by Harper West
Not yet at least.
I headed out, deciding to take the Porsche. It was my newest toy, and I quite liked it. Of course, I would like it until someone else got one, and then I’d probably get a Jaguar or a Bentley straight from the shop floor.
When your life was dictated by other people’s choice, you had to find a way to get your own kicks.
My escape was shipping.
I decided that I was going to go to the Gucci boutique in the new shopping plaza. They often had the best selection. It annoyed me that Gucci didn’t let anything go onto the black market. I had tried more than once to get a bag after it had sold out, and none of my contacts had ever been able to get me one.
As I crossed through the thick glass doors, the sales rep, Clancy, greeted me right away. “Elle,” she said, with a smile. “What can I get you today?”
“I’m looking for the new collection,” I said. “I know it’s not due to come out until tomorrow, but my guess is, it’s in the store now. I want one.”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” she said. “We’re really not supposed to . . .”
“Come on, girl.” I said, giving her a wide smile and bumping her shoulder. “I know that you can do it. I’ll even give you a little non-taxable tip.”
I flashed the amount of the cash I had, and she raised her eyebrows. Clancy had always been good to me, and I could see that she needed the clash, given the state of her nails.
“Fine,” she said. “Let me get it. But don’t take it out and about until tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” I said, and she headed into the back. I drummed my nails onto the counter and waited, impatiently When she brought me the bag, I practically salivated from how beautiful it was. A deep crimson that screamed ‘look at me’ yet, the style was understated. I knew it would look amazing with most of the outfits I had. “Perfect.”
“This one is $2500, plus tax” she said. “And anything you want to leave as a tip can be left right here.”
“Are you allowed to take tips?” I asked, with a smile.
“Yes,” she said. “But discreetly, and you’re not being very discreet right now.”
“Sorry,” I said, and rolled my eyes. I handed over the full amount of cash I had, even though I thought that was ridiculous All she was doing was selling me a bag and she just made a few hundred bucks.
She took the cash and put some of it in her pocket, and then went to put the rest of it in the register. It seemed like a perfectly normal transaction until her manager came over.
“Clancy, did you check those bills?”
“What?” she asked, jumping. She looked like she was doing something wrong, which was an invitation to get caught. “No. This is Elle, she’s a regular customer.”
“You know the new policy,” he said. “Always check bills bigger than $50.”
“Oh,” Clancy said and looked to me.
“Apologies, madam.” The manager continued, “We don’t mean any offense, but after the fiasco we had two months ago, we can’t make any exceptions.”
I shrugged. “Go for it.”
She began to check the bills as I looked down at my phone, planning the rest of the day. All of the sudden, the machine started to beep. It beeped again, and again. I realized, to my horror, that every single bill was fake. Clancy looked up at me eyes wide. “Uh…”
“There must be a mistake,” I said, as my stomach sank with that familiar feeling. Fucking John. He had better have just made a mistake and not publicly screwed me here. “Here, just give me back the cash and I can pay with card. It’s no big deal.”
“I’m sorry, Miss,” the manager said. “I’m going to have to call the police.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” I said, and fixed him with a cold, icy stare. Being arrested didn’t bother me in principal; my family was far too profitable and powerful to actually stay in jail, especially for a counterfeit bill charge. What bothered me more than that was the fact that news would spread through the grapevine and everyone would make fun of me for months to come. Reputation was everything, and yet it could so easily be damaged.
“I have to,” he said.
“What if I…” I suddenly realized that tipping him wasn’t possible because I didn’t have any cash that was real. “What do you want? I’ll get you anything that you want. Do you know who I am?”
“I’m sorry, I—I have to call the police,” he said, which told me that he did know who I was. He sounded like he was making a major bust, which made me roll my eyes so hard they almost hit my brain. He even pushed the panic button and I saw the doors subtly lock.
“This is ridiculous,” I said, to Clancy, who mouthed her apologies to me. “Can I least make a phone call?”
“Of course,” she said, looking caught between a rock and a hard place. She might have been worried about the fact that she was carrying counterfeit bills, but even though I didn’t really care about her. I wasn’t going to incriminate her with me.
I pulled out my phone and took a few steps away for privacy as I called my brother. He picked up on the second ring. “Yessssss?”
“Did you know those bills were fake?” I asked flatly, covering my mouth with my hand.
There was silence on the phone, and I sort of prayed that he didn’t. But I heard him snicker, and I realized he knew. Rat bastard.
“Oh my God, you asshole,” I said. “I’m locked in Gucci and they are calling the police.”
John was overwhelmed with laughter, and I was ready to throw my phone at him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “You afraid of the cops?”
“Fuck you, John,” I said, but he still didn’t stop laughing.
“Whatever,” he said. “I’ll send someone to the jailhouse.”
“You’re such an asshole. I’m so done with you.”
“What are you going to do?” he teased. “Buy half a million Gucci bags and smother me with them?”
“You don’t know what I am capable of,” I said, as he chuckled.
“Bring it, sis. It’s payback for giving me a crappy Christmas present.”
“A crappy Christmas present? This isn’t how you pay someone back!” I scowled at him. “Do you know how quick this is going to go through the grapevine? I’ll be the laughing-stock.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“No way. Not this time. Why do you constantly do this? These games were funny when we were kids, but not anymore. There’s real consequences for this shit now.”
“Maybe you’ll fall in line then—and start realizing who’s in charge. I own this town and everyone in it.”
“You don’t own the Denali brothers.” I snapped back.
“I will soon enough.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the cops approaching. When they recognized me, they put their hands on their guns, as if I was so threatening.
“Just you wait, asshole,” I growled at John. “Just you freaking wait.”
“Whatever, Elle,” he said and hung up the phone. This was it. I was pissed and I was going to teach my brother a lesson, once and for all. As soon as I got out of jail, that was.
Continue Reading Doubling Down in Vegas, here!
Also by Harper West
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The Billionaires and The BookNerd: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
The Billionaires and The Librarian: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
The Virgins Double Tycoons: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
Seduced by Her Royal Dukes: A MFM Royal Menage Romance
Tempting Her Royal Princes: A MFM Royal Menage Romance
Given to The Mafia Bosses: A MFM Bad Boy Menage Romance
Training Their Virgin Assistant: A BBW Billionaire Menage Romance
The Billionaires Surprise Baby: A MFM Billionai
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The Nanny and The Billionaires: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
The Virgins Billionaire Bachelors: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
FREEBIE:
Shared by Her Billionaire Bosses: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance
About Harper
Harper West is a Cali girl through and through, and she’s hella addicted to iced tea. She loves some theme park time, visiting the ocean and the mountains in the same day, and spending time with her kitties as she explores this writing journey.
When she’s not enjoying everything Cali has to offer, she can be found on social media or sitting in front of a fire on a rainy day, staring at the mountains. Sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on all of her journeys and new books!
