So I’d dismissed Marie curtly, kicking her out of the office before turning to my rolodex. Not caring that it was close to midnight, I’d called my private investigator and instructed him to get on it, to look for my little lost lamb. But as fate would have it, I beat him to the punch. The next evening, I’d been looking out the window of my chauffeured car in Manhattan when a taxi drove by, Cleo’s face smiling from the billboard up top. What the fuck? It’d only been two weeks! Doesn’t it take at least a month to buy advertising space, not to mention hire a photographer and schedule shoots?
But evidently Cleo was so beautiful that her new bosses had juiced the process. The Donkey Club, as the fucking joint was called, must have realized that she was a honeypot and had pasted her face on the ad, her eyes half-lidded, smoldering, while holding a finger up to her lips in a dirty shhh!
Holy fucking shit. Judging from the open mouths of other dudes looking at the ad it was fucking working, there’d be some very interested new patrons gracing the Donkey with their presence very soon. And it was bound to be bad. After all, any joint called the Donkey was going to be bottom of the barrel, seedy and unsanitary.
So I’d whipped out my cell and called off my client dinner, instead directing the driver to go straight to Cleo’s workplace. It was only eight, so the club obviously wasn’t packed, but I managed to slip in unnoticed, just another guy in a suit.
It was dark and disgusting. Sawdust rose in gusts off the floor and the space was a far cry from the velvet rope treatment of premiere gentlemen’s clubs. Instead, the counters were sticky, dudes in cowboy hats chewed on straw as they watched girls gyrate, and there was a live horse in the back that night for whatever reason.
But I saw what I’d come to see. There was my little redhead, shimmying on stage, her assets luscious and bouncy. Mr. Happy rose to attention at that one glimpse, watching raptly as she swung and shook, her pale creamy flesh almost incandescent in the low lights, a spattering of freckles barely visible just above her bosom. I watched, entranced, my heart in my throat. Cleo looked delicious, ripe and juicy, and I could barely breathe, I wanted to jerk her off that stage and smother her with kisses.
But another dude beat me to it. Some old farmer went up there waving dollar bills, and Cleo bent over, presumably to let him stuff the bills into her g-string. But instead the dude whisked her off her feet so that she came to rest in his lap, bouncing and laughing.
I couldn’t hear what she said but the old farmer slobbered over her shoulders and breasts, and Cleo threw her head back in mock ecstasy, reveling in the attention, loving the gentle tugs and nips. She managed to score even more money, the guy literally getting out his wallet and giving her all of its contents.
I stood, my back stiff, and began to make my way out of the club. As a businessman, I knew my logic was flawed. Cleo was a professional actress in many ways, she smiled and blew kisses to make money. But my heart was thundering, feeling betrayed and lost, torn apart by her shocking departure. I wanted my little girl to be mine only, and it killed me that she was giving it away to other men, selling herself, baring it all for others to see.
Shaking my head resolutely, I got back into the car.
“Home,” I barked. I would forget the brat no matter what it took.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Cleo
Four years later …
I miss my stepdad. I think about my old life sometimes, and it makes me sad. It’s like when you’re all grown up, and you realize that your childhood is gone now, the sweetness, the purity, the innocence. Okay maybe I’d been none of those things, but definitely the two weeks I’d had with Drake had been amazing. Not just the sex, but his reassuring presence in me, surrounding me all the time.
Because things have really changed. I’m a working girl now, on stage every night, serving customers right and left. I don’t know how I got here exactly.
When I first came to New York, Lorena helped me find a really nice apartment.
“Don’t worry, Daddy’s going to pay for it,” she reassured me. We’d signed a lease for five thousand a month. But after two months in the rental, Lorena canceled my lease and put me into a shared apartment with five other dancers. It was awful -- some of the girls were crackheads, smoking whenever they were off duty, stoned and dazed all the time. Not to mention that the place was a fucking sty, cockroaches and mice scrabbling at night.
But Lorena was adamant.
“You can’t live off Daddy’s money forever,” she admonished. “You’re eighteen now and Drake won’t support you forever. The rent here’s only $900, you can afford it by working hard at the Donkey Club.”
And it was true. I made about $500 a night dancing, all cash, so covering my rent wasn’t an issue. It was more the knowledge that Drake didn’t care anymore. I felt like a ghost now. He never called, he never visited, was too busy with his new girl … and the baby on the way. I was bitter, and the tang in my mouth sour and hurtful. It was so painful to think that our connection was completely forgotten, that I was a piece of trash, used and discarded already. The agony made me throw myself into work, trying to forget.
And so I danced with a frenzy. The customers at the Donkey Club had never seen a girl hustle so hard, baring everything, breaking down all walls. I held nothing back, pushing all the boundaries, working every night, showing everything, holding nothing back. I can’t say I’m proud of it, but I wanted to be the best, even if it was just being the best in a seedy strip club.
And my efforts paid off. Since I first set foot in the Donkey Club four years ago, I’ve seen my star rise. Okay, maybe I’m not a world famous model, but I am a world famous erotic actress and dancer. The Club uses my face in its advertisements so you can see my visage whiz by on the tops of taxi cabs, the sides of buses, and even a small billboard in Times Square, pointing the way to the Donkey Club.
Plus, I’ve been able to build an on-line empire. Men log-on to watch me do all sorts of things, and wow, the subscription service turns a pretty penny. Guys pay fifty bucks a month to chat on the computer, to watch me dance on camera, to live out their fantasies with a girl they’ll never meet in person. There are t-shirts, dolls, branded sex toys, and even a rubber mold of my pussy, can you believe it? The business is called “CleoWorld,” and other strippers are asking to join now, to be profiled on my site. Why not? I might as well keep the smut bucks rolling in.
And so I’ve become phenomenally wealthy from my business ventures, my empire sprawling and diverse, a stable of girls under the CleoWorld umbrella. It’s surreal. At age twenty-two, I’ve become a CEO. Sure, I started out as an exotic dancer and entertainer, but the peon climbed her way up the ladder to be the lady in charge, built on the back of a lot of hard work with a dash of luck. I’ve hired an assistant and a web guy to maintain my various websites, an accountant, a lawyer, a banker, a real team of professionals.
By the way, speaking about lawyers and bankers. The other day word on the street was that the girlie mag Hustler was filing for bankruptcy. My attorney called me, pitching the deal.
“Cleo,” said Stuart, “CleoWorld might be the right entity to pick up this asset. If it’s in Chapter Eleven, why not? It’s going to go at a fire-sale value, and you’re savvy enough, smart enough, with the deep pockets to turn it around.”
I sighed.
“Stuart, you know I can’t make decisions without any data or back-up. Get me some analyses and we’ll take a look at the deal. Hustler might be too far gone for any possibility of resuscitation. If their customer base has already scattered, we’d have to win them back and that would discount the purchase price.”
I could tell Stewie was impressed by my analysis. Who says you have to go to college to have real smarts? I’d been scrappy and worked my ass off and it had made me into a millionaire many times over.
“Alright, I’ll get Ben started on the valuation,” replied my attorney, referring to my investment banker. “But get ready for the auction to go hard and fast soon. This property
isn’t going to stay on the block long.”
I paused for a moment. I wished Drake was here to help me do this analysis. As the CEO of News Enterprises, he’d know exactly how to guide me, how to evaluate a potential acquisition. But those days were gone now, and I scolded myself mentally. I hadn’t seen Daddy in four years! It was no use, and I clamped down internally, willing myself to shoulder on.
So it hasn’t all been rainbows and unicorns. I miss my Daddy … but I’ve become my own woman, with my own life.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Drake
As the chairman of News Enterprises, it’s my business to be aware of all the goings-on in the publishing industry. The news of Hustler’s demise was surprising, but not altogether unexpected. A traditional glossy just can’t get the same advertising dollars as before, not when they’re competing with a range of on-line sites, advertising live feeds, and worst of all, ever more start-up publications, all hoping to get a slice of the adult content industry.
And News Enterprises is a conglomerate overseeing a number of diverse publications ranging from business newspapers like World One, World Global and World Catch to smutty pubs like Yawker and Cumming. So we know what’s happening in all facets of the industry and had some space in our adult content line-up. Oh yeah, Yawker and Cumming outsell our other pubs three-to-one, porn and sex are real attention grabbers, the mark-up huge coupled with low production costs.
And we’ve got our finger on the pulse of the trade. Take for example, my number two. Lewis was in my office last week discussing Hustler’s impending bankruptcy auction. That’s right, they were selling off the magazine like an animal at market, finding a bidder through good old fashioned cattle calling.
“Drake, this could be a great opportunity to pick up a distressed asset,” he said. “Our finance guys have combed through the numbers and there’s hidden value there.”
“How so?” I remarked.
“Evidently, the magazine’s got a strong subscriber base of men in the 30-55 demographic, exactly who we want to hit. There’s some fat in staffing but that’s easy to cut after a potential acquisition.”
It was true, the 30-55 male demographic was highly sought after by advertisers and perhaps we could do some cross-marketing, grabbing eyeballs for our other male-oriented publications. Even if we kept Hustler going for only a year or two, that might be enough to steer customers to other trade glossies, acting as tastemaker and big brother in one.
I grunted.
“Alright, get me some numbers and we’ll attend the auction,” I said. It was a strategic decision more than anything. Even if we had no intention of seriously bidding for Hustler, it was good to press the flesh, scope out the competition, show your face when all the other players in town were at the races.
But admittedly, I had an ulterior motive. Would Cleo be there? It sounds crazy, but it was a real possibility. I’ve followed my little step all these years, watching her from afar, tracking her every move while reminding myself again and again that she was no longer interested, that she’d run off without any notice for a career on stage, leaving me with nothing.
And somehow my little step has morphed from run-of-the-mill stripper into adult entertainment magnate. I’d been stunned watching the transformation. First up had been the branded sex toys. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, after all she was an erotic dancer and guys would buy that shit up. So when she made her first million selling CleoWorld latex pussies, I’d had a good chuckle, throwing the catalogue onto my desk with a snort. Okay, I admit, I ordered one as well, using it in my shower in the mornings, dreaming of my luscious girl.
But the empire-building continued. She started a magazine, and then a website, doing live cam work, and judging from the number of subscribers, was making quite the pretty penny. One million subscribers paying fifty bucks a month … that’s fifty million per month. Can you believe it? Fifty million per month. My little girl hit the big time, albeit in an x-rated industry, but success is success, don’t let people talk you down.
So yeah, Cleo is a big-time player in this field now and Hustler is right up her alley. She’d know how to turn it around, how to find new advertisers, how to beef up the content to appeal to new subscribers. She’d be at the auction for sure … and I’d be waiting.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Cleo
The bankruptcy auction was packed. I strode into the conference room, accompanied by my lawyer and my banker. All eyes were on me because most of the people in the room were old white guys and I was the only young, appetizing female in the bunch.
Not to mention I’d done myself up to look like a porn star that day. Sure I could have gone in wearing a boring business suit but might as well let these guys see what they’d come to see. I wore a long red dress, clingy with a deep vee, with sparkly red heels, my hair swept into an updo. Totally inappropriate for a business meeting, but competition beware … I was dead serious about getting Hustler.
As we took our place at the conference table, Ben leaned over solicitously to pour me some water.
“Thanks hon,” I purred, trailing a long red nail up his sleeve. Both Stuart and Ben were so silly. They were professionals, a lawyer and a banker, both married with small children, and yet whenever I saw them they leered at me despite the fact that I was paying their salaries.
I used it to create an image though. I wanted the men in this room to know that I had two admirers, two dudes with stiffies who were willing to throw their wedding bands into the Hudson River at the crook of a finger. With a sly smile, I let a hand trail up each of their thighs, skimming their bulges, much to the shocked gasps of the men around us. Hmm, just like being in the Donkey Club again.
“Thanks boys,” I purred again. “I’m ready to get started, is everyone else?”
There was a hushed silence before a deep voice rang out across the conference table.
“Ms. Jones,” the voice rang out. “I believe we know each other.”
I gasped, whipping my head around to pinpoint the source of the voice. Holy shit, it was Daddy! Drake had never looked so good before. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, sharply intelligent and commanding even among this group of sharks.
“Daddy?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
The hubbub started with my use of the word “Daddy.”
“What’s going on? You guys know each other?”
“You’re related? Hey, is there going to be collusive bidding? That’s not fair.”
I got up slowly from my seat and walked over to where Drake sat. He was like a king overseeing an empire. On his side of the room were loads of boxes, paralegals scurrying to and fro, junior bankers and lawyers ready to do his bidding. I felt downright unprepared with my team of three.
“Daddy,” I said slowly. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”
Drake stood up, unwilling to put on a show in front of these white-collar douches. “Let’s grab a conference room,” he rumbled, guiding me to a nearby break-out area.
As soon as the door shut behind him, he spun around to look at me. And I mean, really look. His eyes swept up and down my figure, taking in the sinuous curves, the clingy fabric, the way my breasts pushed out against the deep décolletage. I saw a gleam in his eye as his gaze lingered on my nipples, taking in the way they pushed out like pebbles, hardening beneath his gaze.
“Daddy,” I breathed. “Why are you here?” I asked again.
“Cleo,” he drawled lazily. “You know that I’m the head of a news conglomerate, that we purchase assets all the time. The better question to ask is why you’re here?”
I was about to blabber some nonsensical response, throw myself into his arms, but stopped myself just in time. After all, I wasn’t a naïve eighteen year-old anymore. I was a career girl, someone who made her own money, charted her own path. Nothing I did was illegal, so might as well own it.
“I’m a businesswoman now,” I said slowly, looking up at him. “I’m not who you think I am.”
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And the man just chuckled low in his chest. God, he was so masculine, so tempting, so alpha, that I wanted to jump him right then and there, our past be damned.
But right, our past. A shaft of pain lanced through my heart again. We’d been together for two sweet weeks, sampling each other’s bodies, him taking my virginity. And he’d been seeing someone else on the side the whole time and gotten her pregnant, no less. God, the baby was probably three or four already, walking and talking and ready for pre-school. My heart crumpled at the thought.
So I shook my head hard, willing myself to clear my mind. Get it together Cleo! I scolded myself. Don’t turn into a bowl of mush just because you’re in front of Drake again. He’s a man, remember that, just a man.
I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and said coolly, “I’m here for Hustler, what else? What are you here for?”
The big man looked at me speculatively.
“I’m here for a lot of reasons,” he rumbled, his eyes never leaving my face, the ruby lips I’d outlined a particularly sultry shade of red. “The first is to figure out what this Hustler business is about …”
At that I interrupted.
“If you haven’t done your homework on the magazine, then it’s too late,” I said sharply. “We’re here to play, big boy. If you don’t know what the asset’s worth by now, you’re going down in flames.”
But the big man didn’t seem fazed. Instead he looked at me with amusement.
“Oh I know what it’s worth,” he said, his tone smooth, “I’m just wondering if the competition knows.”
And that made me pause because in my years running a business I’ve learned something, and that’s to trust your instincts. If someone like Drake intimates that he knows something that you don’t, then it’s best to listen closely.
“Why, what is it?” I asked, curious, my eyes piercing, intent on his words. Don’t look so interested! I scolded myself. He’s playing you! But I couldn’t help it. My breath was coming hard and fast, my chest heaving, my pulse beating at a million miles an hour … from more than just the negotiation.
Double Dare: A Fake Fiancee MMF Romance Page 69