by Jessie Cooke
“I’m going to come baby! Oh that’s so good! I can’t hold back!” I was screaming, “No!” inside my head, but apparently, Mark doesn’t read minds. Ten seconds later I was gasping for breath and it was all over. As soon as he untied me, he rolled into me and started snoring.
I waited a few minutes before I slid out of the bed, grabbed my toy that I knew wouldn’t finish before I did…and got into the shower.
9
Axel
“What the hell are you talking about? No! No! No! I fucking absolutely did not authorize that!” I was on the phone with the manager of a club I owned in SoHo. His name is Paul DeFrance and he was trying to tell me that Jamie Lee was playing my club The Myth this weekend. I’ve turned it into one of the hottest clubs in New York where up and coming talent is showcased nightly. Jamie Lee is not playing at my club. I hate that fucker. Jamie Lee was blackballed from anything and everything with the Maxwell name on it years ago. Whoever booked that shit in my club is as good as in the unemployment line.
When I bought it the place it was a “Gentleman’s” Club. I love women of all shapes, sizes and colors…but believe it or not, something about them running around topless or in lingerie serving drinks and giving lap dances to the Viagra crowd just doesn’t sit right with me. Around the time I turned twenty and I was trying to break into the music business, the club was trying to revitalize itself by showcasing up and coming musical talent. It was owned by an asshole named Donald Anderson who goes by the name of Cognac Slim on the streets. I managed to get an audition with him and when I finished singing he said,
“That wasn’t too bad…but…as you were singing you were making some faces and some movements that made me think maybe you’ve got a little sugar in your tank.”
I had no idea what he meant by that. “Excuse me?”
“Are you gay?”
“No. Why would you even ask me that?”
“You’re too pretty…you look gay.”
“Well I’m not.”
“I’ve got nothing against “gays.” But, I run a club here for a lot of men who think sexuality is everything. If I hire you to play this six-week gig…I’m likely to lose business.”
“Because you think I look gay?”
“Because they will think you look gay.”
“I would be singing…not dancing topless.”
“Sorry kid. I’m in the sex business here…the straight sex business.”
Needless to say, I left there royally pissed off. When I get pissed off, it’s rare that I forget the person behind it. I never forgot Cognac. Even to this day when I see him peddling his girls on the street after I bought his club out from under him a few years after that conversation…I still wave and smile.
“Call Lee’s manager and tell him this isn’t happening,” I told Paul.
“Axel they’ve already signed the contracts, flyers have gone out…”
“How the fuck did this happen?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out…”
“Yes you will! You’ll find out by the end of business today or you’ll be looking for another job.”
“But sir…”
“Find out how this happened and find out how to get out of it without me losing a ton of fucking money and setting me up for a lawsuit.” I pushed the end button and then tossed the phone at the door of my office. Thirty seconds later, Holly opened the door and stuck in her head.
“Is everything okay?”
“No! Everything is fucked up,” I told her. She looked down at the phone on the floor and back up at me with wide eyes.
“Is there something I can do?”
Oh…so many answers to that question. If only sweet Holly was a slut who didn’t care that she had a boyfriend. “Do you still have a boyfriend?”
A strange look crossed her face before she said, “Yes.”
“Then there’s nothing.”
“Okay.” She turned and started to leave.
“Holly!”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an ass to you. This isn’t your fault. Do you want to take a ride out to SoHo with me? I’ll buy you lunch.”
“Sure.” So agreeable. That boyfriend has got to go.
“Okay. I’ll be ready in five minutes. Bring the drive with us that has the copies of the blank contracts and cancellation policies and all of that crap.”
“Sure.” She smiled…so pretty, and closed the door. I opened my desk and took out my little vial of blow. I was going to need a little pick me up to deal with this shit in SoHo.
I let Holly drive out to SoHo. I was kind of getting off on having her double as my driver. As she drove I took the opportunity to try and get to know her a little better. “How long have you and your boyfriend been together?”
“Going on three years,” she said.
“That’s nice.” I smiled. I didn’t mean it. “What does he do?”
“He works in advertising. He works for AMI Advertising…”
“Why does that sound so familiar? Do I use them?”
Holly laughed. I love the sound of it…so feminine and sweet. “No. Mark says he’s been trying to get you for years without luck.”
“Hmm, what’s wrong with their company?”
“Nothing that I know of. They advertise for a lot of big businesses, not just in New York but around the country.”
“Then why haven’t I advertised with them?”
She laughed again. She finds me funny when I’m not even trying to be. “Mark says you don’t even take his calls.”
“Oh, well that’s kind of rude of me. I have an idea…”
“What’s that?”
“I’m having a party, not this weekend but the next. It’s just a small affair for some of the people in the industry that work behind the scenes. I like to do something for them every once in a while so they know they’re not forgotten. Why don’t you come and bring Mark. I’ll let him give me his spiel.” Holly was parallel parking in front of the club. She had her tongue hanging out on one side as she eased the car in between two others. It was a beautiful sight. Once she straightened out the car and turned off the ignition, she turned to me with a radiant smile and said,
“That will make him so happy! Thank you, Axel.”
If she only knew that my end game had nothing to do with making her boyfriend happy…. “You’re welcome. Like I said, I don’t set out to be a dick.”
She smiled again. Her brown eyes are so intense I could stare into them all day. “I don’t think you’re a dick at all. You have a lot of responsibility. It’s amazing to me the way you handle it all.” She’s so genuine and sincere. I’m not sure why that turns a guy like me on so much…but it really does.
I’m the first to admit the outside aesthetics of the club are not at all impressive…but the look on Holly’s face when we walked in reminded me just how impressive the rest of it is. “Wow, this is incredible,” she said. The first floor is mostly bar. I had the biggest bar in New York put in. It spans two whole walls and if you order a drink that we don’t have here…you’re just a freak. This area also has white leather couches and recliners arranged around glass tables for a lounge type atmosphere where the yuppies can unwind after a long day at work. The business offices are all down here in a long hallway behind the bar.
The second floor is where the stage is at. Cognac had it on the first, proving he was a fool. The acoustics on the second floor are incredible. There’s a bar on that floor as well and a dance floor. On the third floor is another bar. That one is more of a “Cheers” type setting with pool tables and dart boards it has a regular crowd, mostly older blue collar guys.
“It’s one of the businesses I’m most proud of,” I told Holly. The place wasn’t open yet so there was one server behind the bar doing inventory and no one else around. “Is Paul in his office?”
“Yes Mr. Maxwell, as far as I know.”
Without thinking, I took Holly’s hand and led her to the door to th
e hall. She looked surprised, but she didn’t protest. I liked the way her soft little hand felt in mine. We made our way to Paul’s office and I opened the door without knocking. He was on the phone and he looked up like he was about to chew someone’s ass. When he saw it was me, all of the color drained out of his dark, Italian skin. “I’ll have to call you back,” he growled into the phone. He sat it down and said, “Axel, I didn’t know you were coming down.”
I gestured at Holly to take one of the chairs and I took the other. “Let’s recap then Paul…you call and tell me that someone took it upon themselves to book the one artist in this city that I despise into my club for six weeks…but you have no idea who did that. You’re the fucking manager. If you don’t know, who does?” I could see Holly in my peripheral vision. She looked shocked. I’m not sure if it was my tone, or the mention of that loser Jesse.
“Here’s the deal,” Paul said, wiping the sweat that was accumulating on his forehead. I sat back and got comfortable…this should be good. “I got a call a few weeks ago from Vic Brown. You know Vic, right?”
“Of course.” Vic Brown is a talent manager in the city. He’s Jesse’s manager so I refuse to work with anyone represented by him. Paul was waiting for me to explode just for bringing Vic up. I smiled and waited for him to go on. He wiped his brow again. Then he cleared his throat. I don’t know why he didn’t just clean out his desk…he obviously knew that’s where this was going to end up.
“He said he had this “hot new ticket” that was already exploding on the music scene. He offered to get him to play for half the regular price….”
“Why?”
“Because his client really wanted to play this venue.”
“So you said “Okay” knowing how I feel about Jesse Lee?”
“Well see, that’s the thing…I didn’t realize who he was at first. By the time I found out…the contracts were signed.”
“You’re a putz. That makes no sense. Why would you sign an act sight unseen?” It dawned on me then. I don’t like to jump to thief right off the bat since they’re some of the most miserable scum on the earth if you ask me…But this one was staring me in the face. “Well, I’ll be damned! You were going to steal from me weren’t you?”
“Come on Axe…it’s not like that…”
“You get them to agree to sign that they’re only accepting half pay…but they pay you full pay…and you do what? Split the difference with them?”
“I was going to share it with you, Axe! I swear!” Holly’s face was comical. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the sweaty Italian in front of us for a second and her face changed to represent a myriad of emotions. Right now, it was disgust.
I looked at my watch and back at Paul. “You have fifteen minutes to get out of here. Your final check will be mailed out.”
“Axe…man I’m…”
“Would you prefer that I get the police involved?”
“I’ll be out.” I took Holly by the hand and without ever introducing her to the crooked Italian I led her out of the room.
10
Holly
Axel sat quietly in the passenger seat of his sexy sports car when we first left the club. I have to admit that seeing him in action like that was a huge turn-on for me. I loved the way he was so in charge of everything. To be honest, a lot of what he did turned me on…and the list grew daily. I thought about making love to poor Mark last night, the whole while thinking about Axel. It was wrong and because I don’t know how to stop myself from feeling this way…I really should find another job. I’ve never had sexual feelings for my boss before and I’ve never fantasized about one man while being with another.
“Are we still having lunch?” he said.
“Sure, if you want to.”
He looked at me and smiled. It was his fault I had all these sexual urges. He’s just too damned good looking. “What do you want, Holly?”
“Lunch sounds good.”
“Okay, let’s go to E.A.T. Have you ever been there?”
“No, I’ve heard great things about it.”
“You have to have the Tuscan Peasant soup and grilled cheese,” he said. “The Barefoot Contessa highly recommends it.” As soon as he said that he looked embarrassed. I think he may have blushed. It was adorable.
“I love the Barefoot Contessa,” I told him, honestly. “Some days I devote entire Sunday afternoons to her show in my pajamas.” He shivered. “Are you cold? Should I turn down the air?”
“No,” he said with a smile. “I was just imagining you in your pajamas.” It was my turn to blush.
We arrived at the restaurant just as they were opening. They greeted Axel by name and he introduced me as his “business associate.” I felt like I was underdressed in my simple business jacket and skirt. The place itself was like a work of art. We were shown to a table way in the back and the waiter immediately came out with a wine list.
“Do you have a wine preference?” he asked me. It was eleven o’clock in the morning. My preference was to wait until much later. To Axel I said,
“Since I still have a lot of work to do today, would you mind if I had tea instead?”
He smiled again, this time as if he’d just thought of an inside joke. Looking at the waiter he said, “Two iced teas and two of my usual lunches.”
When the waiter was gone I said, “Axel, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. I might answer it honestly.”
I laughed. “It really might not be something you want to discuss with me…but my curiosity is peaked…”
“It’s true,” he said.
Confused I said, “I’m sorry? What’s true?”
“You were going to ask if the rumors about my…endowment were true right?”
I busted up laughing. “You are too much, sometimes.”
He raised both of his eyebrows and said, “And you are definitely not the first girl to say that.”
It took me several minutes to stop laughing and get that image out of my head before I said, “I was wondering why you dislike Jesse Lee.”
Something dark crossed his handsome face and he said, “Oh I don’t dislike him.”
“Oh…I guess I misunderstood.”
“You must have,” he said. “I hate that fucker.”
I tried to keep a straight face that time. “My mistake,” I said. “I was just wondering what he did to rate that strong emotion from you.”
“It’s a long story…”
“I have time,” I told him with a smile. I could tell by his change of expression that he really didn’t want to talk about it so I said, “I’m kidding. You don’t have to tell me.”
The waiter came then and brought our food. After he left, Axel took a sip of his soup and closed his eyes and savored it…I wished I was that soup. When he opened his eyes he said, “Jesse and I went to school together.”
“Really? Small world, huh?”
“Unfortunately,” he said in a wry tone. “Taste your soup.” I smiled and picked up my spoon. The aroma was almost enough to delight all my senses. When I put the spoon in my mouth, I had to close my eyes too. My taste buds were dancing. It was honestly the best soup I’d ever tasted.
“Wow! That’s amazing.” Axel was looking at me funny and after several seconds passed he said,
“I’d really like to be the cause of that look.” It took me several seconds of my own to process what he meant. By the time I was blushing, he was going on to say, “Jesse Lee was poor white trash. I can say that…because so was I. I was raised by a single mother in the Bronx. Jesse Lee and his father lived several houses down with his grandmother. His old man was a drunk and used to beat the hell out of him pretty routinely. Jesse dealt with that by spreading the abuse across the neighborhood. He didn’t discriminate…the only requirement for you to get your ass beat by him is for you to be smaller than him. He was a fat little bastard and tall for his age…so that was pretty much every kid in the neighborhood.”
“Oh no! That’s hard to ima
gine.”
“Yeah, I suppose it would be if you didn’t know him back then. He cleaned up well.”
“So…did he beat you up too?”
Axel took a bite of his sandwich and after he finished chewing it he said, “Once or twice. I made a business deal with him however. When we were fourteen I taught him how to play the guitar. I’d heard him sing in a Christmas pageant at school so I knew he had talent. At first he told me to fuck off…but he came around.”
“So in essence, you’re responsible for his success.” He winked at me and said,
“I love the way you think. He had talent whether I taught him how to play or not. I did do what I could to help him hone that talent and for a while in high school we played together in a band.”
“So…”
“You’re an impatient little thing, aren’t you?”
I felt my face go hot. “I’m sorry. Take your time.”
With a grin, he went on. “The year we graduated from high school, the school was offering a scholarship for Julliard. I applied for it the first day it came out. I was going to be able to swing community college…but something like Julliard I could never afford even on a public grant. I wrote the song I was going to play and I wrote the essay and I made the mistake of thinking Jamie Lee and I were friends. In the spring of that year, Jesse’s father lost his job. Jesse would come around stoned and with the hell beat out of him two or three days a week. His music sounded like shit…and quite frankly, I thought his father was going to kill him. I talked him into calling the cops on his dad and I talked my mother into letting him stay with us until he graduated. None of that was easily done. It took weeks to convince them both, but Jesse’s father put him in the hospital during that time and that clenched it for them both.”