By the next weekend, Sin had found her prey. His name was Gary Rankin, and he was a senior officer with the IRS. From what Ten had found out, he’d received several thousand dollars from Claire as payment for his ‘paintings’. That could only mean one thing; he was being bribed. Considering his job, it was probably something to do with taxes. Strange? Not in the least bit. For Claire’s scam to work, she needed the IRS to close their eyes. What better way to guarantee that than to slip a senior officer a little something on the side?
Fortunately for Sin and Ten, Gary Rankin was easy to get to. He had a proclivity for alcohol, pretty women and nightclubs. Perfect!
“Now girls, remember-” Randy Diamante, the proprietor of The Red Room, met the eyes of each of the four girls he was sending into the VIP room. “- your commission comes from the number of drinks you can get them to order. Tom will water down your own drinks so you don’t get too buzzed but still, pace yourselves. The night is long.”
“Okay.” Most of the girls, including Sin, nodded.
However, one bottle-redhead looked nervous. Her voice was shaky as she asked, “What if they try to grope us? Can we call for help?”
Randy’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re the rookie, right?”
“Yeah.” The redhead nodded.
“It’s your job to prevent that from happening, or at least earn extra if you’re allowing it.” Randy reluctantly added, “But if it gets too bad, call the guy outside the door and he’ll get you out.”
Sin guffawed on the inside. That was Randy’s subtle way of telling redhead that if she complained instead of handling the drunks herself, she’d be out on her ass. Sin had worked the VIP room a couple of times in her heyday and she knew what was up. In these places the phrase ‘everyone for herself’ applied.
When Sin had gone around W Sport making friends, she’d never imagined just how important one of those friendships would be to her overall plan. Drew, one of the guys from the marketing, had revealed that his cousin, Randy, owned The Red Room, and hooked Sin with this gig. Of course, he was curious why the CEO’s assistant would need to work such a job. However, Sin’s explanation that she needed a little extra money on the side to pay for her mother’s surgery had been enough to silence Drew’s questions.
“Alright then.” Randy grinned and patted the ass of the blonde closest to Sin. “Go make me some money, ladies.”
Sin and the other girls followed Randy down a narrow hallway to one of the VIP rooms. When Randy opened the door, music and loud laughs from the men in the room met them. The girls filed into the room one at a time.
The VIP room wasn’t a room in the actual sense of the word. Instead of the traditional four walls, it had three walls. Where the fourth wall should’ve been, a balustrade stood, looking down directly onto the main floor of the club where merry revelers were dancing their shoes off. But Sin had zero interest in the room; only its occupants. She quickly zeroed in on her mark.
Even seated, Gary Rankin looked short. It didn’t help that his potbelly was sticking out as he sat sprawled out at the corner of the semi-circular couch. The flashing lights in the room were doing nothing for his looks. All they did was enhance the shine of the bald spot at the very front of his head and his beady eyes. However, Sin put on her most impressed smile as she headed straight for him.
“Well, well, well, lookie here.” Gary welcomed her with a wide grin and patted the space next to him. “Come sit by me, honey.”
“Hello, handsome.” Sin took the seat.
Gary immediately slipped his pudgy arm around her waist bringing her closer to him. Jesus H Christ! Had the guy jumped into a vat of cologne before coming here? Sin could hardly breathe from the overpowering scent. Though her whole body was screaming for her to pull away, she steeled herself. If too much cologne was all she’d have to deal with tonight, then she’d gladly take the hit.
Gary took her in, his eyes lecherously lingering over her breasts. “What’s your name, beautiful?”
“Mercedes.” Sin simpered. “Mercedes Benz.”
“Like the car?” he asked as he played with the top button of her navy, sweater dress.
Sin automatically tensed at the unwelcome touch. Still, she forced a smile and nodded. “Yes, like the car.”
“Very, very creative.” He chucked her chin and drew her even closer to his over-cologned body. “What will you have to drink?”
And thus the hunt began.
Sin spent the next four hours entertaining Gary while the other girls focused on his friends. She plied him with drinks, flirted with him, danced with him and acted like he was the most charming man she’d ever met. When he suggested that they head somewhere private for ‘extra fun’, she gleefully agreed.
On the way to the hotel, she cuddled into him and swept her hands over his chest as if she was eager to get him out of his clothes. Even then, she plotted her next move. If everything went according to plan, she would get a confession without having to sleep with him.
When they got to the hotel, Gary handed the receptionist a bunch of notes then ordered, “My usual!”
“Your usual?” Sin pouted. “So you’ve brought other girls here before?”
“Of course not, honey.” He squeezed her waist and smiled at her. “I just come here a lot for business.”
Please! Sin scoffed internally. But on the outside, she smiled coyly, “So I’m your first?”
“Of course!” Gary kissed her cheek before grabbing their room key and leading her towards the elevators. “You’ll always be my first.”
“Aw!” Sin clung to his upper arm. “You always say the most charming things.”
Given the late hour, there was no one else on the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Gary tried to kiss her. Just before he did, Sin deliberately let her already unzipped purse fall. Its contents spilt out onto the carpeted floor.
“Oh no!” She cupped her hands over her mouth as she stared at her fallen purse.
“Did I do that?” Gary followed her gaze. “Sor-”
He inhaled sharply as his eyes landed on the item Sin wanted him to see; Claire’s picture.
“Oh dear! Oh dear!” Sin crouched down to stuff her things back into her purse. “Thank God I didn’t have anything breakable in-”
“Who’s that?” Gary cut her off.
Sin turned to stare at him. “Who’s what?”
“The woman in the picture.” Gary voice was tight with tension as was his expression. “Who is she?”
“Oh, this woman?” Sin picked up the picture and stared at it. It took phenomenal strength to smile at Claire’s picture instead of sneering at it like she wanted to. “This is Claire, my good friend.”
“Your good friend?” Gary was still staring at Sin’s hand. “How did you two become good friends?”
“Mmm. You know…” Sin straightened to her full height then stuffed the picture back into her purse. While subtly turning on the record function on her phone, she added, “Meeting here, there, helping each other out… that kind of thing.”
“Helping each other out how?”
“Why are you so curious?” Sin smiled as she sidled up to Gary and looped her arm around his. “Want me to introduce you?”
“You don’t need to.” Gary paused a second then announced, “I already know her.”
Sin widened her eyes as if shocked by the news. “You do?”
“Yeah!” Gary nodded. “She and I do business together.”
Well, this was turning out to be easier than she expected. Who knew that Gary had such loose lips!
Sin prodded, “What kind of business do you two do together?”
“This, that…” He mimicked her previous ambiguous answer. “… helping each other out… that kind of thing.”
“Oh you!” Sin teasingly slapped his arm then offered, “Okay, I’ll tell first then you tell.”
“Deal!” Gary agreed even as the elevator came to a stop on the floor.
“Well,” she confessed, “I’ve sold her a few paintings.”
“You too?” Gary asked as he led her down the hall.
“Me too?” Sin watched him keenly as she asked, “You mean you’ve sold her paintings too?”
“Many, many paintings,” Gary admitted.
Jackpot! Deliberately lowering her voice, Sin asked, “Really? What did she buy your paintings for?”
Gary smiled cryptically before using his keycard to open the door. “Let’s talk about it inside.” He gestured for her to enter before him. “Ladies first!”
The moment Sin entered the room, her footsteps halted and her stomach immediately knotted. Her eyes flew to meet the gaze of the other person in the room.
“Hello, Tamsin.” Claire smiled as she watched Sin from her position on the only armchair in the room. Flanking her was a tall, burly, tanned man in a dark suit.
“Claire!” Sin gasped. “What are you doing here?”
Claire didn’t answer. Instead she turned to the man beside her. “Check her purse.”
Sin’s heart jumped in her throat when the man started towards her. But all he did was snatch her purse from her grasp, unzip then upend it so that the contents fell to the floor.
He bent down to pick her phone then frowned. “She was recording their conversation.”
“She was really recording me?” Gary who was still behind Sin piped up. He sounded more angry than surprised as if he’d expected this, as if he’d set her up.
“I told you.” Claire sent Sin a sharp look before waggling her fingers at her bodyguard. “Bring it.”
“You bitch!” Gary shoved Sin from behind forcing her to turn and look at him. “Did you think we’d fall for your tricks? Trying to trap me?” He lifted his hand as if to slap her.
“Gary!” Claire stopped him. “You need to get out of here.”
Disappointment flooded his features. “But-”
“We can’t be seen in the same room. Get out.” Her gaze was brimming with malice as she turned it to Sin. “I’ll deal with this.”
With one last baleful glare at Sin and still grumbling, Gary stomped out of the room. As soon as he was gone, Claire stood up. She let Sin’s phone fall to the floor with a loud crush before stepping on the screen with her sharp stiletto. The screen cracked with a painful crunching sound.
“Hey!” Sin protested. “That was expensive.”
Claire didn’t even answer. She stomped across the room and swung her arm. Slap! Her palm cracked over Sin’s cheek harshly sending pain through her whole face.
“Ah!” Sin whimpered as she cupped her cheek.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know what you were up to?” Her eyes burning with anger, Claire poked at Sin’s forehead with her index finger. “I knew everything.”
“How?” Sin asked even though she already knew how Claire had figured out her plan.
“Because I’m not stupid like you.” Claire strode back to her seat and sat down with one leg crossed over another. “I can’t believe you tried to screw me over.”
Sin sneered. “Really? You can’t believe I tried to screw you over?”
Anger flashed in Claire’s eyes but she didn’t answer and instead let the conversation lapse into a tense silence. For a while the two women just stared at each other, assessing for weakness, but it was Claire who broke the silence.
“How did you know about Gary?”
Despite her still throbbing face, Sin smiled. “You’d be surprised what you can find if you’re patient.”
“Patience?” The brunette guffawed but there was no amusement in her eyes. “So what? Were you planning to use him to get you off your back?”
Sin raised her eyebrows. “What do you think?”
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.” Claire curled her upper lip in disgust. “You’re not the type to just lie down and die.”
“I’m glad you know,” Sin mocked. Watching Claire’s face for her reaction, she asked, “So you’re using your gallery’s finances as a slush fund? Why am I not surprised that you’re even dirtier than I thought?”
“You’re one to talk!” Claire snorted. “Aren’t you a con-artist?”
“At least I don’t go around corrupting public officials and trying to destroy other people’s companies.”
“Maybe if you did, you wouldn’t be this pathetic!” Claire laughed. “But that’s neither here and there. Let’s talk about how you tried to betray me.”
“I’m just returning the favor,” Sin retorted.
The other woman chuckled. “Too bad you don’t have proof. And you won’t get it. See what happened here today? My people aren’t idiotic enough to out themselves.”
“I’m curious, how did you manage to get all those people in your pocket,” Sin asked. “I mean you have Mayor Gray running errands for you.”
“What can I say? I’m a persuasive woman.” Claire actually looked proud as she confessed, “And I’ve got money. Lots and lots of money that talks quite loudly.”
“Ah! So that’s how you did it!” Sin folded her arms over her chest. “So? What will you do to me? Are you handing me and Ten over to the cops?”
“Why would I do that?” Claire grinned. “I want Worth’s shares, and you’re still the best plan. So I’ll be generous. I’ll give you a second chance to fix your mistakes and do your job.” Her expression turned menacing. “But make no mistake, if you try to screw me over again, it won’t be jail. It will be the graveyard.”
The threat sent an immediate chill down Sin’s spine. Somehow she knew that the woman was perfectly capable of making good on her threat. She was surprised her voice didn’t shake as she asked, “So you’re just letting me go?”
“No.” Claire grabbed her purse from the floor and stood up. She turned to her henchman. “Don’t touch her face. I still need it.”
She crossed the room and as she passed Sin she smiled. That smile was enough to tighten the knot in Sin’s stomach. She patted Sin’s shoulder. “Be a good girl and just do your job.”
With that, she strode out of the room, leaving Sin with the henchman.
Sin turned to meet the man’s eyes. His gaze was cold and his mouth was set in a straight determined line. He squeezed both his fists, cracked his knuckles then grinned. “Now, where were we?”
For the first time since Sin had entered that room, she felt real terror.
DAWN WAS CREEPING in when Sin finally crawled into her building. How she dragged her beaten, aching body up the stairs was a wonder. Every limb, every muscle, every cell creaked with pain as she opened the door to her apartment.
Ten was still up and the moment she saw Sin her eyes widened and she rushed over. “What the hell happened?”
“Claire-” Sin swallowed to ease the pain in her stomach. “Claire caught me!”
Though Claire’s henchman had held back just enough to keep Sin out of hospital, the jabs of his fists and his kicks had been enough to cause real hurt.
“I told you not to go after that guy,” Ten said as she helped Sin to the couch. “I told you it was too dangerous.”
“You don’t have to remind me.” Sin groaned as she collapsed onto the couch.
Worry etched on her face, Ten asked, “How did it go?”
“Badly, as you can see,” Sin said even as she smiled then gave her friend a thumbs-up. “Claire was waiting for us and she figured out that I was recording Gary.”
“What?” Ten feigned shock. “How did she know?”
“I have no idea.” Sin forcefully plucked off the second button of her dress, which was actually a hidden camera, then handed it to her friend. “Either way, she destroyed my phone so we’ve got nothing now.”
“Ugh! That is such a pity!” Ten grinned. Triumphantly, she waved the camera. “I guess we’ll just have to give up.”
“Yeah, we’ll just do what Claire wants.” Sin grinned back. “She won.”
Ten spent the rest of the day outside the house extracting the footage Sin had collected and creating a video capable of giving Claire a heart attack. Meanwhile Sin stayed in bed, recuperating from the beating. By Monday, the ladies were ready to implement the next stage of their plan. As Sin was leaving in the morning, Ten offered to walk her to her stop. It was only once they were out of the house and free to talk that Ten handed Sin a flash-drive.
“This is just a copy of the video,” Ten said as they walked down the street. “But it should be enough to scare her.”
Sin laughed. “I can’t wait to see her face.”
“Maybe I should do it.” Ten’s expression turned grave. “I don’t want you to get beaten up again.”
“I won’t.” Sin reminded her, “I just let them beat me so I could get what I needed. I won’t let it happen again.”
“You’ll call the police if anything happens though, right?” Ten pleaded. She had to be really concerned if she was even suggesting getting the police involved.
“Nothing will happen,” Sin reassured her friend. “I promise.” To prevent her friend from insisting on getting involved, she changed the subject, “You packed your stuff, right?”
“Right!” Ten nodded.
“Mine are in my room.” Sin warned, “She’ll have someone watching our building so-”
“Don’t worry. I got it.” Her friend grinned. “I can get our stuff out without them seeing me.”
“Okay!” As Sin raised her arm to hail a cab, she added, “Our tickets are for the midday flight. So I’ll make sure I’m at the airport by then.”
“Cool! I’ll wait for you!” Ten said just as a cab pulled over next to them. Just as Sin was about to enter the cab, Ten grabbed her arm. “Be careful. Please.”
“I will.” With a smile, Sin got into the cab.
Within twenty minutes, she arrived at her destination; The Mark Barnett Gallery. As she got out of the cab, her phone rang. When she saw who was calling, her heart jumped to her throat. Worth.
He was probably wondering why she was late to work. How would he react when he found out that she was never coming back to work again? A sudden lump started at the back of Sin’s throat. Would he miss her?
No. She shook her head to clear thoughts of Worth. It was over between them. Actually, it’d never even started. Her leaving was the best thing she could do for him. With a sigh, she made her way into the gallery.
After getting directions, she headed straight to Claire’s office. The freckle-faced young man at the reception desk looked up when Sin walked in.
“Yes?” he greeted. “May I help you?”
“I’m looking for Claire.”
“Mrs. Ransom?” he asked. When Sin nodded, he asked, “Is she expecting you?”
“No.” Sin smiled. “But she’ll see me. Tell her Tamsin Jacob is here to see her.”
Even though he looked doubtful, the man picked up the phone and dialed his boss’s number. “Mrs. Ransom, a Tamsin Jacob is here to see you.” He paused as if listening to Claire speak. His gaze flicked towards Sin before he said into the phone, “Yes, she’s here. Should I send her in?” Another pause then he nodded. “Okay.” He set the phone back in its cradle then said to Sin, “She’ll see you now.”
“Thanks.” Sin crossed the room. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and entered the office.
Claire was waiting on her feet and with her fist pressed to her waist. “What the hell are you doing here? We’re not supposed to be seen together.”
Sin didn’t say anything. She simply closed the distance between them. When Claire was within her reach, she cocked her arm and swung. Her fist crushed into the brunette’s pale face with a satisfying crunch.
“Aaah!” Claire fell to the floor with a small scream.
“Wow! That felt good.” Sin chuckled even as she shook her hand to clear the twinges of pain from the punch.
Still on the floor, Claire tried to talk through her pain. “What – what- what-”
“What – what- what-” Sin mimicked sarcastically as she stepped between the woman’s awkwardly spread legs. She cocked her arm and jerked slightly as if planning to punch the woman again. Claire cringed in fear and covered her face with her manicured hands. Sin laughed. “What a punk!”
“Get out, get out,” Claire whined through her cupped hands. “I’m calling the police.”
“Call them.” Sin plucked the handset from the landline phone and held it out to the brunette. “I’m waiting for them too. I bet they’ll be interested to hear what I have to say.”
“What?” Claire peeked from her hands. Her jaw was already starting to turn purple, but it was the worry that flashed in her gaze that sent satisfaction threading through Sin. The brunette said, “I thought we’d already cleared things up yesterday.”
“You thought wrong.” Sin set the phone back in its cradle then rifled through her purse to come up with the flash-drive. She tossed it down next to Claire. “But this will really clear things up.”
Claire glanced at the drive then raised her scared gaze up to Sin. “What is that?”
Sin smiled. “Everything that happened yesterday. Every word you said. Everything you did.” Her smile widened. “You didn’t think I was dumb enough to get caught in your trap, did you?”
“What?” Shock widened the other woman’s gaze as it lowered to the flash-drive again then back up to Sin. “But I – but I destroyed your phone.”
“Just like I expected you to.” When the woman still didn’t get it, Sin taunted, “It was a decoy, dummy. I knew you’d show up sometime, so I got a back-up plan. Phones aren’t the only gadget capable of recording.”
“Wha - what – but how-” Claire tripped over her words as she scrambled to sitting position. “-how did you know I’d be there?”
“Because I knew you’d wired our apartment and were listening in,” Sin revealed. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
“But you couldn’t have known.”
“Yet I did,” Sin said.
The ringing of Sin’s phone suddenly cut into the tense atmosphere in the room. Sin’s heart jerked because she knew who it was. Worth. She forced herself to ignore the call and turned her gaze back to Claire. “For your information, the file has both audio and video just in case you’re thinking of denying that it’s you. Plus, it’s just a copy. I have the original. Hmm… I wonder what I should do with it? The cops first, or Worth first?”
The look in Claire’s eyes said her brain was spinning. She was trying to figure out how to deal with the new status quo. A knowing light suddenly lit the brunette’s gaze.
“If you were going to the cops or Worth,” Claire hypothesized, “you wouldn’t have come to me first?”
The lady was smart! Sin didn’t say anything but her silence was answer enough.
“You want a deal.” Gaining her composure, Claire rose to her feet. She looked like she wanted to get to her seat but one look at Sin, who was blocking her path, and she realized that was a bad idea. She backed away until she was a safe distance away from Sin before asking, “What do you want?”
“For you to quit.” Sin folded her arms over her chest. “Everything!”
“Everything?”
“Everything,” Sin confirmed. She eyed the woman. “Stop harassing Worth. Stop threatening me. Stop going after Ten.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed. “And what do I get in return?”
“Your freedom.” Sin offered, “I won’t tell anyone what you’re up to at your gallery.”
If Sin was another woman, she would’ve gone to the police with her evidence. But she wasn’t any other woman. She was Tamsin Jacob, an ex-con. Who was she to start snitching on other criminals? Besides that, she’d just get both her and Ten in more trouble. It’s not like the cops were just going to believe a known con-artist. Yeah, making a deal with Claire was the only safe route out of this dilemma.
The two women watched each other for a long quiet moment. Claire was the first to talk. “If we’re making a deal, I’ll need the original file.”
“Nice try.” Sin guffawed.
“I don’t trust you.” Nervousness flashed in Claire’s eyes. “What if you give the file to the cops?”
“Then you can drag me down with you,” Sin offered. “Think about it. I have nothing to gain if you go down, only lots to lose. This way we both get out of this crap with our skins intact.”
“Still…” Claire rubbed her injured jaw as she stared at Sin, evaluating.
Just then Sin’s phone rang again. Worth? This time, she took it out of her purse. As expected he was calling her. She held the phone with the screen out so Claire could see who was calling. “What do you say? Do I pick up the phone and tell him everything? Or do we have a deal?”
Claire stared at the phone then at Sin, at the phone then again at Sin. Finally she sighed and her shoulders sagged. It was at that moment that Sin knew she’d won.
“Deal!” Claire pronounced unnecessarily.
“Good.” Sin smiled. “Be sure to stick to it. Trust me, wherever I am, I’ll be keeping an eye on you. If you so much as sniff in Worth’s direction, I’ll post that video on the internet and let everyone know who you really are.”
“Don’t worry,” Claire retorted acerbically. “I’ll leave your precious Worth alone. Not that he’ll thank you for it.”
“I’m not looking for his thanks.” With that Sin left the woman’s office.
It was over. Finally.
SIN WAS PLANNING to head straight to the airport as soon as she was done with Claire. But that’s not what happened. One minute she was giving the cabbie the directions to the airport and the next she was asking him to turn. When she ended up in front of W Sport, she wanted to tell the man just to drive off again but her limbs seemed to have a mind of their own. She paid her fare and got out of the cab.
Just one last time, the words echoed in her mind as she took the elevator up. I just want to see him one last time before I leave.
She got off the elevator and headed to her desk. Most people when quitting their job would’ve had a box to stuff their things into, but as Sin stared at her desk, she realized that nothing there was hers. It was sad, wasn’t it? Subconsciously she’d always known she was leaving and thus never bothered to personalize her space.
Nothing here was hers. Not her desk. Not the job. And certainly not Worth.
She drew in a long breath before knocking on his door.
“Yeah!” he called from the inside.
When she entered the office, she found him at his desk. As usual, he looked like he’d just walked off a GQ magazine. Sleek, sexy and delicious.
When he saw her, he raised one dark eyebrow. “You’re late.”
She wanted to say something, make up an excuse about why she was late, but now that she was in front of him, her lips seemed glued together. All she could do was stare at him and tattoo his features into her mind so she wouldn’t forget him, so she would always remember him.
“What happened?” Worth prodded. “Why are you late?”
She didn’t answer. Just stared at him. Was this really the last time she was seeing him? Her heart constricted painfully at that thought. She’d seduced many men, married some of them, but none had ever touched her heart. In fact she’d firmly believed that she was incapable of falling for any man. She knew them all too well to fall for their bullshit. Yet here he was; the only man who’d ever managed to melt the icy wall protecting her heart.
How had he done it? Life was funny, wasn’t it? He was the only man that she’d truly loved yet he was also the only man she shouldn’t have fallen for. No, life wasn’t funny. It was cruel! Too cruel.
“Sin!” Worth cut into her thoughts. His brow was furrowed in concern as he watched her. “Are you okay? Did something happen to you?”
She finally spoke. “I’m leaving.”
“What?” Confusion flashed over his features.
“I’m leaving.” Despite the sudden tightness in her throat, she clarified, “I’m quitting the company.”