worried. He had the man power and the connections to keep him under control.
Tommy downed his drink in one and went to sit with Barry.
Chapter Five
Memories
“Put ‘er on next Barry, will you?” Tommy said pointing to the curvy brunette coming back from the ladies. “I like the look of that one, don’t you? In fact she looks vaguely familiar. Do I know her?”
“Fucking ‘ell Tommy, are you sure? Are you telling me you don’t know who that is?”
Tommy looked at him. “No, I don’t. Enlighten me, Barry. Who is it?”
“That’s Big Frankie Madden’s girl, Tommy. And bearing in mind you signed her dad’s death warrant only a few short weeks ago, we should probably throw her out rather than audition her for the band, don’t you think?.”
“I most certainly don’t think that at all. I like ‘er, and Frankie’s dead isn’t he? What’s he going to do to me now? Besides, she’s ‘ere ain’t she, and a little girl like that ain’t going to cause me any trouble. Put ‘er on.”
Barry shook his head and called out to the girl, beckoning her over to them. Tommy grabbed his arm and leaned into him just before she got there.
“Just remember, this is my club Barry. I call the shots and I don’t give a shit if you like my decisions or not. So don’t you ever shake your head at me like that again, or I will remind you a little bit harder. Is that clear?”
“Crystal, boss. Sorry, Mr White.”
The girl came over to them.
“I hear you’re Big Frankie’s daughter,” Tommy said, chewing a match and looking her up and down.
“I was,” she said, “but he’s dead now. As I think you know, Mr White.”
Tommy laughed. “Indeed I do.”
He smiled. “I like your sass,” he said, “now get up there and sing, and let’s see what you got, other than the best arse I’ve seen in a long time.”
“Well that is quite a compliment coming from you Mr White,” she said, “I’ve heard that you have quite the appetite for the ladies.”
She winked and stepped up onto the stage.
“It’s Tommy,” he said. “You can call me Tommy.”
“I’m Raine,” she said with a little shimmy as she stepped up to the microphone. “and thank you for this opportunity. I’ll try to impress you with my singing… Tommy.”
“Oh you’ve already impressed me, sweetheart. I am very, very impressed.”
He turned to Barry. “Hire ‘er.”
Tommy got up and ordered another scotch on the rocks, ready to go back to his office. He stood at the bar and watched her as the music played. She swayed a little, moving to the beat and he felt his cock stir wondering how good she would feel underneath him, his shaft buried in that phenomenal arse. He liked to hear them squeal.
Raine started to sing and Tommy stopped with his glass half way to his mouth, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as her voice filled the room. It was smooth and sultry and oozing sex and heartbreak. His eyes welled up and he clenched his jaw in an effort to hold the tears back. It was the song that had been playing that night. It was ingrained in his memory forever. He even remembered the way the record had ended, the soft bump of the needle over and over behind his screams, until his uncle had stopped it and dragged him away.
The Amy Winehouse lyrics that tore his heart apart filled the club.
He felt like he couldn’t breathe, memorie
s of his mother flooding his brain. Her sweet perfume when she kissed him goodnight, her pale skin, her soft smile and the metallic scent of the blood as it seeped out of the bullet hole in her head and all over his pyjamas. He closed his eyes and crushed the drink in his hand, glass and whiskey shattering across the bar.
He looked up at Raine and saw the concern on her face. She faltered, stopped singing and the whole club looked at him. He pulled himself together and smiled at her.
“No, no, I’m sorry, you keep singing babe,” he called over, “don’t mind me.” Tommy waved her on and she picked up the beat again, her eyes never leaving his until he turned to deal with the mess on the bar.
He wrapped a napkin around his hand where he’d cut himself and turned back towards the stage. He watched her sing, her body undulating as she ran her fingers through her hair, lost in the words, everyone else in the club disappearing.
The song finished and she left the stage. Tommy walked up to her and took her arm.
“Come with me, sweetheart,” he said, “we need to talk.”
Chapter Six
A Job Offer
Raine was used to being manhandled by thugs and she didn’t struggle against his grip. She followed Tommy through the corridors to his office wondering what had upset him so much. She wondered if she was in danger. He knew who she was, and their families were far from friendly, but she was unarmed and she just wanted to sing. Her mum had always told her she had a good voice but Frankie would never let her into his clubs for anything other than entertaining his big shot clients. She shuddered at the thought, knowing that if she didn’t find herself a gig somewhere Archie would continue to expect the same from her.
“So, tell me Raine, why on earth do you want to work for me? Bearing in mind our families history.” Tommy offered her a drink and indicated that she should sit. His office was luxurious, the sofa soft and comfortable. There was a big mirror behind his desk, which dominated most of the back wall and Raine could see herself in it. She wondered if it was positioned there on purpose. If he was fucking a girl over the desk they could watch each other come, look into each other’s eyes at the point of orgasm. She tore her gaze away from her reflection and watched Tommy open the bottle of Bollinger and pour her a glass. He was measured and deliberate, no hint of the underlying violence that she knew was part of the package. His suit outlined the muscles in his arms and back, the trousers defining the strength in his legs, his bum taut and high. She willed him to turn around so that she could check out the full package and as if he could read her mind he turned to hand her the glass.
She wasn’t disappointed. She could see the outline of his cock and she bit her lip knowing that he was semi hard and that it was her that had made him that way. Raine wondered if he would make a move on her here in his office or whether he would keep his distance because of who she was.
He was looking at her expectantly and she realised he was waiting for an answer to his question. She took a sip of the champagne and let the alcohol warm her throat.
“I need to get away from my brother, Mr White.”
“I told you to call me Tommy. So you thought you’d jump out of the frying pan and into the fire?” He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying her reason.
“I can sing, Mr White… Tommy,” she corrected herself quickly as he frowned at her, “Archie won’t let me. He wants me to keep his friends happy and run errands for him and anyone else who needs a pretty face. But I want more than that. I’m sure you can understand that?”
“But here? In my club? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“I know what you did, Tommy, and while I know I should hate you, because our families hate each other, I find myself drawn to you and the way you handle things. You’re a gentleman. And I want to make something more of myself. In truth, when you ordered the murder of my father, you set me free. I just need to find a way to look after myself.”
“How do I know you’re not just here to spy on me for Archie?”
“You don’t. You only have my word, and I understand if that means very little. My family wants you dead for what you did.”
“You’re either very brave or very stupid walking into my club, Raine Madden. But I’ll be honest, I like a girl with balls and you’ve got bigger balls than most of my men.”
She giggled, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Added to that you are a very beautiful girl, and you will bring the punters in with that voice. You’ll be good for business Raine and, on top of that, I have to admit that knowing how much it will infuriate your brother makes me more than happy to hire you.”
As he spoke he came over and sat down next to her. The sofa dipped and she toppled towards him. Tommy took hold of her wrist and pulled her close to his face, his lips millimetres from hers. She watched his face as he breathed in the heady scent of her perfume, noticing his eyes flutter closed briefly, and smiling inwardly at the effect she was clearly having on him, before he recovered himself.
“But, if you fuck me over, sweetheart, I will fuck you up.”
“I know,” she whispered, her eyelids fluttering closed, her lips parted.
Tommy breathed her in. He wanted her but this one needed something more subtle than his usual approach. She was under his skin but he needed to be sure she wasn’t a spy. And he wanted to piss Archie Madden off. He stood up and pulled her to her feet, making her catch her breath.
“You’re hired, babe,” he said breaking the tension between them. “Just remember what I said. If I catch any whiff of Archie knowing what’s going on behind these doors, it’ll be curtains for you.”
Raine nodded dumbly, not sure if he meant curtains for her job or her life. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Up close he fascinated her. He was terrifying but at the same time he was solid and reassuring and so fucking hot. She wanted him to kiss her even though she knew that he had been the one that had called for the murder of her father. She should hate him; but Big Frankie had used her and broken her and Archie was no better. So if Tommy could offer her a lifeline she was going to take it.
“Now off you go sweetheart, stop off at reception and Roxy will sort out the paperwork. I’ll see you back here tonight. Six o’clock sharp for rehearsals and you’re on from eight. If you need something to wear, let Roxy know and she’ll show you to wardrobe.”
“Thank you Tommy,” she said putting her empty glass down on the drinks tray. He nodded, watching her as she opened the door.
“You deserve it Raine, but I’ll be watching you.”
“Oh I hope so Tommy,” she said, winking as she walked out. “In fact, I’m counting on it,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared down the corridor.
Chapter Seven
Fantasia
“Where the fuck is Raine?” Archie shouted through to Dave.
“I don’t know boss, she went out a while back and she hasn’t been back since. Said something about a job.”
“Call her. Get her here. I need to know what she’s up to.”
Archie checked his phone. He was waiting on a message from one of his boys. There was a big deal going down and it was making him edgy. He needed to know that it had happened so he could relax. Tanya, one of his top dancers, wandered into his office and handed him a beer.
“You okay, sugar?” she asked sliding her arms around his neck and kissing him. “You seem tense. Want me to help you relax?”
He checked his phone again and tossed it onto his desk. He let Tanya push him down onto the sofa and leaned back as she unbuckled his belt, tugged open his zip and stroked her nails over his already stiff cock. Archie closed his eyes and let her lips work their magic as she sucked him expertly. Tanya was one of the best, and she had him shooting his load down her throat in no time.
His phone buzzed on his desk and he pushed her away, zipping his trousers as he did.
“Thanks babe,” he said grabbing the phone. Thank fuck, the shipment was in, with no trouble. He let himself breathe again.
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Tanya wiped her mouth and poured herself a scotch from his tray, waiting to see if Archie wanted anything else. He tossed a wad of twenties over to her.
“I’m offended, Archie,” she said, picking them up and slipping them under her suspender belt.
Archie laughed. “What, it’s not enough?”
Tanya shrugged. “Just saying, you know you don’t have to pay Archie. It’s a pleasure with you.”
She put her glass down on his desk, red lipstick smeared around the rim to match his cock and sashayed back to the bar, passing Raine as she came into the office.
“Raine, babe, how’s it going?”
“Hey Tanya.”
“Where the fuck have you been?”
Raine rolled her eyes
“Why do you care? You’re not my keeper.”
“Don’t start with me, Raine, you know I need you as part of this business. I need to know where you are, just like the rest of the staff.”
“Fuck you, I’m not you’re employee, I’m supposed to be your business partner. Dad was very clear about that in his will.”
Archie shrugged. “This business is no place for a girl. I’m keeping you out of the important stuff so you don’t get into trouble if it all goes bad.”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve got a job, Archie.”
“What do you mean you’ve got a job? You’ve already got a job in the family business Raine, what the hell are you talking about?”
British Bad Boys: A Bad Boy Romance Boxed Set Page 35
