by Stone, M. T.
“Come on Tommy, I’ll buy you guys whatever you want,” I offer, feeling overwhelmingly generous for the moment. Tommy is not the type of guy who is used to losing, so he has a rather stunned look on his face. Even under duress though, he still looks pretty damn cool.
“We want a bottle of Ace!” Liv blurts out before Tommy has a chance to recover.
“I’ll buy you a bottle if you can tell me the real name of it,” I tease her.
“Armand de Brignac,” Tommy replies derisively after gauging the confused look on Liv’s face.
“Alright, one bottle of Ace coming up. Do you want the big one?” I ask, referring to the thirty liter bottle that supposedly costs a couple hundred thousand.
“A normal sized bottle will be fine,” he replies in a snide tone. “You must think you’re pretty smart beating me three times in a row.”
“Actually, I’m smart enough to know that it was pure luck. The only one with any advantage whatsoever is the house. I’ll be back with that champagne.”
“Then you and I need to have a little talk, Trey.” He lowers his head and raises an eyebrow.
Great, this should be interesting. On the way up to the bar my phone rings, I glance down to see that it’s Tyler. I debate with myself for a few seconds and click to send it to voicemail. Within two minutes it rings again, it’s him again. I’ll give him a call when we leave the casino.
Chapter 3
Mandy
As soon as Trey orders the champagne, Liv wastes no time pulling me aside. The intense look on her face has me prepared for one of her infamous rants. Instead, she is intent on giving me the dish on what Tommy is about to tell Trey.
“Tommy is going to be the new CEO of Addison Media,” she whispers a bit too loudly.
“It’s already been decided?” I’m more than a little shocked by how quickly a decision has been made.
“Yes. He met with the board this morning and he starts Monday.” She glows. “They gave him like a gazillion shares of stock.”
“Wow, a gazillion? That’s a lot.” I smirk and dismiss her comment. “Are you two an item now?”
“Oh yeah, we’re crazy about each other.” She straightens her posture and lifts her nose just enough to look down on me. “He’s way more successful than Trey will ever be.”
“Honestly, I don’t think Trey has much to worry about,” I reply, wanting to cut the conversation short.
“Except for the fact that Tommy will be controlling all of his stock.” She sneers.
“So, the CEO controls all of the stock in the trust?” I assume.
“Yeah, Trey and Tyler don’t have any voting rights for the next five years.” She giggles with childish delight.
“Well, in the long run they will control the company. In the meantime, Tommy’s interests are aligned with theirs. They all will profit from the company doing well, especially if he has a gazillion stock options,” I tell her bluntly.
Liv’s eyes immediately glaze over due to the rationality of my comments. “Oh look, there’s the bottle of Ace.”
She moves past me and heads directly to the gold colored bottle like a moth fluttering towards a light bulb. I stand back and watch as she interacts with Trey and Tommy. It’s as if she has no feelings whatsoever, only concerned with getting the first glass from the bottle. My God… she is the definition of a gold digger. I find myself no longer feeling sorry for her as she fawns over Tommy in an obvious attempt to irritate Trey.
Trey
After getting the girls settled at a table, Tommy and I excuse ourselves and head out of the casino. Once we are out of earshot, he begins to explain the deal that he hammered out with the board of directors. Basically, if he is able to take Addison Media to the next level over the next five years he will make as much money as either Tyler or me. He now stands in front of me expecting some sort of retaliation or at least a little retribution.
“That makes sense,” I reply, to his obvious dismay. “If you increase the value of the company, you deserve to profit from it.”
“It doesn’t bother you that Victor left me in control of your stock as well?” He squares up, facing me directly with his hands on his hips.
“That provision was put in Dad’s will when we were teenagers, so he didn’t exactly do it for you. I’m sure you will do what’s in the best interest of the company and it’s shareholders.” I see a beautiful young woman out of the corner of my eye, approaching on the sidewalk. Out of nothing but courtesy, I turn and give her a smile.
“Your dad was right. You don’t give a shit about anything!” Tommy barks, startling her as she passes by.
“I care about a lot of things, but Addison Media has never really been one of them,” I clarify. “Dad obviously picked you because he thought you were the right one to run the company. Who am I to second guess him?” I shrug.
“You were his first choice.” His eyes lock intensely with mine. “You do know that right?”
“Yes, I am aware, but I didn’t think I was the right one to run it,” I confess.
“He knew you weren’t ready. He was willing to give you plenty of time to come into your own,” Tommy reiterates, as if I hadn’t been part of the conversations.
“If I had known what I know now, I may have made different choices,” I admit. “At the time, I didn’t want to work with him.” I feel a sudden stabbing pain deep within my chest. I close my eyes and take a step back.
“What’s changed? The fact that he’s dead?” Tommy jokes insensitively. “He’s easier for you to get along with now?”
“I have no problem with you being our CEO or having the voting rights to my stock, but don’t ever talk about my relationship with my father again.” I step forward stabbing my finger into his chest. “That’s none of your fucking business!”
“Alright, I’ll drop it.” He backs up, rubbing his breastbone. “It’s just that your dad always talked so highly of you. You were his heir apparent… his golden child. I think he must have been slightly delusional.”
“I told you to stop,” I snap, fighting back a flood of emotions. “It’s been a very tough day, just let it go, Tommy.”
“I know things are rough right now,” he replies, softening a bit. “That Times article this morning certainly didn’t help anything. I think that’s why the board was so eager to announce that they had filled the CEO slot,” he adds apparently thinking I knew about it.
“What article?”
“Seriously? You can’t be that fucking out of touch!” He laughs and shakes his head.
“Hey, I got crazy bad news the moment I stepped off the plane this morning and haven’t looked at much of anything ever since.”
“I’m sorry to be the one to give you more bad news, but the FBI had a facial recognition match on the guy who left your plane with that briefcase full of money. They are confident that it gives them a strong enough case to press charges against you.“ The glimmer in his eyes reveals his thoughts on the matter.
“Charges for what? Murder?” I gasp.
“Well, the guy is a known mafia hit man. Two and two, its simple math, buddy,” he says, flipping his hand to the side.
“What’s this guy’s name?” I ask, not understanding how this could have possibly happened.
“I don’t remember his name, but they have been on his tail for awhile. They think he’s been responsible for more than a dozen high level hits over the past decade, but they’ve never been able to make one stick.”
“I had no idea,” I explain. Maybe that’s why Tyler called. I haven’t listened to his messages yet. “By the way, the guy I paid was an old college buddy. I bought some rare documents from him, so he’s far from a hit man!”
“I know. You delivered them to Jürgen the day you met with him in Geneva,” he says in a matter of fact style that leaves me completely flabbergasted.
“Is this what Liv told you?” I ask, instantly knowing the source of the leak.
“She remembered his name was Jürgen and that
you are a big investor in his biotech company. I was planning on doing a little more digging to see if I can fill in the missing puzzle pieces.” A big smile crosses his face and the look in his eyes tells me that he hopes to gain some additional leverage over me. “You know about the felony clause in your father’s will, right?”
“It was mentioned in my meeting with the attorneys,” I recall with a grimace.
“I know you didn’t kill Victor, but in order to clear your name you will most likely have to disclose why you gave that briefcase of money to your buddy and who he is. Once that hits the press, it won’t take long for the SEC to connect the dots. Who does your buddy work for?” He gives me a smug look. “If it was fraud, your stock will remain tied up in the trust for perpetuity.”
“Okay, now I get it. I was wondering what the hell you were doing with Liv. I knew there had to be an angle somewhere.” Fuck, fuck, fuck…
Tommy laughs at my despair. “She might not be the brightest, but she was so irritated with you that she was eager to share everything she knew. Believe it or not, I am actually having fun with her.”
“I’m sure you are,” I mutter, knowing full well what kind of fun he is having with her. “Even so, I’m glad Dad chose you as CEO. I think you will do a good job,” I reply, realizing that I need to play nice until I can figure out how to unravel this snarled mess.
“You and I are going to get along just fine, Trey.” He laughs and slaps me across the back as we turn back toward the casino.
“So you guys flew all the way here just to drop a few more bombs on me?” I ask, still amazed by the fact that they tracked me down.
“No. I came here to retrieve the corporate jet. Liv told me that you had given her your NetJet card, so here.” He pulls the card out of his jacket pocket and hands it to me. “I’ll swap with you.”
“That’s fine. I just took Dad’s because I hadn’t flown in a G650 before,” I explain.
“I figured that, but it was purchased by Addison Media, not Victor personally,” he informs me.
“Enough said. I’ll slum it back home.” I stuff the card into my billfold.
“A G550 isn’t exactly slumming it. Besides, if you manage to keep your ass out of prison, you’ll soon be able to afford anything you want.”
I head inside the casino without replying to Tommy’s comment. Prison would be my worst nightmare. A disturbing scene from the movie Deliverance flashes through my mind. I’m way too pretty for prison. I chuckle and cringe, it’s not like I would be going to a real prison. Worst case, I would probably spend a few months in Club Fed. I shake my head in an effort to think about something more positive.
Mandy
By the time Trey and Tommy return to the table, Liv has been dishing on both of them for twenty minutes straight. I have learned things about both guys that definitely fall under the category of TMI. I’m still flying high from our winnings, but Trey looks more like someone who has just weathered another storm. Tommy on the other hand seems cockier than ever, throwing his arm around Liv and flashing us both a provocative smile.
“You girls ready to blow this joint?” he asks, punctuating it with a yawn. “This place bores me shitless.”
“Aren’t you even going to try to win your money back?” I ask, giving him a jab.
“It’s only money, Mandy. Who cares?” He winks and grabs Liv by the hand.
“Wait! There’s still champagne!” she squeals, reaching out with her other hand to grab the bottle. “Hang on a second.”
“I’ll order a bottle up to our room or wherever we go from here. Take another pull and let’s go,” he replies as she complies and raises the bottle to her lips.
“Jesus, that’s sad.” Trey shakes his head as he watches Liv attempting to polish off the bottle before reaching the door. “She’s lucky she’s good looking.”
“She says her and Tommy are crazy about each other.” I raise my brows and give him a devilish grin.
“We’ll see how long that lasts,” he says with a sigh. “Tommy has been using her against me. He knows Jürgen’s first name and that I delivered those documents to him in Geneva.”
“Liv was passed out most of the trip. She couldn’t have known too much.”
“She knew enough to put him on the right track,” he says with a resigned look. “He thinks I’ll have to admit to corporate espionage in order to avoid being charged with the murder of my father.”
“Seriously? How could they charge you with murder?” Anyone who knows Trey at all would never accuse him of such a heinous crime.
“Apparently Jake has the same facial features of a mafia hit man or some shit.” Trey gazes down at his empty glass and begins to run his finger around the rim. “Could my life get any more fucked up?”
“Never ask that question… because the answer is always, yes.” I crack a smile, but he is too shell-shocked to even react. I reach over and begin to rub his back.
“If I’m convicted of a crime, my stock will never come out of the trust,” he replies without even lifting his head.
“Wow!” I cup my hand under his chin and lift his head for him. “That’s a pretty big incentive for the two of us to put our heads together and come up with a damn good solution.”
“I know you aren’t my half-sister,” he says with a subtle curl of his lips.
“I know. We just have to wait until the results are official,” I reply agreeing with him completely. “There is no way you could blow my mind the way you do if we were blood relatives. There’s just no way.”
A full smile finally crosses Trey’s face. “We should know for sure by noon tomorrow,” he replies, looking at his watch. “God, the last twelve hours seem like a lifetime.”
“Agreed. Let’s get out of here and get some sleep.”
Trey reaches behind me and rests his hand in the small of my back as we walk toward the door. Please God; make the test come back negative. There is no way that I will be able to rectify everything we have done if we turn out to be siblings. Not to mention the fact that I will be losing the only lover with whom I have ever found a real connection. It’s more than a connection… for me it’s a mind-blowing, passion filled, lust fueled obsession. I can forego his touch for another fourteen hours, but there is no way I can handle a lifetime.
“Are you okay?” he asks, giving me a concerned look.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking about the next fourteen hours,” I tell him with a smile.
“It will come back negative,” he assures me as we exit the casino.
“Did you cash out our winnings?” I suddenly realize that he hadn’t gone back to the cashier.
“They will transfer it to my account once they review the videos. They have to make sure we weren’t cheating or anything.”
“How could we possibly cheat?” I ask. “That game is totally random!”
“I have no clue,” he says with a shake of his head. “This is the first time I’ve ever won at gambling. I think you must be good luck!”
“I think the two of us together are good luck.” I grab his jacket and lean into him. I hope this is only the beginning. I think we could take on the world together.
Chapter 4
Trey
Exiting the casino, we are greeted by the blinding headlights of a shiny yellow Ferrari screeching to a stop right in front of us. Even though I can’t see the driver or passenger, I immediately know that it has to be Tommy and Liv. As we walk around to the side of the car, Liv holds out her empty champagne bottle.
“Would you be a dear and get rid of this for me?” she coos, giving me a sickeningly condescending smirk.
“Of course!” I reply sarcastically. “We are all here to serve you, your majesty.”
“Check the attitude, buddy.” Tommy glares at me from driver’s seat. “We didn’t see a place to throw it.”
“Like I said, it’s no problem. You two have a wonderful evening.” I turn with the bottle in hand and head back to the entrance of the casino. “One of
your patrons didn’t realize that this isn’t an off sale,” I tell the doorman, handing him the bottle.
“Thank you, Sir,” he replies, taking it from me.
“That was difficult, so I can see how they couldn’t figure it out.” I give Mandy a wink and we head toward the waiting limo.
“Now I suppose you will have to get a Ferrari in the morning,” she comments after we get settled in the back seat of the car.
“Hell no!” I laugh. “Those two can drive around pretending they’re hot shit. Tomorrow we are taking the helicopter back to Nice for the day. We’ll have lunch at Jan, spend the afternoon on the water and have dinner at Les Deux Canailles. If you enjoy that, I’ll take you to Yam T'cha in Paris the next evening.”
“Really?” she bubbles. “I would love to see Paris.”
“Yeah, it’s fun to see, but I like the people in Nice.”
“Why? Because they’re nice?” she quips.
“Funny girl…” I give her a pat on the back. “Nice used to be an Italian city, so the vibe is much more like Italy than France.”
“And apparently that’s a good thing?” she asks, obviously having no direct experience with either of the two cultures.
“I’ll let you decide for yourself. We’ll spend tomorrow in Nice, Thursday in Paris and the weekend in Monaco. Then you can tell me which one you prefer,” I reply, knowing full well which one she will like best. Paris is brimming with pompous pricks and Monaco is just a wealthier version of them. I can’t help thinking about that fact as we pull up to the hotel where our four thousand square foot suite awaits the two of us. Maybe I’m a little too pompous too, even though I strive against it. Renting the presidential suite for the week is just as pretentious as driving around in a flashy Ferrari.
Mandy
I was so shell shocked by the potential incest news this morning that I never really noticed this hotel’s level of perfection. Walking through the lobby, everything is immaculate, from the perfectly polished granite floors to the intricately tailored uniforms of the hotel staffers. It’s as if they have created a little world of perfection to help guests forget about all the other imperfections in their lives for a little while.