returntobelletori_GEN

by Michelle Hoppe

  * * * *

  Proudly boasting seventeen years in business, Thomas Green Investigations enjoyed a success rate of ninety eight percent. This record was about to get screwed to hell-n-back by the most frustrating case ever. Thomas was unhappy. He knew his client was as well. After four months of missed connections and little cooperation, here he was sitting in this opulent office at Club Belle Tori, about to face the mounting anger of Mr. Jason Hunter.

  A self-made millionaire, Hunter hired Thomas’ agency, and what should have been an easy missing persons case quickly turned into a nightmare of false leads and dead ends. Thomas made the trip from his office on the Las Vegas strip to the club on the outskirts of Vegas once a week to report to Mr. Hunter. As the days passed, these meetings became more and more stressful.

  The search for Victoria Lane, owner of Belle Tori, stalled in the first two weeks. The club was her home; at least it was until four months ago when she disappeared off the face of the earth. According to all his research, interviews with the staff and Jason’s own statements, there was no place else she wanted to be.

  Going over the notes spread in front of him, Tom tried to make sense of this case. Information obtained from Samuel Grimes confirmed he tricked Hunter into joining Club Belle Tori. Apparently, working with Pierre DuMonte, business partner and best friend of Victoria Lane, the two plotted to bring the pair together. Hunter, a self-assured, confident man, came to Vegas for the sole purpose of seducing Ms. Lane, who by all accounts was Vegas’ wealthiest woman.

  Eyewitness statements from staff members showed Hunter succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. If the story were true, Thomas was sorry he missed the evening four months earlier when the two of them met for the first time. The descriptions he received from several of those present made him hard with need.

  Never having attended an evening at a swing club, the open nature of the sexual behavior that took place surprised him. Several of the female staff members delighted in relating the finer points of Hunter’s seduction of Lane. The way he used his mouth to devour her lips and breasts, how his fingers moved over her body in time to the music, delving into her pussy and eliciting screams of pleasure from her. He heard about the many orgasms she experienced, right there on the dance floor in the bar, as Hunter skillfully made her body sing for the crowd.

  It amazed Thomas when he learned most of the club members in attendance that evening were watching the couple make love, their bodies entwined with the music. Apparently, without concern or embarrassment, they moved across the floor as if they were the only people on earth. It was unbelievable to him how some people could be so open about their sexuality. Smiling to himself as he pictured the events in his mind, Thomas felt his cock swell.

  His wife would be pleased this evening. One, no actually, the only advantage to this case, Thomas found to his wife’s delight, was that his sex drive increased after each visit to the club. He considered telling her of his desire to join such a club; then smiling, pictured her reaction. Shaking his head, surrendering the thought, he pulled his mind back to the present.

  They knew Ms. Lane boarded a commercial airline flight to Miami. His man in Florida was able to trace her to a hotel in Key West, where she stayed for two days. While unable to discover all of her activities during her time there, credit card receipts showed dining at several of the finest local restaurants, shopping in six of the eclectic shops on Duvall Street, plus a visit to the local swing club.

  From Key West, she chartered a private jet to take her to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was relatively easy to find her hotel of choice and evidence of more shopping; damn, the woman could spend money on clothes. Two days after arriving she disappeared, his team unable to locate anyone with information on her whereabouts. There were no further credit card receipts, no information on her departure from the island. It made no sense. Why did she suddenly stop using her cards? How was she paying for expenses? Did she meet with an acquaintance in St. Thomas, who assisted her in hiding?

  Driving himself to distraction, Thomas asked these questions repeatedly in his mind. They were the same damn questions Hunter asked every bloody time he sat in this office facing the man. There must be a puzzle piece missing and someone at this club knew the answer, if only he could find the correct question to ask.

  The sound of footsteps outside in the hall interrupted his thoughts. Thomas sat straight in the chair, eyes glued to his notes as he prepared himself to once again explain to Hunter why finding Ms. Lane would take more time.

  Chapter 5

  Not in the mood for another long-winded explanation of why they could not tell him where she was, Jason paused at his office door. He'd heard enough excuses in the last few weeks to last a lifetime. Good god, you would think after all the time and money he had spent, they would at least be able to tell him which continent they should search. Yet here he was heading for his office, sure there would be new excuses, more explanations and nothing to report. Jason’s mood was bleak as he walked through the door into the office. Already seated in front of the desk, Thomas Green had papers spread from one end of the six-foot expanse to the other. “Hello Tom,” Jason stated, “please tell me you have good news.” There was no response from the man sitting with his back to the door. He seemed to be deep in thought. “Tom?” Jason questioned as he moved closer to the desk.

  Pulled from his thoughts, Thomas replied, “Good morning Mr. Hunter.”

  “I take it you still have nothing to report on her whereabouts?” Jason stated in a matter of fact voice, as he moved around the desk to take a seat.

  “As I told you last week Mr. Hunter; Ms. Lane does not want to be found. She has been very careful not to use her credit cards. She has not called any of her friends that we know of. She hasn’t checked into any hotel we’ve contacted.”

  “How is that possible?” Jason’s voice sounded cold.

  “It’s possible because she doesn’t want to be found. What I do not understand is where the money is coming from. She is not writing checks out of any account we know of, all the traces we have done of the banks failed to reveal any hidden accounts. We checked for credit cards in her maiden name, as well as her grandmothers’, mother’s, and any other variation we could think of. If her spending habits are close to her normal, she would need a very large bankroll to stay away this long. Does she have access to that kind of cash?”

  Jason thought for a moment, his face going dark as he reached for the intercom. Hitting three, he waited for his assistant, Yvette to answer. She was actually Victoria’s personal assistant, however since her mistress’s disappearance she had nothing else to do, so took on the difficult job of caring for him.

  “Yes Jason,” Yvette greeted over the open intercom line.

  “Find Pierre and tell him to get his fucking French ass in here now,” Jason demanded.

  “I’m standing right here, and swearing is not necessary,” Pierre snarled, as Yvette chuckled.

  “My apologies. Could you please get your fucking French ass in here?”

  * * * *

  Stepping from the small twin prop plane into the sunlight, Samuel quickly reached for his sunglasses. He desperately needed this vacation after four months of searching for Victoria and dealing with Jason’s foul moods, which were enough to make a saint scream. His earlier call from Jason reminded him why he had fled Las Vegas in the first place. He knew if they did not find Victoria soon, Jason would drive them all over the edge. He could not understand why Jase was so reluctant to have sex with one of the many women of Club Belle Tori. Christ, if he were in his shoes, he would be living it up while the search was on.

  Thinking this over a little longer, Sam suddenly hit on the answer. Perhaps his best friend since childhood was actually in love for the first time in his life. Mulling this over, Sam was surprised it had not occurred to him sooner. My god, he is in love, this would take some getting used to. Quickly on the heels of this thought, Sam said a silent prayer Victoria felt the same way and
was abstaining from intercourse as well.

  The island of New Providence was beautiful. Sam marveled at the sights on his drive from the airport, a warm breeze keeping the temperature a balmy seventy-eight degrees. He had driven down streets lined with small open-air shops, many hawking tourist items like t-shirts, three for ten dollars. Others offered straw hats, bags, clothes, and jewelry; store after store, many with the same merchandise, all hoping to attract the thousands of tourists visiting the island at any given time.

  His hotel was located on the farthest side of the island. It took about twenty minutes to drive around the coast route. The vast expanse of aqua water, washing onto sparkling white beaches, tempted him on several occasions. He resisted the urge to stop, instead continuing on to his hotel. He arrived at the Ocean Club early in the morning and after taking a much-needed nap, he decided to head for the bar to check out the local scene.

  Manny the front desk clerk had given him the grand tour earlier in the day, so he knew exactly which direction to head. He wanted a drink badly, so with this goal uppermost in his mind, he stepped through the doorway of the bar. His eyes were immediately drawn to a beautiful woman who looked like she was about to stand up.

  In less then a second, Sam realized who the woman was and backed out of the bar as quickly as possible. He did not think she had seen him. Oh my God, he thought, I cannot believe she is here.

  Walking quickly, Sam headed for the elevator to make what he knew would be one of the most important calls of his life. The only thing he needed to decide before he got to the room was who to call, Jason or Pierre. Shaking his head, he figured he could delay the decision until he arrived in the privacy of his suite.

  * * * *

  Returning to her room, Victoria prepared for an evening of dancing and fun. Having showered and dressed in a flowing gauze dress, she headed downstairs to the bar. Sitting alone in the softly lit room, sipping her favorite drink, cranberry juice, and vodka, she looked around at the art and furniture. The place was beautiful, decorated in a tropical theme. Bright colors, open ceilings, fans, and palm trees. Long tall windows ran the length of the far wall, looking out onto the not so distant beach. Several tables with large canvas umbrellas were available for those wishing to sit in the open air.

  It did not take long for her to slip into thoughts of home. She felt certain about her choice to return to Las Vegas and anticipated the excitement tomorrow’s call to Pierre would generate with her staff. She hoped he would be able to give her details on what Jason had done during her absence. Was he even in Las Vegas? Had he been searching for her? Did he care? Unable to understand his failure to find her, depression closed in.

  Someone unseen put quarters in the jukebox and a sweet, lazy country song began to fill the air with music. Shaking herself out of her thoughts Victoria concentrated on the words to the song. Moments later, she decided she did not care for country music and rose to move outside. As she came up off the bar stool, her eyes were drawn to the mirror hanging over the back bar. She caught his reflection as he stood in the doorway. His eyes scanned the room, finally coming to rest on her slightly turned body. The look of shock on his face when he realized it was her almost made Tori laugh aloud. However, she simply turned enough to conceal the fact his face was visible in the mirror. She watched as he withdrew from the doorway, turned left and headed in the direction of the lobby.

  Victoria stood and followed him. Hanging back until she saw him enter the elevator, she paused in the hallway long enough to see which floor the elevator stopped on. Laughing to herself at the irony of it all, she walked to the front desk.

  “Manny, how are you this beautiful evening?” she questioned the front desk clerk.

  “Ms. Tori, I am doing fine. Can I be of assistance?”

  “The gentlemen who just got on the elevator, did you see him?”

  “Yes, his name is Samuel Grimes” Manny started to say, before Victoria interrupted him.

  “I know the gentleman’s name Manny, he is a friend from home. I would like to surprise him, if you would give me his room number, please.”

  Looking at the computer screen sitting on the check-in counter, Manny scanned for the correct room, “He’s in room two thirty-four.”

  “Thank you, Manny. Have a wonderful evening,” Victoria stated. Feeling light-headed and a little nervous she walked toward the elevator.

  As the elevator ascended to the second floor, she tried to reason this out. Why had Sam looked so shocked when he saw her? Why did he retreat from the bar without saying anything to her? Do not jump to conclusions, she warned herself, it does not mean Jason is looking for you. What else could it mean? Unable to find a different explanation for Sam’s behavior, she decided he must have hoped to alert Jason to her presence before she discovered he was here. Holding tight to her newfound belief, she stepped from the elevator, walked to room two thirty-four and knocked on the door.

  * * * *

  “You demanded my presence,” Pierre stated from the open doorway leading into what use to be Victoria’s office.

  “Sorry Pierre, please come in,” Jason’s voice softened.

  “You know taking your frustrations out on the staff is not a good idea?” Pierre commented as he walked into the room, taking a seat next to Thomas. He crossed his legs and settled comfortably into the chair. He knew the tension he felt was about to boil over. Jason’s anger and frustration grew daily. God help the person who got in his way. Secretly, Pierre found the whole thing quite amusing; Victoria running away and hiding, Jason moving into the club and taking control. Now all they needed was to bring the two of them back together, which he knew would happen, then he expected them to spend the rest of their lives together.

  Pierre felt a smug satisfaction, knowing it was his plotting which would accomplish this feat. Lost in thought, he missed part of Jason’s question, a question he felt sure was one they expected him to answer.

  “…where the cash is coming from?” Jason was looking at Pierre, anger written in his eyes. “You find this amusing?” he shouted.

  Snapped back to the present by the tone of his voice, Pierre looked in Jason’s direction. “The truth, oui I find it amusing. As for your question, since I wasn’t listening, perhaps you could repeat it.”

  Jason shook his head in disgust as he asked his question again. “Since she hasn’t used checks or credit cards, and we’ve been unable to find accounts in any of the other possible names you gave us, Thomas feels confident Victoria has access to large sums of cash. Do you have any idea where the cash is coming from?

  “She is most likely using the inheritance her grandmamma left her,” Pierre answered.

  Jason stood and turned to face the windows, obviously trying to control his building rage. Turning slowly, his features doing nothing to conceal his wrath, he spoke one carefully chosen word. “Inheritance?”

  “Oui, most of the money was used to start the club; however I believe she kept close to a hundred thousand in cash in the safe downstairs.”

  Still choosing his words with care, Jason asked, “Is the cash still in the safe?”

  “I haven’t looked,” Pierre responded, a slight upturn to his lips showing through despite his attempt to sound indifferent.

  Jason’s temper exploded, “Bloody fucking hell Pierre, did it not occur to you this information might have been helpful?” His fist hitting the desk sent a loud bang vibrating around the room causing Thomas Green to jump. Pierre was unfazed by his show of anger. Still sitting comfortably in the chair across the desk, he did not even flinch when Jason shouted again. “Get your ass out of that goddam chair and go find out.”

  Pierre stood, “Sure Jase, I’ll go check while you take a moment to calm down. Shouting isn’t going to get things done any faster or bring her home any sooner.” Not giving Jason time to respond Pierre quickly made to exit the room, however he could not resist a parting shot at Hunter, “Maybe you should think about fucking someone’s brains out Jason, might help take the edge
off your temper.”

  Pierre heard what sounded like something hitting the wall as he quickly closed the door to the office. If not for all the shouting coming from the closed room, Jason could have heard his laughter as he moved downstairs to the security room, where the safe was located.

  Chapter 6

  Tony's job at the club was bartender; however, since Victoria’s disappearance, his duties had expanded. He spent most of his early afternoons directing cleaning staff, a job formerly done by Victoria’s secretary. Now, since Jason Hunter had invaded the mansion and assumed control, Yvette had become his own private errand girl.

  His anger came from changes Hunter made during Victoria’s absence. He could not understand why Pierre was allowing Jason to make decisions. It was not as if Hunter and Victoria were married, hell they had only known each other for a week before she ran away. Yet here he was running Club Belle Tori, changing the general routine and limiting membership, all without the advice or permission of Pierre DuMonte. In reality, Pierre owned a share of the club and in Victoria’s absence should have been the one in charge.

  He had checked Pierre’s office, the bar and stockrooms without locating him. Returning to the lobby, Tony walked toward the grand staircase thinking that perhaps he missed him upstairs. As he approached, he heard Pierre’s laughter. Stopping on the bottom step, Tony waited for Pierre to join him. “Something funny?” he asked.

  “Oui,” Pierre responded, “the look on Hunter’s face when I told him about the cash Tori always kept in the safe.”

  Tony’s shock was apparent on his face, “You never told him about the cash? Fuck, bet he’s fit to be tied.”

  “He was when I left the office a few moments ago, and I doubt he has calmed down any since,” Pierre confirmed. “I’ve been ordered to check the safe to see if the money is still there.” Pierre pointed in the direction of the security room as he began walking down the hallway.