Vantage Point (The Point Series Book 2)

by Georgia Hamilton

  Batting down my arousal. I shakily stand to let him kiss my cheeks. He not only looks good, he smells good. Guy’s dark grey check suit hugs, nips, hangs and loves his body. He smells like the Mens counter in Harvey Nics, a heady mix of bergamot and vanilla – the little shit is wearing Aventus, he knows its my weakness.

  Act normal Leilani. Act normal.

  “Mr. PM, surprised you’re with us? Just saw your picture splashed all over todays papers, thought you’d be hanging out with your girlfriend!”

  What the hell happened to acting normal Leilani. I chastise myself. I should know better, but I can’t help it. He lied to me. He could have told me he had a date. It would have been fine.

  I turn my back and sit down at my desk. Today is the first time I regret having a glass desk. Guy eyes my legs under the table, as I cross them. I know about his fixation with them, I really hope he doesn’t think it’s for his benefit. Not after he left my bed and jumped straight into someone else’s.

  “Oooohh what pictures are they Guy? “

  Rayne is eagerly trying to get the gossip. Me on the other hand I just deal with the facts.

  I spin my MAC around and show them both.

  Guy’s face drops, and he rubs temples like he is about to explode.

  “You have to be kidding me” He leans up from his side of the desk to get a closer look

  Rayne lets out a disgusted laugh, before she spit’s

  “Guy, please tell me you were not out with Millicent O’Sullivan? How desperate are you?”

  I swivel the screen back to me. I didn’t even notice it was Millicent. How did I miss that? Thomas O’Sullivan is one of our clients. We handle the management of his stables. I don’t personally but I did hire someone specifically to take care of him. Millicent is a liability. He has been told more than once that she will damage his brand if he doesn’t get her under control. She was pictured being rejected from the enclosure at Ascot because she had too much to drink, it’s just embarrassing. I am sure we advised him to get her married off, to whoever would have her. I knew someone would, just did not expect it to be Guy.

  “I am not desperate! Are you kidding? Willie and Esther tried to set us up last night, the paps were asking about Malachi and I bolted, she slipped so I pushed her into the cab first. I would take my chances with Millie’s Mint over that thing any day”

  He’s looking at Rayne when he says it, he should be looking at me. I will him to look my way, which he does when he says “And for your information I am not desperate, my preference, is brains and beauty, someone who can challenge me everywhere, not a sperm gutter like her” his disgust is evident as he violently points at the screen.

  I look down at my notepad. I can’t look at him, not now. Yes, I know I wanted him to look at me, but now I don’t. OK? It’s my prerogative! (see you’re singing Bobby Brown, aren’t you? No? what do you mean you’re singing the Britney version? You are far too young for the rest of this tale.)

  “So, you’re not fucking her then?”

  I want to slap my hand over my mouth. Shit Shit Shit. Way to keep it casual Leilani.

  Guy falls back into his chair, there is a slight smirk on his face as he does. Crossing his ankle over his knee, he’s exuding cocky. His head tilts to the side, like he is trying to think of a witty comeback. It feels like an eternity since someone has spoken. Rayne raises an eyebrow at me. I shrug a little harder than necessary.

  “No Leilani, I am not fucking her. Like I said, I prefer my women with a little bit more class than that”

  “Good to know” I stammer out.

  “Well now we’ve established where Guy likes to stick his dick, shall we get on with this meeting. I am seeing Connor for lunch, so I need to get back”

  I watch my best friend as she speaks. Her face is alight when she says Connor’s name. I am so pleased for her, she is the happiest I have seen her in a long time. My heart should be light not heavy when I think of her happy. But it’s not. It drops like a lead weight into the pit of stomach. I seriously need to have a word with myself when they’ve gone.

  “Sure thing sugar, Guy do you want to kick off”

  Guy starts to fill us in on the outstanding legal issues with Malachi. Cherri, his accuser has dropped the accusations and has gone to ground. Trent managed to obtain a warrant for her accounts and she received a transfer of £250,000 the morning of the incident. We still don’t know who actually paid her, but that was enough to get her to sign a Non-disclosure agreement and with a further monetary incentive, she has disappeared.

  My mind starts to wonder as Rayne and Guy are thrashing out a PR plan to get Malachi back on the Sports Pages and off the front page of every tabloid.

  “I think we need to get him involved in some charity work, he’s spoken before about his desire to do work with young lads that have no real father figure in their lives, like a big brother scheme. Getting them to see another side of life”

  Rayne gets excited by Guy’s statement, “That’s great. Something like that would be well received right now, with all the gang culture that’s suffocating our youth at the moment, it could do a lot more than just put him in a good light. Connor might be up for getting involved too”

  There goes that radiant glow again.

  “Ok, so what do you need from me?” I try to keep my tone light and interested but I know I am failing.

  “Can you make a list of any clients you have that can either help with an event or that will draw the right kind of media attention if they were to attend a gala, I’m thinking that we should either throw a fundraiser for an existing charity or start something brand new, a legacy for Malachi” Rayne is practically bouncing as she talks I can hear her brain working overtime. She is just like her Ma, Rose when it comes to social events, she loves to organise them. I always say if she wants a change in career she could easily be an event planner.

  I make some notes on my pad, as Rayne and Guy furiously throw ideas around about what they need to have in place. Rayne excuses herself to take a call, before the door has even closed behind her, Guy has reached over the desk and stills my hand with his.

  It’s evident that I must be coming down with the flu or something as I am slightly turned on by the sight of his tanned forearm, wrist and hand. My memory flicks back to last night, his hands on me, in me. He can play me like a fiddle and it is always, always exquisite.

  “Leilani, you know I didn’t sleep with her, don’t you?” He is speaking in a hushed tone, his thumb stroking the back of my hand. Before I can ease into the familiarity of his touch, my defenses kick in. I pull my hand out of his reach. “You don’t have to answer to me Guy, you are your own man. Who you chose to fuck or not fuck is none of my business, so thanks for the explanation but not necessary”

  “It is necessary when it has clearly annoyed you – “

  I can’t listen to any more. “Guy, as I have said I do not care who or what you do. This has been such a mistake. You are a mistake. We were a mistake.”

  “You are full of shit. But I will let you have your moment.” Guy eases back down into his seat. I open my mouth to say something when Rayne comes back into the room.

  “Sorry guys, that was a response from Google. They’ve taken all association of Cherri B from Malachi’s searches. They will only appear together when searched together. It’s a start, not ideal but a start.”

  Rayne perches on the corner of my desk flicking through her phone. She’s chewing her lip and intently focused on something.

  “Everything OK?”

  She spins back to me, “Sorry, yeah all good just seeing what other combinations I need to have removed – I have to be at least 3 steps ahead of everyone. God love the internet when it is working for you damn it when it’s against you. I am going to have to get back to the office, I need to get Malachi’s social media checked – whatever path we take with this charity, I need to be sure there is nothing that can be unearthed to devalue his voice. I am going to have to get back to the office, I n
eed to have Malachi’s social media checked – whatever path we take with this charity, I need to be sure there is nothing that can be unearthed to devalue his voice. I will let you know what I find and throw some ideas around”

  Rayne chokes it all out without taking a breath, her brain fascinates me, she works at a million miles a second, but she never misses a beat. Not professionally anyway.

  “And that is why we needed you back on our team – you think of everything” Guy sounds almost in awe of her as he says it. Rayne has that effect, she’s got the brain of an engineer, she is methodical in both her thoughts and her actions.

  Rayne grabs her bag off the chair and swings towards the door. “I learn from everyone else’s mistakes Guy, they fuck up, so I don’t have to. Ciao”

  Guy glances at his watch and is suddenly right behind her “I’ve got to shoot too, trying to get this financing deal with the Chinese and the media company sorted – I thank Trent every day for leaving me with it. Headache is an understatement”

  Rayne laughs, and their closeness becomes even more evident. “Pipe down Guy, that retainer is worth more than any client on your books. Trent doesn’t call you Cochran for fun. He knows you’ve got it”

  Guy holds the door for her as they head down the corridor. I think about following them but there’s nothing more for me to say. I go back to my MAC and hit my emails. My diary for today is full. With the football season coming to an end, we are brokering deals left right and centre. As I skim through the junk, looking for anything urgent, I see an email from Trent.

  “Good Morning Leilani, we have had a look over the proposed deal and Johan is keen to meet and talk through terms with the club. I understand we still have the European cup to contend with, but he is keen to secure the deal before. Just in case. Perhaps we can arrange something over the next few days. This will be my swansong so the sooner we get it signed and sealed, the faster I can get back to retirement. Love to the family. Trent”

  I haven’t said anything to Rayne about Trent approaching me to handle the negotiation of Johan’s proposed move. I haven’t said anything to Guy either. I wasn’t sure why he asked me to work with them. Johan Terrence is Mr Untouchable, his team of advisers were a myth until I started working with Malachi, his team mate (for now) and stumbled across Trent. Johan as you know is England captain and current captain of Anfield Town. His wife has about 15 million followers on social media and can sell a sneeze. The fact they are considering a move to Miami is surprising. Especially when the Miami soccer team is a new franchise. Major League Soccer is nowhere near as big as football is here in Europe. The pay however is unbelievable. If we pull this deal off, I will be able to move offices, expand my business and probably triple my client book. I am nervous thinking about it, nervous excited that is. My dream would be to merge my business with Rayne and Guy. Be a celebrity one stop shop. Somewhere that handled everything from a bad to tweet to a Hollywood contract. We would be unstoppable. But it is my dream, not theirs. Guy has just been made senior partner and Rayne is happy as she is. She’s been offered a directorship at her firm for months and she doesn’t want the hassle. She goes in, kicks arse and gets paid like a beast.

  I throw Trent a quick reply and organise my diary. Today is going to be a long one.

  Guy

  After leaving Leilani’s office, I take the long route back to mine. I wasn’t joking when I said she got under my skin, watching her sitting at her desk, her legs taunting me under that enormous glass desk. Her office is like her, larger than life but sleek in styling. Leilani always goes toe to toe with me, in life and in business both physically and literally. Since we’ve been working together I’ve seen a whole other side to her. I have known her for a few years now, when I became more senior at the firm, I attended more social events with the partners and their families. Leilani and Rayne were always together, forever each other’s plus 1. I don’t think anybody could ever fathom how they remained unattached. Rayne always struck me as the one that would settle down first. She’s a subtle flirt, a classic beauty, and sharp as a tack. Leilani used to scare me, she always silences a room when she enters. She’s naturally tall, but that doesn’t stop her wearing massive heels. Today she must have been 6ft in her shoes, I’m 6’2 and she was hovering at my height. Some men are put off by how tall she is, must damage their manhood or something equally stupid. Me? I love it. Her hair is ridiculous, it’s almost at her waist, a jet-black curtain.

  The first time I wrapped it around my fist (come on, it had to be done) I nearly came on the spot. She was on her knees taking every bit of me. I remember tugging her head as she did that folding thing with her tongue. Jesus she’s good. The memory of her ocean blues peeking up at me, a filthy smile on her face as she dragged the most satisfying nut out of me. We were celebrating getting Malachi out of trouble. It has been a long day and both of us were horny as hell. The adrenalin of the win was all we needed. We fucked all damn night. I didn’t know I had it in me, but Leilani just kept me going. She’s like no woman I have ever met before. Nothing like these spoilt socialite dimwit’s clambering for a ring and a new name. I don’t think Leilani would change her name if she ever got married – she’s a formidable force with a reputation she damn well deserves. I wouldn’t change my name either if I was her. I suppose I could always become a Barros. Wait. What? Where the hell did that come from? Obviously, I have been in the car too long must have inhaled fumes. My phone kicks me out of my thoughts, it is an unknown number

  “Guy Pearce Morgan”

  “Hi Guy, it’s Millicent”

  And just like that my balls have shriveled so far up inside me if I sneeze they’re likely to come out of my nose.

  “How can I help?” I cannot think of anything else to say. I want to say what the fuck do you want but I refrain.

  She inhales deeply, and I worry that given her nose, she’ll inhale her phone faster than a coke head let loose with a free gram.

  “I wanted to talk to you about last night, thank you for rescuing me. I feel like I owe you”

  Oh fuck off Millicent.

  “Not a problem. I would do it for anyone” I hope that is blunt enough to hit home.

  “That’s why are such a catch Guy, you are a real gentleman. Mother was rather taken with the pictures today, she says we look good together. I don’t suppose you’ve seen my twitter mentions, people are bombarding me with questions. They want to know how long we’ve been dating, I wanted to be coy, but I think we should be specific, you know. Maybe take it back to Trent Fitzgerald’s party”

  I nearly crash my car when she sprouts that shit.

  “Millicent, what the fuck are you talking about? We are not dating. We have never dated, we will never date. Why would I pretend we’re in a relationship?”

  She inhales again and I straight up fear for my life. I worry that she will draw me through my phone with the help of sheer nostril power.

  “No need to be quite so rude Guy. It will do you a favour too. I can be your beard”

  I pull my car into the first space that I see, kind of like an F1 driver going in for a pit stop. I almost wish I had a handbrake that I could yank to ease some of the frustration.

  “Millicent. Let me be clear. I need no favours from you. I have a girlfriend and am not gay so how about you stop this shit, stop wasting my time and just fuck off”

  I hang up the phone and switch it off for good measure. I cannot take anymore. A fucking beard? What is she on?

  I swing out back into the traffic and make it back to the office in record time. Once I am safely in my office, I am grateful that we are straight in the boardroom to thrash out this deal. Three hours and $560m later we have a deal. As soon as the other side have vacated the building the entire floor erupts into applause. I stand there feeling like Wolf of Wall street.

  “It was a team effort” I announce to the floor.

  “Mr Fitzgerald started the negotiations and all we did as a team was finish it. Well done to each and every one of
you”

  I leave the euphoria and head into the sanctuary that is my office. I stop by the partners receptionists’ desk and ask her to order drinks in for the team. This is the part of my job I love, the being able to spread some joy (it helps that it’s tax deductible)

  Dubiously I switch my phone back on. It lights up brighter than Regent Street at Christmas.

  3 new voicemails. I know before I have even connected that one will be from Willie.

  “Guy. It’s your father. You need to return this call as a matter of urgency. Esther has just spoken to Madeline and apparently you have upset Millicent terribly. I need you to rectify the matter but speak to me first.”

  There is no point in listening to the other messages as no doubt one is from Millicent.

  I flick through my laptop, not sure what I am looking for, but I know I need a distraction from calling Willie back. You can tell my father was a lawyer, he loves the sound of his own voice and will argue until the cows come home. I want to tell him about the meeting, the deal we have brokered but I know he won’t be happy. He wants me to be dealing with the criminal side of things, I know it disappoints him that I have chosen a different route but defending the guilty has never been something I ever wanted to do. I don’t want to be preparing for trials over and over again. I tried it and trained for it but it’s just not for me. Trent took me under his wing when Rayne started her business, we both worked on cases together, the entertainment side of law excited me more. My days are so varied. I travel a lot, I attend events in both a social and professional capacity, I fight the corner of who I want, if I don’t want to fight I don’t have to. William Pearce Morgan was the complete opposite. He defended whom ever paid more. There are some of the lowest forms of society enjoying freedom because of him. When I made the decision to join the then Fitzgerald, Kohn and Jacobs, Willie was visibly annoyed. He tried to be supportive but failed. I was always grateful that Trent was on my side. He told me from the get go that I would take over from him one day. He was right.