by Grant Hunter
‘I hope it’s something nice. Want a coffee?’
‘No, thank you.’
‘What’s going on?’
I sniffed. His self-assurance disturbed me. ‘Damn it, Robin. I am being threatened.’
He sat upright and grabbed the mobile phone that I shoved under his nose with the message open.
‘That doesn’t sound really threatening. It’s also not really awful.’
‘Of course it is. What, in your opinion, what is a real threat? This person called me up twice. He had a voice distorter and he knew my name.’
‘Didn’t you give him your name? It’s just someone who wants your attention. So ignore it. Nothing to get your blood pressure up about. Probably it’s Justin.’
‘Do you think so?’
‘Of course. He clearly has an obsession. But he seems harmless. If you are worried about him, I will make it clear that he should leave you alone.’
‘That’s very sweet of you. Maybe you should do that. And please also talk to Joy. I feel as if she hates me, despite...’
‘That’s not strange. You’re so beautiful, Naomi. Joy is troubled because she knows how I feel about you.’
He stood up and his after shave attracted me: Lemon with a touch of coffee.
‘Don’t…,’ I said softly.
‘Why not?’
‘I’m not that easy.’
‘I know. You’re hard.’
‘That’s not funny, Robin. Damn it, I don’t know what’s happening any more. I have nightmares, stalkers and there are other things...’
‘Other things?’ He looked at me penetratingly.
‘Yes, crazy things. I just thought that I had left it all behind me thanks to the therapy.’
I felt my cheeks colouring.
‘I, I don’t know, Robin... If Joy finds out... She will throw me on the street. Besides, I’m not into sharing.’
‘You want me just for yourself?’
I poked him in his side.
‘Ow!’
‘It’s your own fault. By the way. There is someone else.’
I saw his face fall, but immediately afterwards he stroked my cheek. ‘That’s not a problem.’
‘Yes it is.’
‘Why? I don’t see the problem. It is only right that you have your own friend. Then Joy will no longer be suspicious.’
‘I’m not…’ I sighed.
‘That is what makes you so much fun and drives me crazy.’ He kissed me softly on my cheek and I closed my eyes. My resistance evaporated and I wrapped my arms around him. Pulled him closer to me, and whispered in his ear: ‘Are you coming to my room?’
‘I have a better plan.’
Robin took me inside, through the kitchen and living area, to the bathroom on the ground floor. He took my hand and showed me a Jacuzzi that almost filled the whole bathroom.
‘I’ve never been here before,’ I said. ‘Upstairs we share a miserable shower, which is always clogged, and she, she... just has a Jacuzzi just for herself.’
‘Joy should share everything. Just like me.’ Robin pressed a little button and the water started to bubble.
‘Isn’t she coming back soon?’
Robin shrugged his shoulders. ‘She has an appointment at the hairdresser. Usually she is away for hours. I’ve got you for myself this time, and I still have something to finish.’
I giggled. It was more the memory of the previous day than his words which excited me. Or maybe it was because it was so terribly wrong what I did. I didn’t care either way.
16
Sweat droplets ran down my body like syrup. I was exhausted, but not in a wrong way. In a painful, perfect way.
‘You are smiling. Are you happy, Naomi?’
It was the first time he called me Naomi and with a shock I realised something. I realised that I felt weird around Robin. I melted near him, and I always had liked him – there was nothing to dislike. Jen was right, my pretended hate was a self-protection issue, because he made me weak. Robin was my weakness.
I jumped up, out of lukewarm water.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Away. I err, I have to go.’
A smile. Charming, cunning like a fox. Dangerous, as I knew now. So I had to flee. Somehow I wanted Robin for myself, just because it was inevitable. That’s why I had to leave. Even Gabe meant nothing to me, not like Robin. He was the lie I kept to myself.
‘You don’t have to leave. Stay with me, just stay with me, Naomi.’
‘Sorry. I need to err... I have to...’ I muttered. ‘... clothes. I have washing to do.’
‘What are you saying, crazy girl. You have clothes to wash? I’ll throw it in the washing machine.’
Of course that did not work. Joy would find my laundry in her machine. I shook my head, dried myself off and left the bathroom in Joys pink robe. Like a thief in the night I climbed the stairs.
‘How was it, Naomi?’
With a jerk I turned to where the sound came from. It came from below. From the living room. He was sitting on the couch and gazed at me, from behind his comic book. Small piggy eyes hiding behind thick glasses.
I clenched my fists. ‘Have you been spying on me?’
‘No, I was just waiting for you.’
I couldn’t believe it. He just admitted it. I felt my blood pressure shooting up. ‘Why?’
He kept the comic book under his nose. Furiously I walked down the stairs, stepped up to him and pulled the book out of his hands.
‘Answer when I ask you something!’
He went red, all the way up to his ears. He looked afraid. ‘I want to warn you...’
I threw the comic book on the ground.
‘Warn me? About yourself for sure? If you ever threaten me again, then...’
I didn’t say any more than that. I gave him a whack. I heard him howl and say that he did it all for me. That I couldn’t trust Robin. I didn’t listen. It was as if I was outside myself when I hit him.
My fist hit him in the places where I could hurt him most: his head, his arms and his shoulders.
‘Naomi! What are you doing?’ Jen pulled me roughly, all the way up, to her room, and locked the door.
‘Bloody hell… Naomi. What the fuck are you doing?’
I stared at her. I didn’t know if I wanted to tell her everything. She shook her head, than poured a glass of water out of a bottle, and handed me the glass.
‘Thanks.’
‘Now what was that all about?’
With small sips I drank the water, it calmed me down. Jen was sitting next to me and struck an arm around me.
‘Sweetie. If I didn’t know you better I would say you were having a nervous breakdown. What’s going on with you anyway?’
Tears came into my eyes and before I could explain I sobbed with long sigh.
‘Jesus, calmly though, Naomi.”
‘I-I... someone is threatening me,’ I whined.
‘What?’
‘Here. Look...’ I opened the text message on my mobile. She read it slowly before she said anything.
‘And so you think Justin is behind it?’
I nodded.
‘If so then I’ll ask Josh to do something about it.’
‘Don’t bother, I told Robin. He will do something about it.’
‘Robin? Damn, Naomi. Don’t play with fire. Joy will throw you out.’
I nodded silently.
‘Here, silly girl, get dressed. Forget everything. We have a party...’
17
The bass sounds boomed through me. There was nothing else. Nothing but the dance floor and the music. That was probably partly because of the pill that Josh had given me. He made sure that I could forget everything and think of nothing but the booming of the music and the crowd that swayed on the adorned upper deck of the yacht.
From the corner of my eye I saw Jen talking to a man who was a lot older than the rest of the partygoers. He was trying to put his hand on her arm. At one point she whispered somet
hing in his ear. Then someone appeared in field of view. I stepped aside, but Jenny and the older man were gone. Bugger! Lost, I looked around me. Josh stood by a man who looked as a bouncer. Earlier that night, Jenny had introduced me to a couple of people, all of whom were friends of Ray Summers, her world-famous father, but everyone also knew Jen. First it was fun, later the pushy people became more annoying. Apparently, Jenny wasn’t bothered. And what struck me too: she behaved very differently than I was accustomed to. Or was it the drugs she had got from Josh?
I walked away from the dancefloor, and looked at the smooth waters of the Thames. Someone nudged me.
‘Aren’t you Jen girlfriend?’ he screamed to be heard over the music.
His hair hung loosely in front of his eyes. He had that look I also noticed in Robin’s eyes. That of a hunter, looking for a prey.
I nodded.
‘Cool party, isn’t it?’
He clearly planned to flatter me. Was it because I was Jenny’s girlfriend? For sure, I thought.
‘Yes!’ I cried back.
‘Have you seen Jen perhaps?’
Still a Jenny fan apparently. I shrug my shoulders and walked away even further from the dance floor. I saw that Josh had still been caught in a discussion with a group of hipsters, two of which looked as if they had walked away from Comic Con. The two girls in the group were dressed as Japanese anime figures, their faces half hidden behind bright coloured wigs. They wore lavish make-up, almost fluorescent. The blonde with the blue highlights tried to push herself close to Josh, but he immediately made it clear that he had no interest. The guy in the group put an arm around Josh’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear. I sighed when Josh punched him.
It was a balmy summer evening and I suddenly realised that I felt very lonely, despite these masses of people. The yacht slipped along besides a huge blue illuminated wheel.
‘The London Eye, isn’t she pretty?’
Surprised I turned around. The older man with whom I had seen Jen earlier stood beside me. He smiled showing his teeth, leaned over the railing and pointed to the attraction.
‘Did you know that the London Eye has only been working since 2000? If you can, you should go there. The view is unforgettable, just like your beauty.’
A waiter came along with a tray full of tall glasses. The man grabbed two from it and held them up, against the light. ‘Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Brut, from 2002. Please enjoy and cheers.’
I laughed gratefully and took the glass.
‘So you’re Summer’s girlfriend?’
Was that all I was for everyone here? Jenny’s girlfriend? My cheeks coloured, but I smiled, nodded and quickly took a big sip of champagne.
‘She says you’re looking for a job?’
I choked, and almost spat the champagne over him. He shook his head laughing.
‘She just told me she is worried. You know, Jenny is like a daughter to me. As a family friend of the Summers she is very important to me.’
‘Family friend?’
‘All my friends are like my family.’ He put his hand out to me. ‘Jack Willow. Director. Organizer. Party Freak. And above all, lover of beautiful things.’
‘Naomi Quinns,’ I said before I thought about it.
‘That name goes with your beauty, Ms. Quinns. You’ll have a little fun on the Net X?’
‘Huh?’
‘My ship? Don’t you find her a beauty? Almost as pretty as you…’ Willow joked.
‘It’s very nice.’
‘Nice?’
‘So, Jenny told you I was looking for a job?’ I asked quickly to give the conversation a different twist.
‘Yes,’ he said Chuckle. ‘Since I will do everything for my friends and girlfriends, I would like to officially report that you have been accepted. If you want a job.’
‘W-what?’
‘It’s already settled. On the Net X We can certainly use someone like you. According to Ms. Summers you have experience as a waitress, that is always a benefit. Skilled people are difficult to find. So, Ms. Quinns, what do you say about it?’
‘Eh... I think...’
‘Not very enthusiastic, though! I’ll give you a guided tour and after I can put the paperwork in order.’
‘OK.’
Like a sheep I walked behind the well-dressed man. Down the stairs, where it was as luxurious as above. We went past cabins and a restaurant where people were enjoying a sumptuous buffet. Then past the kitchen and through to the back, where we walked to a door marked Private. Behind it was an area full of computer screens, panels with buttons and equipment that made me think of what DJs use to play music.
‘Our command centre. The heart of Net X,’ he said theatrically and he walked to the huge desk, where he pointed at the chair in front.
‘Wow.’
Admiringly I took in the enormous space around me: to the left a round bed, with a hideous bedspread in Jaguar print, which was completely out of the tone with the state-of-the-art equipment, the illuminated lights and the screens, on which I saw what was happening on the ship. On the other side of the desk was a sitting area, sleek and modern. It felt uncomfortable to sit here all alone with this man. I didn’t want to show that, so I crossed one leg over the other to give an impression of relaxation.
Jack Willow drew some papers from his drawer and flipped through them. ‘Ah, here it is. Administration Assistant, a contract for an indefinite period with a minimum of four hours per week. This is going to be the minimum OK?’
I nodded, maybe too enthusiastically, because he laughed loudly and shoved the contract towards me.
‘Read the small print anyway.’
Whether it’s because of the champagne, or Josh’s pill or by the strange feeling of the moment, I didn’t know anymore, but I didn’t think when I picked up the pen and signed at the bottom somewhere on a dotted line.
18
‘Welcome aboard, Sweetheart.’
Jack Willow picked up the signed contract and put it back in the drawer.
‘When do you want to start?’
‘Well, I err, I am on summer vacation at the moment. So, in fact, I can start tomorrow.’
‘Oh, that’s great. We can use an enthusiastic person like you. Shall I show you around?’
‘Err, yes please.’
Jack Willow stood up and pulled a bag containing white powder out of his pocket.
‘Do you want some?’
I shook my head. I thought it was strange that the man who had just become my boss was tossing a bag of cocaine over his desk and sniffing it. Wide eyed I stared and apparently he noticed it.
‘You don’t like to have fun?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘This really is a pleasure yacht, err, Ms. Quinns. So, I can’t have you making weird facial expressions. Certainly not in the front of my guests. Are you able to cope with that?’
‘Sure. No problem.’
He leaned over the desk and looked at me intensely.
‘You and I are going to work well together. Such a clever, beautiful and intelligent girl, and someone who does not show her emotions. Someone who can keep secrets. Is that correct?’
Uncomfortably I fidgeted on the chair. Was it really so hot in here? I thought. I felt myself breaking into a sweat.
‘Do I make you feel uncomfortable? You don’t need to be. Listen. Net X is a concept, exclusive to The Lucky Few, and I want to keep it that way. The word pleasure defines what the yacht stands for, and I want all my guests to have fun. Everything revolves around fun on deck. Do you understand?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Then I can tell you the secret of Net X. We’re not just a simple pleasure yacht...’
He stood up, walked to a wall cupboard in the corner of the room and pulled a panel open. Four screens emerged. My face started to burn when I saw that he had turned on a porn movie.
‘Look. I want to be open and honest with you. This is Goldie with one of our guests.’ He nodded at the s
cenes. ‘Room five, I see.’
‘W-what does this have to do with my work?’ I was almost whispering.
‘Nothing, and everything. You are only a waitress unless you want something else of course…’ He pointed at the screen.
‘Oh N-No. No. Certainly not.’
‘As an employee, you must also serve these rooms. This is a test, to be sure that this doesn’t scare you. That’s why I am showing you.’
I felt very small. I wanted to grab my contract out of the desk and tear it up, but I just sat there and stared at the screen.
‘It’s a very ordinary job actually. You will also work on the upper deck. Downstairs is only for our special customers. There is another deck, at the bottom.’
‘Oh?’
‘You don’t have to go there. Oh, look. Goldie turns to the camera, do you see that?’
My breathing became heavy. To break the uncomfortable silence I had to say something, no matter what. Maybe he would dismiss me if I asked irritating questions.
‘Isn’t it forbidden to use cameras? For privacy reasons?’
He laughed, sat down on the edge of his desk and pressed a button.
‘Treasure. Our newest employee thinks I’m spying into your room.’
The naked woman on the screen, looked straight into the camera and waved at us.
‘Say hello to Naomi.’
‘Hello Naomi. Do you want to join in?’ It sounded out of the speakers. She rode a man under her as if he were a mad bull that had to be tamed.
‘You wouldn’t chase Naomi away, now would you?’ said Willow grinning.
The woman smiled, but immediately after that she seemed to forget that we were watching her. Embarrassed I turned my head away. The intercom was still on, which gave me more information than I wanted. Jack Willow stood up and moved the panels back, turning off the sound.
‘Net X has nothing to do with privacy. These customers want to be looked at. That’s why we can look at these screens. Believe it or not, some are happy to be watched and many even want to keep a video as a souvenir. Everything for fun, eh?’
‘Oh, well I think it’s fine.’
‘You’re highly shocked?’