“Do you really think that Derrick did this?” Croix asks me when we reach the restaurant. Instead of getting something hearty, we walked down the street to his favorite coffee shop for sandwiches and coffee. We're sitting at a corner booth staring out at the street. From here, we can see The Billionaires Club. Part of me feels like keeping an eye on it, but another part of me wonders what the point is. Besides, there will be police patrolling the area for a while in case the vandals decide to return.
“I don't know.” I unwrap my turkey on wheat.
“I don't think he did.” Croix stares past me in thought. “The guy is an asshole, but he wouldn't do anything this underhanded.”
He's probably right. Derrick isn't ambitious enough to go out of his way to harm The Billionaires Club. His worst was probably trying to steal me away. Still, I don't really know the guy anymore. The fact that he blindsided me by both firing and dumping me on the same day says I didn't really know him when we were dating either.
“I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens when the fingerprints come back.” I take a bite of my sandwich. It's disappointingly bland.
“Most of those fingerprints are probably ours or the furniture company's. If they went out of their way to hack the security cameras, then I doubt they were dumb enough to leave any other evidence behind.”
“When are we going to California?” I change the subject.
“I'm going to book us a flight for tomorrow afternoon. There's really not much else that we can do here,” he sighs, putting down his Rueben sandwich in favor of his coffee.
“I'm interested to see the California location,” I admit. The most I've seen of it is what's on their website. It looks super luxurious.
“It's nice.” Croix nods. “You should see it in action. It will give you a better idea of what this place will be like when it's up and running.”
I appreciate his optimism. I know he's not just saying it for me, though. He wants Bruno to open The Billionaires Club too.
“I'm guessing we're not going to get to screw in all of the rooms like we do here.” I bend my head slightly to catch his gaze. When he smiles, my heart glows with warmth. I accomplished my goal of lightening the mood.
“No,” he laughs, “but we can screw in whatever room he gives us. Screw so loud that it will make whoever is staying around us think that you're getting your money's worth.”
“Ah yes. Does this mean I get to play the part of the client?” I wink at him.
“Unless you want to be the billionaire. I'm totally willing to play the part of the one getting seduced.” His grin turns wolfish.
“But you're so much better at it than I am.” I pout.
“That's because I have experience.”
Hearing him say that stings briefly. I have to remind myself that he belongs to me now. Hoeing at The Billionaires Club is in his past.
He belongs to me. Those words should fill my heart with a sense of satisfaction. Maybe last night they would have. Now, I feel like there's a time limit on them.
***
“I told you that you should have called the police when he sent you that text.” Cindy points a knife at me from the kitchen. She's currently in the process of cutting up skirt steak for fajitas. I'm honestly thankful that we're having something normal for dinner for once. There's only so many rounds of guess if this is going to taste good that you can take before you start dreading dinner, especially when you know you'll be forced to eat it anyway.
“Croix doesn't think Derrick did it.” I sit at the dining room table staring at my cell phone.
Shortly after lunch, I received a text message from Derrick telling me that he heard about what happened and asking if I was okay. It was strangely out of character for him, and it only made me more suspicious. Apparently, the police haven't told him he's a suspect yet. Otherwise, the text would have likely been scathing instead of concerned. I didn't respond to it, mainly because I don't want any further contact with him.
“Why not? He has the most motive.” She tosses the cut pieces of meat into her special mixture of spices. The meat has already been marinating overnight. This adds some extra flavor. I must admit that Cindy's fajitas are quite tasty. For once, I'm actually looking forward to dinner.
“You didn't see all of the picketers outside of the place. I swear they were like flies circling shit. No one wants us here, Cindy.”
“No one wants The Billionaires Club here,” she corrects me.
“You know what I meant,” I sigh, tearing my hands through my hair. “Croix and I are flying to California tomorrow to talk to Bruno Dunne about whether or not he's still going to open the Florida location.”
“I don't know why he wouldn't. I'm assuming that a place called The Billionaires Club has pretty good insurance. It should cover all of the damages and theft.”
“That's what Croix said. He was hopeful.” I watch Cindy pour oil into a pan. Normally, she would grill everything outside. “Too hot for the grill?”
“Out of charcoal and I forgot to get some at the store this morning. I'm too lazy to go back. Unless you want to go.” She eyes me, holding a piece of meat above the pan with tongs.
“Fried is fine. You're not going to hear me complain.” I gesture for her to continue.
The meat sizzles as it hits the oil.
“What are you going to do if this Bruno guy decides not to open The Billionaires Club?” she asks over the sound of cooking meat.
I slump a little. “I'm not sure. I really don't want to think about it.”
“You could always go work for Derrick.”
With her back turned to me, I can't tell if she's serious or not. There's no lilt to her voice that would suggest she's joking, though.
“I'm sure he'll welcome me with open arms once he finds out I accused him of hiring someone to vandalize the place,” I laugh bitterly.
“Who says he's going to find out?” She glances over her shoulder at me. “The police likely aren't going to tell him that you said that. Both you and Croix heard of his plans to build a competing club. Croix could have told the police that he suspected Derrick just as easily as you could have.”
That's something I hadn't considered. Still, I'm not about to switch sides, even if I find myself jobless. While the offer is tempting, it's not worth putting myself through the hell I know I would face on a daily basis being by Derrick's side.
“I'll pass. I think I'd rather be living under a bridge,” I say only half-kidding.
“You're not going to end up living under a bridge.” She flips the meat. While I can't see her face, I can hear the warning in her tone.
I highly doubt she would kick me out, even if I couldn't afford rent. We've become too close. She's already told me that I'm like a second daughter to her, which is sweet considering that her only daughter passed away in a tragic hit and run accident ten years ago. Now she's left with a son who only visits once every few years.
“I know. I'm just not sure what else is here for me.”
“Does that mean you'd consider moving back to California?”
“Never,” I answer without hesitation. Even though I feel like Derrick followed me here, there's still bad waiting for me back in California. If I move anywhere, it certainly won't be there. “I'll probably put out feelers again and see what happens. At the end of the day, I need to go where the money is—wherever my career takes me.”
***
This is luxury. No wonder Club Diamond failed. It felt like a dank, dark disappointment compared to this place. Everything was wrong from the beginning, from the location to the ambiance. It was reminiscent of a large-scale strip club, designed to draw in men from all walks of life. There was no class about it. The fact that it was nestled between a gas station and a warehouse is proof of that. If Derrick scouts a similar location for Club Lux, he's doomed to fail again. Of course, I won't be the one to tell him that. I want him to fail. I want him to fail at all things in life because that's what he deserves.
Seeing the California version of The Billionaires Club in person makes my eyes sparkle with wonder at everything the Florida location could become. If I had a lot of money to waste, I could picture wasting it here, even if the billionaires weren't included. It's the type of place where a woman would want to go on a relaxing vacation—a place where her every need is catered to hand and foot. Literally. Just a call to the front desk can get you just about any service you could imagine, from a back massage to the orgasm of a lifetime. It's no wonder that women are willing to drop ten grand just to stay here for a month.
Every man I've seen on the way to Bruno's office has been nothing short of gorgeous. They're all fit. All well groomed. All have easy smiles that suck you in. My hormones went into overdrive the second we stepped through the front door.
Croix and I walk side by side, keeping the outward appearance of our relationship professional. Bruno greets us in his office with a handshake and a sad smile. He feels the vandalization of the Florida location almost as much as we do. Sometimes it's hard to remember that it's his baby too, even if he's not physically there most of the time.
“It looks like the picketers proved to be more of a threat than we thought,” Croix says with a sigh as he pulls out the chair on the opposite side of Bruno's desk so that I can get to mine before he takes his seat.
“Did the police tell you that's what happened?” Bruno settles across from us.
“It's too early to have a report back yet. That's what I think happened, though. Raven seems to think that Derrick Wight might have hired some people to mess the place up. Apparently, he's going to open a competing club in West Palm Beach.”
Bruno shakes his head. “Derrick Wight wouldn't do that. Both clubs are supporters of charity. There's no benefit in trying to take the other down. If we were competing for profits, that would be another story. Besides, the guy has never shown malice towards The Billionaires Club.”
I want to speak up, to tell him that this has little to do with The Billionaires Club and more to do with me. In the text message, Derrick told me he'd make me regret things for crossing him. Potentially shutting down my place of employment would definitely harm me financially. It could drive me back to working for him, which is exactly what he wants.
I don't want Bruno to think he invited drama into The Billionaires Club by hiring me, though. If he doesn't believe that Derrick would try to take the Florida location down just to get to me, that's probably better for me.
“I've decided to hire security,” Croix tells him. “We can't have this happen again.”
“No. We can't.” Bruno picks a red stress ball up off of his desk and gives it a good squeeze.
“Does that mean we're still going to open?” I perk up, hopeful.
“I'm not entirely sure it's a good idea,” Bruno admits. “The people of Florida really don't want us there, it seems. They think we're going to foul up their little resort town. They refuse to see the benefit we bring, not only to the charities but to the local economy.”
“That goes without saying.” Croix rolls his eyes. “We can't just give up because a bunch of bigots threaten us.”
“They did more than threaten,” Bruno reminds him, his expression serious. “When people start to get violent, it makes me worry about your safety.”
It has been a concern at the back of my mind too. The Billionaires Club was the target, but Croix and I currently run it. If this wasn't Derrick's work—if it truly was the work of people who are just angry to have us here—what's to keep them from coming after us now that the building is off limits.
“The picketers have never lashed out at us,” Croix tells him. “If I was worried for my personal safety or Raven's, I would not be opposed to abandoning the operation.”
“And how do you feel?” Bruno turns his attention to me.
I sink back in my chair a bit. There's so much to consider, but at the base of it all, I don't want to lose my job. More than that, I don't want to lose Croix, and if the Florida location closes, it would likely mean the end of our relationship.
“I think we should open,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. It's not a lie, and it doesn't come from an entirely selfish place. I do think that The Billionaires Club would be good for Palm Beach, even if the residents currently disagree.
Bruno smiles at me. “I guess we open, then.”