“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of you coming to see me? I was surprised, yet intrigued, to receive your phone call.”
“As you know, I’ve put in a bid for Lot 17, and from the looks of it, my scheduled interview is more of a courtesy than anything. I don’t have a chance up against you and Jett Colby.”
Realization hit me as I thought about who Rex was talking about. He must be Zane Black, especially if he was the other one bidding on the property. If he knew he wasn’t going to have a chance with winning Lot 17, then why was he talking to Rex?
“Is that confirmed?” Rex asked.
“It is, unfortunately.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I want in on your club.”
Silence fell across the room, and I could just see Rex trying to understand what Zane really wanted.
“Why would I allow you into the club?”
“We both want something the other has. I know there are some city officials on your side, because of what you’ve offered them when it comes to your club. I have the other few votes to sway in any direction I want, from the connections I’ve made since I’ve been down here. I can guarantee you Lot 17 if you allow me to be a member in your club.”
“And why would you want that?” Rex asked, with skepticism lacing his voice.
The sound of leather being shifted on rang through the room before Zane began talking again.
“Two reasons, when I come down here, I have a lot of city elites to entertain, and I would like to entertain them properly, if you know what I mean. Secondly, Jett Colby needs to be shown that he can’t have everything.”
My stomach dropped at the mention of Jett’s name. How did this guy know Jett? I’d never heard of Zane Black until the Lot 17 bidding came up.
“Do you have something against Jett Colby?” Rex asked.
“I do. Jett Colby stole property from me in New York City. Stealing property isn’t something I take softly. I’ve built an empire with my real estate aspirations, and when someone fucks with me, I hold a grudge. Jett Colby fucked with one of my properties, costing me millions of dollars, and I will be damned if he gets away with it.”
Was that true? The way Zane’s voice rose with anger made it seem like what he was saying was, in fact, the truth, but Jett wouldn’t do that, would he? He always prided himself on being an honest and fair businessman. He wouldn’t screw someone over for property…his father would, but Jett wouldn’t. At least, that’s what I convinced myself.
“The man seems to get away with everything,” Rex scathed. “How do you plan on taking Jett Colby down? He has a golden reputation in this town.”
“Ah, he does in this town, but he doesn’t in New York City. I have a few sources who are ready to come forward at the interviews to shed a rather unflattering light on the man. With my persuasion of some of my connections and the evidence I have of Jett being less than honorable in his real-estate dealings, Lot 17 is guaranteed for you, but like I said, I want in. I want to be a silent partner in your club.”
Zane had evidence of Jett doing something wrong in New York City? What the hell was he doing that was so bad, and the better question was, when the hell did he do it? Because, if he was with me at the time, the man was going to be castrated, that was for damn sure.
“Are you demanding a say in what happens at the club?”
“Not necessarily. I just want to be able to entertain when I’m down here, show my friends a good time.” Zane paused for a second, and then said, “Listen, Rex, you don’t have to hide from me. I know from a good source that what you’re doing isn’t quite legal, and that’s what I like about it. It’s the forbidden. I want to be able to offer that. Everything about my racing business is forbidden, so why not have access to a club that is as well?”
“These witnesses will come forward to testify against Jett?”
I leaned forward a little more to hear how Zane was going to answer, when someone above me cleared their throat.
Stifling a scream, I covered my mouth and looked up to see Sally, the maid, standing over me with her arms crossed and tapping her toe. Quickly, I shimmied out from under the table and stood up.
“Shhh,” I said while covering my lips with my finger and pulling Sally to the side, out of earshot. “Sally, please don’t say anything to Rex. I was, umm, just trying to find out what he, uh, wanted as a birthday present.”
God, that was a lame excuse, but I really had nothing else up my sleeve.
She gave me a pointed look that said, “I’m going to blow up your spot.”
“Please, don’t say anything,” I begged. “It’s important he doesn’t know I was listening. Did I mention how nicely you waxed the floors, by the way, and how amazing your lasagna was? Top notch, Sally. You totally nailed that lasagna.”
A light smirk played across her lips as she nodded and moved past me, allowing me to blow out the pent up breath I was holding in. Note to self, Sally likes to be complimented.
Not wanting to get caught again, I went back to the kitchen and walked up the back staircase to my room. Thomas Jefferson greeted me by staring at my breasts once again, while I flopped myself on the ancient bed.
I couldn’t be any more confused than I was right now. Did Jett really screw over that Zane guy? Zane seemed so passionate. Granted, I hadn’t see his face, but if he was anything like all the other guys in my life, he probably didn’t show much emotion.
My gut twisted at the thought of Zane and Rex ganging up on Jett to acquire Lot 17. Where was this Lot 17 anyway? It seemed like it wasn’t even that great of a property. Was there even a bar nearby? Maybe a Target? What’s the point of buying property if you can’t get drunk and then drunkenly wander over Target to purchase over a hundred dollars’ worth of unnecessary crap?
I was in way over my head. I still had yet to find a way to gather information on Rex’s club, thanks to the no phone policy. None of the girls seemed like they were in a position to testify, and neither was Blane. It was weird; they all seemed like they were having less than a stellar time working at the club, yet they clammed up when I tried to get any information out of them.
Besides the one conversation I had with Blane, it seemed like everyone had some strange loyalty to Rex. I tried approaching Blane a couple of times, but he just shook his head no at me, and on top of that, whenever Rex was around, Blane was a giant ass.
I was lost; I was drowning, actually. I needed Jett. I needed to hear his voice, to feel his touch, but I knew if I reached out to him, if I tried contacting him, he would force me to come back, or at least that’s what I hoped. Maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he’d moved on.
Last I heard, Rex sent Jett a text about me being with Rex, and I just hoped and prayed Jett kept faith in my feelings for him. I hoped that he hadn’t given up on me yet.
I was lost in my thoughts when my phone started ringing. Praying it was Jett, I fumbled around until I was able to grab it and check the caller ID.
Diego.
My heart sank as I answered.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“That’s not the kind of greeting I was hoping for,” Diego said on the other end.
“Sorry, I thought maybe you would be Jett.”
“Are you expecting a call from him?” Diego asked, using a curious voice.
“No, not really. I mean, it would be nice to hear from him, but I guess we didn’t have a scheduled call or anything.”
“Goldie, you left him. Did you really expect him to call you?”
“I didn’t leave him,” I snapped. “I told him I would be back. I’m trying to work some things out; I’m trying to make things better for us.”
Diego was silent for a second before he responded, “And how are you doing with that?”
“Not very well,” I admitted. “I’m not doing well at all, Diego. I thought this was going to be easy, that I was just going to waltz into Rex’s life and grab what I needed so I could ride off into the sunset with Jett, but right now, I feel like there is no way I will be able to ever solve this.”