‘What’s wrong, what’s happened?’ said Tony.
Jake was still shouting threats about how he was going to ‘kill him’, and that he’d ‘absolutely had enough’. This wasn’t like him at all. He was always the calmer of the two.
‘Calm down and sit down, will you, and tell me what you are going on about.’ Tony was losing his patience. Over the last couple of weeks he had hardly slept. His brain was constantly thinking over his plans, trying to spot anything he might have forgotten. Right at that moment he hadn’t shaved, he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and he was stressed to the max. No one but the people closest to him ever saw him like that, he made sure of it. Now he had Jake in his office, shouting and raving like a lunatic, dressed in a tracksuit. This wasn’t the image he liked to present; thankfully, there was no one around but the accountant and the cleaners.
‘That bloody Ashley bloke, he’s having an affair with my Sharon. She didn’t come home last night. Just because I was working late and didn’t go home till the early hours, she decided to stay at Ashley’s. She left a bloody sticky note on the fridge. It’s been like this for weeks, all I can hear is his name, and her laughing on the telephone with him. Where’s your gun? I’m going to kill him.’ Jake walked towards Tony’s desk and held his hand out for the gun.
‘No married person having an affair, Jake, leaves a sticky note on the fridge, telling their partner they are staying with someone else,’ said the accountant. He sat back in his chair and adjusted his glasses.
Jake stopped shouting and looked at them both. What the accountant had said seemed to be seeping into his angry brain. ‘So, why is she with him all the time, then?’
‘They do have business to discuss about the men’s club,’ said Tony, trying to appease him. Personally, with everything that was going on, he hadn’t noticed Sharon’s absence.
‘Right, and that takes all night at his house, does it?’ Jake looked at them both with a steely glare. He knew he was right. It was all Sharon had been talking about lately, ‘Ashley this’ and Ashley that’. He was sick of hearing the guy’s name.
‘Have either of you met him?’ The accountant waited for an answer. He saw Tony and Jake look at each other. Neither of them had bothered to meet him, they had left it all to Mr Mathers and Sharon.
‘No, but I want to meet him, because I’m going to fucking kill him!’ Jake was just about to start shouting again, when the accountant held up his hand to stop him.
‘Go and face the enemy, Jake. Find out what Sharon finds so appealing about this man. My advice is to go and meet him for yourself, before you do anything stupid.’ He was frowning, and his brow was furrowed. ‘We’re a few days from finishing all the refurbishments, the last thing we need before opening the casino and the club is a murder on our hands.’ The accountant spoke calmly and reasonably.
‘Right, I will then. Are you coming, Tony? Let’s get to the club and see this boy wonder, shall we? We’re his bosses, we can sack him!’ Jake stood with his hands on his hips and waited for Tony.
‘Before either of us goes anywhere, we’re going to shave and put our suits on. We do not go anywhere looking like this. As you say, we’re his bosses, so we go there looking like bosses.’
Jake nodded his head. He was beginning to calm down a little, but when it came to Sharon, he lost all sense of reason. He loved her, she was everything to him, and the thought that some other guy was sniffing around her like a dog on heat fired him up.
After showering and shaving, and putting on their suits, they looked like respectable businessmen. They got into the back of the car and John drove them to the gentlemen’s club. All the time, Tony was telling Jake to keep calm. ‘We know nothing about this guy, Jake, he could be married with ten kids, for all we know. Sharon could have stayed at his house with his wife.’
Jake looked down at his feet, like a spoilt child being reprimanded by their parent. He hadn’t thought of that. It was true, though, and now it was time to meet him and find out. They had taken Mr Mathers’ word about Ashley. They should at least know their staff.
The door of the men’s club was open, as there were delivery drivers dropping off new furniture for the club. Tony froze; he could hear Sharon laughing. Why on earth had he come unannounced? What if Sharon was having an affair with this guy? What were they going to find when they went in? Tony wished he had telephoned ahead, to warn her.
Jake stormed ahead of him and followed the chatter and the laughter; he was ready for an argument. In his mind, he could see Sharon all over this guy, doing whatever. He stopped short at the door to one of the lounges. Surveying the scene before him, he gave a weak smile.
Tony was hot on his heels; if he had seen something wrong, Jake would have been going crazy by now, so why the sudden silence?
Sharon, Mr Mathers, and a couple of women, obviously the cleaners, were sitting having a pot of tea.
Sharon looked up at Jake; although surprised to see him, she beamed a smile at him.
‘Jake, love, what are you doing here? Hi, Tony.’ She stood up and walked towards Jake and kissed his cheek. ‘Why didn’t you say you were coming? Do you want some tea?’ She was being loving and friendly, the same as always.
Tony looked on and took a breath, trying to assess the situation. He felt the need to assert his authority, so he walked up to Mr Mathers, who stood up to greet him, and shook his hand. ‘How is everything going Mr Mathers? Everything running to schedule?’ He knew that was a stupid question, because this guy was like an army major.
Mr Mathers offered Tony his seat and stood at the side of it. ‘If I may be so bold, Mr Lambrianu, a gentleman always wears a silk handkerchief in his breast pocket, and carries a linen one for personal use. I will show you around, if you would be so kind as to follow me.’ He started towards the door to show Tony and Jake all the decorations and the new furniture that had been delivered.
Yet again, Tony felt like a schoolboy and blushed at Mr Mathers’ reprimand. He would have to take more care, next time, when getting dressed.
Each room had been redecorated, and smelt fresh and clean. The new wooden coffee tables by the side of the replacement chesterfield suites made the place look exactly the same, just updated. The kitchen area, and its huge ovens surrounded by stainless steel worktops, looked amazing. They had already hired a good chef to run it. Tony had been to see the chef at the Italian restaurant he used most frequently and asked if he could recommend someone.
The bar was fully stocked, and the upstairs bedrooms had been refurbished and redecorated. Everything looked spick and span. It looked exactly the same, but more modern, and offered more comfort. Mr Mathers had suggested a log burner fire, which he felt would give the place a warmer, friendlier feel, but the insurance for that had been silly. They had compromised and got one that looked real, but was, in fact, electric. It sat in the white marble fireplace and gave off the same cosy glow. Jake hadn’t understood why he wanted a fire, because the whole place had central heating, but Tony had gone along with Mr Mathers’ suggestions.
Mr Mathers then opened a huge black book that was on a table stand in the reception area.
‘This is the list of the members that have rejoined, plus some new ones they have recommended us to.’
Tony looked down at the huge book and the list of names. He couldn’t believe it; the list was long, and some of the names on it were famous celebrities, MPs and very respectable stockbrokers.
‘There is a list, here, of reserves. These are the people that wish to join us, when we have the capacity.’
Tony looked up at Mr Mathers, who looked very pleased with himself, although he didn’t crack a smile. Tony had known this man would be worth his weight in gold. He had already done his job, and done it very well indeed, contacting all these men personally. Looking back at the list of members, he saw Ralph Gold’s name.
‘Do you know Ralph Gold?’ He looked at Mr Mathers, and waited. Now he was curious. He had wanted a meeting with Ralph Gold to discuss business and hope
fully do some business dealings with him, but Ralph had been aloof, and never available.
‘I do, a very nice gentleman indeed.’ With that, Mr Mathers closed the book. He gave no more information about Ralph Gold. Tony might have been the boss but Mr Mathers was in charge; he felt this man enjoyed pulling him down a peg or two.
‘That lounge, over there,’ Mr Mathers pointed to a closed door at the bottom of the corridor, ‘is Ashley’s domain. I believe Mrs Sinclair has been dealing with him.’
Ashley! Christ, Tony had almost forgotten why he was there. Ashley was the very man they were there to meet. Jake had come to check out the competition.
‘Is Ashley here?’ Tony said, as naturally as possible. ‘Maybe it’s time I met him.’
Jake had obviously heard the name, and he came out of the lounge into the hallway. He looked at Tony, stuck out his chin and pouted.
Mr Mathers walked towards the closed door and knocked. ‘I’ll leave you to it, Mr Lambrianu. By the way. You do not have to call me “Mr Mathers”. “Mathers” will do; all my gentlemen call me “Mathers”.’
Tony sighed again and looked at Jake; of course, he was the butler, they were all called by their last names, and there was no ‘mister’ attached to it. He gave ‘Mathers’ a nod and a smile.
Sharon came down the corridor and stood with them. Mathers walked away, having informed them he would be upstairs, checking the housekeeper had everything in order.
‘Don’t worry, you two, he never comes into this den of iniquity.’ Sharon laughed at them both and opened the door. What a difference they saw. It looked like a small nightclub. In one corner of the dimly lit room was a triangular stage, with a silver tasselled curtain behind it. There were stage lights, and tables and chairs, and in the very far corner was a small bar.
A handsome young man emerged from behind the bar and walked towards them. He had a full head of black hair, cut and layered to perfection. He looked to be in his late twenties, and stood six feet tall. His white shirt seemed to glow in the fluorescent lighting, making it appear even whiter than it was. He made a beeline for Sharon, his smile displaying a perfect line of white, bleached teeth, his eyes topped by well-defined, expertly waxed and shaped eyebrows, his arms open to embrace her. Tony and Jake looked at this very handsome young man, then at each other.
‘This,’ said Sharon holding her hand out towards him, ‘is my Ashley.’ She was smiling broadly and didn’t notice what Tony saw; Jake’s hand, slowly turning into a fist at his side. Tony knew there was going to be trouble, he could see Jake’s anger rising.
‘This one, Ashley,’ Sharon took hold of Jake’s arm, ‘is my lovely husband, who I’ve told you all about. He’s beautiful, isn’t he?’ Sharon was smiling and giggling at the young man, while holding on to Jake like a schoolgirl showing off her first boyfriend.
Ashley looked Jake up and down, then put his hands on his hips. ’Well, hello, handsome. You’re right, Sharon, love, he is a beauty.’ He drummed the fingers of one hand on his mouth, as though thinking, the other hand left provocatively on his hip. ‘You remind me of a handsome movie star, but I can’t think of his name,’ he said, then he smiled at Jake.
At this point, the penny finally dropped, and Jake turned to look at Tony. This handsome young man was undoubtedly gay. Jake held out his hand to shake Ashley’s. Thankfully, the dimly lit room, with only the stage lights and bar area lit up, concealed Jake’s embarrassment. He wasn’t embarrassed about Ashley being gay, but about the fact that he had been ranting and raving earlier, that he had doubted Sharon and made a fool of himself with his jealousy.
Tony clenched his fist and dug his fingers into his palm to stop himself from laughing. This was Jake’s competition? This was who Jake was so jealous of? He was doing his best to stifle his laughter. He walked forward to introduce himself and Ashley beamed a cheeky smile at him, overacting his part completely and giving him a wink.
‘I know all about you, Mr Lambrianu, I’ve got magazines at home full of pictures of you.’ Again, Ashley put his hands on his hips, and he looked Tony up and down, as though surveying a masterpiece in a museum. He nodded. ‘May I say, you are just as beautiful in person.’ Now it was Tony’s turn to blush.
Ashley oozed personality and charm. His friendly attitude put people instantly at ease. Mathers had been right, yet again. Ashley was, indeed, the man to be in charge of hosting the entertainment area. He was entertaining on his own.
‘Well,’ said Ashley, opening his arms wide and doing a twirl, ‘what do you think of the entertainment room?’ He went and stood at Sharon’s side and put his arm around her waist, and watched Tony and Jake as they surveyed the room.
‘You’ve both done a fantastic job,’ said Jake. He was smiling at Ashley. He was one of those people that just made you smile. The flair and the energy he gave off just made you feel good about yourself. ‘It’s great, isn’t it, Tony?’ Jake turned to look at Tony, who was looking around properly, checking things out.
Tony walked up and down the laminate flooring, which had different coloured lights reflecting on it from the ceiling. ‘This is absolutely great, and you, Ashley,’ Tony pointed at him and put one hand on his hip to mimic Ashley’s stance, ‘are going to be one great host.’ They all burst out laughing.
Tony and Jake had seen enough. They stayed and had some coffee and talked through some of the entertainment plans with Ashley. One of his suggestions had never crossed their minds, it was alien to them both, but they were prepared to listen.
‘Do I call you “Mr Lambrianu” or “boss”?’ Ashley had said, waiting for an answer from Tony.
‘Whatever you’re comfortable with, it makes no difference to me.’ He liked Ashley, he was funny and genuine. Tony respected the fact that he was gay and proud of it. He made no attempt at hiding it. Tony felt the only people who felt uncomfortable around gay men were those men who were insecure about their own sexuality. Just because they were gay, it didn’t mean they fancied you, did it?
‘Well, then, “boss” it is. Mm, I like that, it sounds so dominant.’ Again, he was smiling at Tony and Jake. ‘What about a drag artist night and maybe a couple of male strippers?’ He paused and waited for Tony to speak.
‘I don’t understand, Ashley, it’s a men’s club, why would I employ male strippers?’ Tony said. He felt that was an odd question to ask. He was frowning at Ashley.
‘Well, I’m a man in a “men’s club”, but I don’t want to watch your women. I know some of the members from here, and believe me, they don’t want to, either, if you know what I mean.’ Ashley nodded at Tony and Jake, trying to make his point.
The thought had never crossed Tony’s mind. He really didn’t know what to say, it took the wind out of his sails. ‘Are you telling me, you want to put on a gay night, or something, because some of these respectable men want to see handsome young men like yourself?’
Ashley nodded his head; he had made his point and he knew it. He didn’t want to overstep the mark, so soon, but he’d thought he would ask while it seemed Tony was in a good mood.
Tony was out of his depth; he shook his head. ‘That is all another world to me,’ he said. ‘Ashley, you have my permission to organize one night of this, but if it all goes wrong, it’s your head on the block, okay?’ He was still a little shocked by what Ashley had said. It was a big risk, it could cause a lot of bad feeling, he really wasn’t sure about it.
‘I’ll play it low key and see what some of the members think, first, then, if they like the idea, I can go ahead with it. A trial, to see if it works. Although, believe me, I know it will.’
Ashley had lost his smile and his flamboyant ways, and was now deadly serious. He was giving away some members’ secrets, and he would only do that to the boss. Mathers, of course, knew everything about everyone.
‘Okay. Let’s start with the girls, while you sound out the members about the other thing. You know them, I don’t, and I don’t pretend to. If they are okay with it, I’ll leave it to you t
o set things up. But listen, nothing underhand, no rent boys or anything like that. Do you understand?’ Now Tony was serious. His voice changed and so did his mannerisms. He had done his best to keep his strip clubs in order, without a bad reputation. He didn’t want the men’s club known as some kind of male brothel.
Ashley held out his hand to shake Tony’s. Behind the façade of this camp young man was a businessman that wanted to do the best for Tony and for the members. Tony shook it; the deal was sealed. With that, Tony and Jake said their goodbyes and left.
‘He’s already been approached by these so-called members,’ Tony said to Jake when they were both back in the car.
‘Do you think so?’ Jake looked at Tony. It was a fair point; once Ashley had flattered them and got them onside, as it were, he had thrown out the subject instantly. ‘So, why haven’t they done it before?’
‘Because, Jake, the previous owner was not into the entertainment business, and wasn’t interested. Now they all know we own it and that is what we do, they are obviously asking Ashley. By the way, what do you think of him?’
‘What? You mean Sharon’s new sister? I think he’s a bit over the top, but he’s okay. In fact, I like him.’ Jake was nodding approval and smiling.
The smile crept back on Tony’s face. ‘Sharon’s new sister? No, he’s much better looking than Sharon’s sister.’ With that he nudged Jake with his elbow and they both burst out laughing.
PLACE YOUR BETS
It turned out that Graham, the croupier trainer, had a brother and a wife also in the gaming business. He had discussed Tony’s options with them and they had all agreed to work at the casino. It was a good opportunity, as they had all heard of Tony’s reputation and generosity. Each croupier went through even more vigorous training under Graham’s watchful eye and Tony was over the moon with his decision. Tailored uniforms had been ordered for all of the one hundred staff, with their pink bow ties, black trousers, white shirts and pink waistcoats. It sounded garish, but looked very appealing and flamboyant. It was the Lambrianu style, it was expected.
Nasty Business Page 9