It takes a superhuman effort, but I’m able to respond without inflection. “I don’t doubt your past is littered with stories. None of them are of any interest to me,” I lied.
“Then let me tell you—”
“Mr. Howe, there’s a phone call from your father.” Kaga appears suddenly. “He says it’s urgent that you present yourself at campaign headquarters immediately. Something about a young woman claiming to have personal information about you.”
There are two burly bouncers standing behind Kaga who are clearly ready to drag Howe out of the VIP section, willing or not. He leans forward, so close I can smell the cheap booze and desperation. “You are nothing, Kerr. And whatever you’ve built can be ripped down in a moment. Without your money, you wouldn’t be able to buy a whore in the city let alone sit here like a goddamn sultan purveying his harem.”
“Your clock is ticking, Howe. I can bring you down with one phone call. And all of this—” I sweep my arm toward the bar “—will be out of your reach.
He looks behind him and curses. “I’m not the only one with plans. Keep your loved ones close, Kerr. Not everyone has the same principles as you.”
“I’d take your threats more seriously if you weren’t such a complete and utter failure at life, Howe. Maybe I’ll give you more time. Your humiliation is entertaining.” I flick my hand in dismissal. Kaga nods his head and the two bouncers grab hold of one arm each and pull Howe toward the exit. Shock paralyzes him, and I savor the spectacle until he gathers himself and jerks his arms out of their grip and trots hurriedly down the stairs.
“Call from his father?”
Kaga shrugs and sits down. A glass appears in front of him before his ass can hit the cushion. “His father should be keeping a closer eye on him. And you need to either pull the trigger on Howe or just let it go.”
“I’m pulling the trigger, but I’m not going to sink to his level and ruin an entire family.” I look into my tumbler. “At least not yet.”
I swallow the rest of the glass and try to push thoughts of Richard and Cecilia aside. Below me Tiny’s sequins flash under the strobe lights as she twirls and shakes. I concentrate on her until the rage recedes and the tension eases. She’s all I’ll ever need.
“You really love her,” Kaga says in wonderment.
“She makes my world turn.”
TINY
“THIS PLACE IS AMAZING,” SARAH yells. It’s the only way to be heard over the club music that’s pouring out of every speaker. We’re on the edge of the VIP dance floor, the one with the glass tiles. Some of the partygoers are just in their underwear, still wet from the plunge pools that circle the outer rim.
“It’s a lot more fun this time around,” I admit. I’m nervous though, looking for Howe in every corner.
“Do you see him?” she shouts again.
I shake my head. It’s hard to see anything here. My idea was a good one in theory, not so great in practice. But at least Sarah is having a good time. I decide to allow myself to enjoy the music, my friend, and the hot gaze of my lover. A couple of guys try to insert themselves between us, but Sarah sidles closer, placing her hands on my hips so as to block them. When it’s apparent they won’t leave, Sarah and I leave the dance floor.
“Bathroom?” I ask. She nods and we head off toward the ladies room. The nice thing about the VIP floor is the bathroom is super swank. There’s an outer sitting area with a wall full of mirrors and two small sofas. Inside are six separate stalls with toilets that have more buttons than the remote for my television.
“I don’t know who’s hotter,” she says as we’re washing our hands. I’d pointed him out as he was crossing the dance floor. “Kaga or Ian. I’d do either or both. At the same time if I had to.”
“Since I’m not sharing Ian, you’ll have to make do with Kaga.”
“Like that would be a tragedy. His cheekbones are so sharp I think I’d cut my tongue on them. I need to test it out to be sure. Is he single?”
“I don’t know.”
“He seems single,” Sarah says, making use of the complimentary cosmetics at the counter. “Ian can’t take his eyes off you, but Kaga’s looking everywhere. Assessing things.”
“He is the owner,” I point out.
Sarah shakes her head. “It’s different. When I look at Ian, he doesn’t even see me. His eyes are locked on you and you alone. It’s all he sees. Cam never looked at me like that. I don’t think any guy has. It’s amazing. And shit, that picture of him in the Observer does no justice to him. He and Kaga look like they should be on billboards wearing nothing but what God gave them. You need to make that happen for the rest of womankind.”
“That’d cause a riot.” I smile. “I’ve seen Ian Kerr naked and it’s enough to stop traffic. There’d be women fainting in cars and men beating themselves up for not looking as good. It’s for the good of all mankind that he keeps himself clothed in public. Trust me on this.”
She whimpers. Or I thought she whimpered, but after a moment the whimpers turn to choked sobs. We stare at each other and then look into the sitting room. Someone is crying out there.
Grimacing slightly, I tiptoe over and sure enough, a woman is crying in the arms of a friend.
“Is she okay?” I ask, wondering if I should get Kaga. “Do you need anything?”
The friend, a raven-haired woman thin enough to be a model, frowns at me. “It’s nothing. She’ll be fine.”
The crying woman pushes away and despite her tears, she’s stunning. Two models, for sure. They both have prominent cheekbones and elegant bodies that look good in anything.
“Are you the one?” she asks, pointing to me.
“The one what?” I say.
“The one dating Ian Kerr. You said you saw him naked.”
In the short time I’ve dated Ian, he’s never mentioned another woman and we’ve never run into any of his girlfriends. My luck has run out.
“Yeah, she’s dating Ian Kerr. What of it?” Sarah says, her chin jutting out aggressively.
Tears well up in the model’s eyes, making her look luminous in the sparsely lit sitting room. “I’m Melinda.” Her voice is hopeful, as if she’s optimistic that Ian has mentioned her to me.
“I’m Victoria Corielli,” I say instead, because I’ve never heard of her before. It doesn’t seem right to say that—not with tears still running down her face.