by Annie Jocoby
I had a feeling that Liam was right about that. He probably would be able to help us. He was a Gallagher, and, as such, he probably had above-average intelligence and above-average duplicity.
Luke, however, just rolled his eyes. I was getting the feeling that Luke really just wanted to go back home and face this entire situation above-board. He didn’t know Nottingham like I knew Nottingham, and Luke really didn’t know, in general, how men like Nottingham rolled. I did. I knew far too many people like Nottingham in my life – money-hungry, duplicitous, greedy, cruel – and I knew how little chance I would have against him if I didn’t have something in my arsenal to use when push came to shove. As it inevitably would.
In a half hour, Luke and I made our way downstairs to Liam’s magnificent main terrace. It was a beautiful day, surprisingly warm for it being February, and the surroundings were very peaceful. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. I had almost forgotten what fresh air smelled like and what quiet sounded like. In that moment, I almost forgot my misgivings about Liam, and inwardly felt grateful that I was able to get away to such a place.
Liam’s personal chef had prepared fried chicken for us, along with new potatoes with cheese, and a green salad. I eagerly dug into my food. I hadn’t realized until just that moment that I was famished. Luke did the same, and Liam looked at both of us, clearly amused.
“I knew you would be hungry,” he said, pouring a Mimosa for Luke and himself. I satisfied myself with some freshly squeezed orange juice. “Now, tell me exactly what’s going on. Your dad just told me that the two of you had run into a bit of a predicament in the States, but didn’t exactly say what.”
“Ugh,” I said. I didn’t much feel like talking about any of it. It was all just too stressful for me to even think about. “Well, let’s start from the very beginning. There’s this man named Nottingham….” I then launched into the whole sorry tale, from the time I met Nottingham until the present day. The entire story took me about an hour to tell, and Liam, for his part, listened quietly and really tried to absorb all of what was going on.
“Well, lass,” Liam finally said, after I finished the story. “Sounds like you got into a right jam with that bastard. What’s your next move?”
“Well,” I said, “I need to start some hacking into his computer. I don’t know the password, of course, and he changes it all the time. Like every day. But that’s not a problem for me. I know that I can get in past his security safeguards and try to figure if there is anything on there which would incriminate him and take a screen shot of it. I’m not even sure if there is anything on there, but that’s what I need to do.”
“Ah, blackmail,” Liam said. “One of the oldest and most tried and true way of getting what you want.” He seemed to tacitly approve of what I was about to do. “Well, good luck with all of that. Let me know if there’s anything at all that I can do to help you out.”
“I will,” I said.
At that, Liam went to work out in his gym.
Luke took my hand, and rubbed it thoughtfully. Then he sighed. “I really hope that this works, Dalilah. But what happens if he’s the one blackmailing you? What if you threaten to turn him in, and he decides that he’s going to go full-throttle on the custody issue if you don’t back off? Who’s going to blink first?”
“I’ve thought about that,” I said. “And I think that he will. His legal position with this child is far from settled. I think that he will know that, just from talking with his attorney. On the other hand, if I find on his computer what I’m hoping to find, then I will have a much more solid hand against him then he would with me. Therefore, I think that I will have the upper hand with him, if push comes to shove.”
“And what if Nottingham decides to do something even more drastic or devious? What then?”
“What do you think that he’ll do?”
“Oh, geez, that guy is capable of just about anything. Who knows? Maybe he’ll threaten your dad somehow.”
I drew a breath. I doubted that Nottingham had a way of threatening my father, but he might have a way of threatening Nick. Perhaps Nottingham also had a way of finding out what Nick did all those years ago. It took me a long time to find that video, because it was pretty well scrubbed from Nick’s computer. But I did find it. What if Nottingham had his own capabilities in that department?
“Well, I guess that’s just a risk that I have to take,” I said, but I started to feel uneasy again about my plan. The very last thing that I wanted to do was get Nick in trouble.
But, then again, it was a long shot that Nottingham could ever find out about that. He would have to be looking, and know what he was looking for and why. I really thought that I would be safe.
I hoped and prayed that I would be, anyhow.
Chapter 7
That night, I got dolled up and went with Liam to the restaurant to meet the boys from the Pixxallators. They were already there, waiting for us, having already gotten ales and beers. Neil, for his part, came right up to me and put his arm around me. “Dalilah,” he said. “You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you tonight.”
I smiled, and put my hand out. “You too, Neil. Uh, let’s sit down.”
Liam ordered for everybody around the table, and sipped his scotch and got right down to business. “Okay, guys. I want you to sign with my label. I know that you have other prospects, so let’s talk terms here.”
Neil just kinda snickered, and put his hand on my shoulder. “Well, yes, yes we do have other offers. A lot of other offers. All the other labels have just talked about how they’re going to promote us, what kind of advance money they’re going to give us, how much creative control and all of that. I’m sure you’re going to do the same.” Then he raised an eyebrow and leered at me. “But you have something they don’t. And that’s a beautiful woman to sweeten the pot.”
I drew a breath. Neil had not yet done anything that would be considered inappropriate, as far as touching me. But he was staring hungrily at my breasts, and I could tell that he was just moments away from grabbing at them.
I shot a look at Liam, and he looked non-plussed by Neil’s obvious overtures. Finally, he just said “Dalilah isn’t included in the package, of course. I’m not a pimp. But I can give you favorable terms. I’ve done a bit of research, and I know that you’re being pursued by EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner Music Group. You’re also being pursued by quite a few independent labels as well. I know that they’re offering you, and I know that you’re close to signing with EMI. I’m prepared to offer you everything that EMI is offering you, plus a great deal more creative control.” Liam then launched into the terms that he was willing to give the boys, and Derrick, Nate and Simon looked impressed. Neil, however, didn’t.
“No go, mate,” Neil finally said. “You’ll have to do better than that. You have to throw Dalilah in, just for one night. One night with her, and I’m ready to sign with you. Otherwise, I’m going with EMI. And I’m the leader of this band, and what I say goes.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” I said to Neil. “I’m not a part of the deal, and I never will be. I really don’t even know why I came to this dinner, to be honest. I certainly didn’t come here to be treated like a piece of sirloin steak.”
“Well then, the deal is off,” Neil said. “Not that we even had a deal at all, but I’m ending the negotiations right this very minute.”
Liam sighed. “You want to play hardball, mate? I’m giving you much more favorable terms than any of the other labels, not to mention complete creative control. I’m taking a risk in doing that too, because, quite frankly, I think that you blokes need some kind of guidance in that department if you want to make it huge. You’re going to throw that all away because you can’t have a night with a pregnant lady?” Liam just shook his head. “You go right ahead, then. But you’re going to regret it.”
“Wait,” Neil said, turning to me. “You’re pregnant?”
“I am,” I said. “I’m a few months along.”
“I thought so,” Liam said. “Now, let’s get on the same page.”
At that, Liam and the boys started talking about all the terms that each of them were willing to accept. I held my breath, hoping that Neil wasn’t going to change his mind about having me as a stipulation to signing. I was also grateful that, when push came to shove, Liam went to bat for me. I was really afraid that Liam would try to push me into a situation that I just couldn’t accept, and then punish me for not accepting.
By the end of the evening, the boys had ended up signing a contract with Gallagher records. “You won’t regret this,” he said to the group. “You’re going to be huge.”
Neil smiled, and looked at me. “Oh, lass, you’re missing out. You could have told all your friends that you had wild monkey sex with me before I became famous. Alas, it’s not to be.”
I nodded my head, thinking, secretly, that I wasn’t missing out on much. I had the world’s greatest lover, Luke, and that was really all that I was thinking about.
On the way back to Liam’s place, we had a long drive ahead of us, because the restaurant was about forty-five minutes away from Liam’s Surrey home. Liam hummed softly and then said “sorry about all that mess, Dalilah. About Neil, I mean. He was a little blunt. I wasn’t expecting that, to be honest. Of course, then again, drunk people are prone to say what’s on their mind, aren’t they?”
“You might say that.”
“Well, you handled yourself really well. Luke would be proud. At any rate, thanks for coming along with me.”
“I’m not sure what good I did, but you’re welcome.”
“So,” Liam said. “What can I do to help you out some? I know that there must be something that I can do.”
“You’re doing a ton just letting us stay with you and allowing us to decompress. I really couldn’t ask for more. But I will tell you that Luke is a musician and a song-writer, although his art takes precedent in his life. Maybe he could play some of his songs for you?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll listen to them. But no promises. If they aren’t any good, then I’m not going to do anything with them. But if they’re good, then I might be able to sell them to some of the groups that are already signed to my label.”
“That’s all I can ask,” I said.
We finally pulled into the driveway. The light was on in my room. I was looking forward to just being with Luke, and finally getting a chance to relax just a little bit. Being with the boys that night made me realize how much I craved being with Luke. There wasn’t any way that I would jeopardize what I had with him, which was the main reason why what Neil was proposing was way off-limits. I would have left Liam’s house if he tried to push the issue with me.
Of that, I was sure.
Chapter 8
Luke
Dalilah had just left to be with Liam and meet the band out at a fancy restaurant, and I was feeling out of sorts about it. I trusted her not to hurt me again, although I wasn’t entirely sure why I trusted her. After all, she did all these things behind my back with Nottingham. Who was to say that she was really above doing something just as devious, if it meant making Liam happy?
Then I realized that, with my thinking along those lines, I needed some kind of way to come to terms with all that had happened. I was surprised that I was feeling this way –having a nagging feeling that Dalilah wasn’t to be trusted. She would be more than upset if she ever was clued in to how I was feeling, though, so I didn’t bring it up to her.
I also realized that I might have been feeling that Dalilah was up to no good because of all the devious things that she had done. Things that I didn’t even know about until well after the fact. I had no clue that she and Nottingham had a relationship, at all, until all the shit had hit the fan. Then, come to find out that Dalilah was playing Nottingham behind my back all along. That rankled, even though she did it for me. But it did seem that she was just a bit too much of a mercenary for me. It upset me that she apparently wasn’t above playing people to get what she wanted.
Would she play me as well? Or, perhaps worse, would she play somebody else if it meant that the ends of doing so would be favorable to her or me? It seemed that Dalilah did truly love me, and I knew that I truly loved her. But, with a woman who had no compunction in manipulating others for her own gain, was it only a matter of time until I became a casualty of her games?
Then again, was I any better? Marcella had made it clear that she wanted in my pants, yet I was going to see her anyhow. I didn’t tell Dalilah that Marcella had propositioned me. Which she did, in no uncertain terms. But Marcella had the kind of connections that I was looking for, as she was a member of a group of eclectic artists who were making a splash in the London art scene. I wanted to become a part of that group, and get Dalilah involved as well. It seemed to me that I would be able to network in that group, and find my footing and be on my way to finding my audience once more.
I felt like such a hypocrite. I didn’t entirely trust Dalilah, because she had proven that she could manipulate with the best of them. But I wasn’t above my own manipulation.
I wished that there was some way for Dalilah and me to not only get out of our mess, and her trap, but to also find our footing in the art world, all without compromising any of our core values. But, it seemed that, with every passing day, it was more and more unlikely that we were going to find our way out without one, or both, of us doing something that we probably shouldn’t.
Then it struck me exactly what bothered me the most about the whole situation. What bothered me was that I thought about the issues. I obsessed about getting my hands dirty, and about the ethics of everything that we were doing. Dalilah seemed to be undisturbed by it all. As if she completely justified all of the dirty business in her head.
For all I knew, that was exactly what was going on. Dalilah was justifying all of the trickery and deception, and honestly didn’t see anything wrong with any of it.
It was then that I realized that maybe, just maybe, Dalilah wasn’t the one for me after all.
By the time Dalilah finally arrived home, I was itching for a fight. It finally felt like it was time to clear the air with her, and I was going to, at long last, tell her all that was on my mind.
She came in the door around 2 AM, looking tired and blue. For a second, I lost my nerve. She was so beautiful, and she looked so lost and vulnerable.
But I had to say my piece.
“Dalilah,” I began. “I need to talk to you.”
“Luke, before you say anything, I need you to know that nothing happened with me and those boys. One of the boys clearly wanted something to happen, but I put a stop to it really quick.”
“I’m glad to hear that. But I’ve been sitting here and stewing, and I realized that I didn’t trust you after all not to do something stupid. I hate that I don’t trust you. I hate that more than anything. But, really, can you blame me?”
“What do you mean by that? Did you actually think that something was going to happen between me and Neil or any of the other boys?”
“I wasn’t certain. That’s what bothers me. Of course, I 99% trust you to not do anything that would damage our relationship. But there’s this nagging 1% of me that believes that you would. That you would do it if it benefited you in some way. I don’t want that. I want to be 100% sure that you wouldn’t do something behind my back. But I never dreamed that you would do all that you did with Nottingham behind my back. Yes, it was all to benefit me, and I’m still grateful for that. But it was still devious and shady.”
Dalilah had tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe that I’m hearing this from you, Luke. I just can’t believe it. There was never an inkling that I would do what Neil wanted
me to do. Never a millisecond did I think about it, no matter if Liam wanted me to or not.”
“And did Liam want you to?”
“No. He stuck up for me.”
“Well, good for him,” I said sarcastically. “I can’t say that I’m not surprised, though. He seems the sort who would sell you out to the highest bidder.”
“Why don’t you like him?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I just don’t trust him, that’s all. He’s a little too charming. He wants everyone to see him in a certain way, but I have a feeling that’s all an act. I mean, what do you really know about him?”
“I know that he’s family. And Grandma Maggie has nothing but good things to say about him. Other than that, I admit, I don’t know a whole lot.”
I ran my hand through my hair. “Okay, here is the problem, I think. I want to clear the air. But I admit that I’m feeling resentment towards you. I am. I feel that you got yourself into this awful quandary, and bringing my baby into it, too. All of this is through your own actions, Dalilah. Yet I’m paying the price, as is my unborn child. Our unborn child. I guess that I really want to hear from you that you are hesitant about all that you’re doing. That you know that it’s the wrong thing, but you’re still going to do it because it’s the only way. There must be something in your conscience that is telling you that digging a deeper hole might not turn out the way that you want it to.”
Dalilah got quiet. Too quiet. Then she shook her head. “I wish that I could tell you that, Luke, but I can’t lie. I do feel that the ends justify the means here. At least with Nottingham. I also think that when you’re fighting against a guy like him, you have to be just as shady as he is. Just as ruthless. You can’t bring a knife to a gun fight, which is what I’ll be doing if I don’t get down to his level. I’m sorry you can’t see that.”
