Taking Control (Kerr Chronicles #2)

by Jen Frederick

  Her undergarments currently consist of a black lace thong that has one small panel in the front and is attached to a miniscule patch of fabric in the back with two rows of satin strings. In the dark light of the bar, it would likely appear as if she were wearing nothing. My palm covers her. “Did you forget that this is mine?”

  “How about ours?” she winks, allowing my possessive gesture. “Unzip me, though, because I want to try another outfit.”

  With a sigh, I release her.

  “I’m wondering if I should be offended that you’ve never worried this much about how you’re going to look when we’ve gone out.”

  “I thought your preference was for me to be naked.” Her fingers riffle through her clothes. Clearly she doesn’t have enough.

  “So it is.”

  “It’s just that I haven’t been out with Sarah for years and I feel so disconnected from everyone. It’s like I woke up one day and every girlfriend I had had disappeared.”

  I refrain from pointing out that her five-year struggle with her mother’s cancer might have had a lot to do with it. I didn’t know Tiny and her mother when the cancer first appeared and then went into remission, so I don’t know what the battle was like the first go-around, but I know that when Sophie Corielli’s cancer came back a second time, Tiny worked extra jobs on top of taking care of her sick mother. She didn’t have time to go out and party with her girlfriends.

  I’m reserving judgment as to whether this friend of hers is worth Tiny’s time. Where was she when Tiny was trying to hold the pieces of her life together? That’s when Tiny could have used a friend. Now suddenly this Sarah turns up and asks if Tiny can get her into the exclusive nightclubs that she’s seen mentioned in the gossip rags.

  Tiny finally settles on a pair of leopard-print shorts with a low-cut black tank top covered in sequins. She pulls on a sexy black lace bra with scalloped edges. The shirt makes a slight musical sound as she moves and the light catches on the small silver disks, drawing the eye to the perfect swell of her breasts peeking out from the top of the tank. Before I can form a protest at how much of her will be on display, she throws an off-white jacket over the top and pushes up the sleeves.

  When she straps on a pair of metal-studded stilettos, I know she’s really trying to impress. She’s a tennis shoes and flats kind of girl. I want to draw her into my arms and tell her that everything is going to be fine, but I wait until she’s done fixing her pretty hair into a messy side braid. Strolling over to her, I tug on the braid.

  “I like this. I can think of several things I want to do with this braid.”

  She gives me a coy look and purses her painted lips. “You can look but don’t touch.”

  The coquettish attitude is tempting me to bend her over and show her how I can touch her a million different ways without messing her hair or makeup, but the downstairs bell rings, signaling the arrival of her friend.

  Tiny pulls her hair from my hand and rushes downstairs. I grab my jacket and follow her.

  “Be nice,” she hisses over her shoulder as she opens the door.

  “Vic!” A tall woman with dark curly hair appears in the entryway. Tiny rushes over and gives her a hug. “You look amazing. I love it. Shorts, how chic!”

  “Thanks, you look great too. Come and meet Ian.” Tiny tugs Sarah’s hand and they walk over to me. I use the time to measure Sarah. She’s about six inches taller than my girl and slender. The navy blue and white bandage dress accentuates her thinness and stops dangerously high on her thighs. Jesus, these women need to eat more.

  “Nice to meet you.” I shake her hand. It’s firm and dry, which I take as a good sign.

  “Great place you have here.” She smiles at me but it’s friendly appreciation only. There’s no flirtation in her greeting. Just to make sure she knows that I’m firmly in the hands of Tiny, I draw her to my side.

  “Tiny says you’ve never been to the Aquarium.” The relatively new bar is owned by Kaga, heir to one of the largest beverage corporations in the world. About ten thousand Kaga beverages are consumed every second. His brand of entertainment is currently creating outrageous nightclubs and throwing parties. The Aquarium is so named because the interior is painted blue and filled with water—aquariums, hot tubs, pools. We’re the fish, and we’re all swimming around in Kaga’s bowl.

  “Nope. But Vic says it’s amazing.”

  “It is,” Tiny says. “But I thought I told you the floor was glass.”

  “Oh, you did,” Sarah replies. Her lips curve up in what can only be described as a naughty smile. “And I can’t wait.”

  Tiny laughs. “Okay then. Let’s go.”

  The last time I took Tiny here we entered through the back door and went straight to Kaga’s private box. But I didn’t want to bring an unknown person into his space. Kaga is a private man. Plus, I had no idea what or who he’s doing in there. Instead, we enter at the front, bypassing the huge line. The doorman waves us in. Obviously Kaga’s people are trained to recognize certain individuals and allow them access without IDs or checklists. The meticulous attention to detail is part of why his clubs are so popular.

  I lead the two women straight to the VIP section and into a booth overlooking the first-floor dance floor. The VIP section is set on a balcony at the front of the bar. On the exact opposite wall, some hundred yards away, is Kaga’s black glass one-way viewing box.

  A light flashes several times in a rhythmic pattern. “Fucking Kaga,” I snort.

  “What is it?” Tiny whispers in my ear.

  “Morse code. He says ‘don’t talk, just dance.’ I think that message is for you.”

  “So you’re one of those?” Sarah interjects.

  “Those what?”

  “Guys who refuse to dance?”

  “I don’t refuse. I just know the limits of my skill set, which doesn’t include dancing.”

  “You move pretty good in other places,” Tiny murmurs.

  “If you want to have sex, I’m your man, bunny.”

  “And if I want to dance, do I find someone else?”

  “No.” I shake my head emphatically. “You dance right here, and I enjoy every minute of the show.”

  “Come on,” Sarah pulls at Tiny’s hand. “Let’s go try out the dance floor.”

  Tiny allows herself to be dragged away. They head downstairs to the first level, where the dance floor surrounds a circular bar that has two twenty-foot-high aquariums filled with sharks and sting rays.

  “I’m surprised you let her out of your sight. I heard you were pretty attached to her.”

  Richard Howe. With some effort, I manage not to clench my fingers into a fist and drive it into his face multiple times.

  “I know a good woman when I find her,” I say, refusing to look at him. “Are you here to tell me you’re leaving? I didn’t need a verbal announcement. A letter would have sufficed.”

  While the cushion is too well-made for me to actually feel him taking a seat at the end of the blue velvet banquette, I sense it. It’s only due to years of rigid self-control that I’m able to remain seated. Across the way I see the light flash again. It’s Kaga wanting to know if I need an intervention. Not yet.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he says. “Cecilia says you’re too much your father’s son to hurt her, and sending me away would hurt her.”

  There’s a tap on the table as he sets down his glass. A waiter stops by and sets a tumbler of amber liquid in front of me. “From Mr. Kaga,” he says with a nod of his head.

  “I’ll take what he’s having.” Richard tips his empty glass toward the waiter who looks at me for approval. I shake my head. No way in hell Kaga would serve Richard a drop of the famed Kaga reserve. With another nod, the waiter walks off, leaving Richard fuming.

  “This place won’t stay in business longer than six months with that kind of fucking service.” />
  “You should find someplace else, then.” I take a sip, hoping the smooth liquor will ease the rage that I’m barely suppressing.

  “Aquarium is the hottest nightclub in the city and we both know it.” Richard starts tapping the bottom of his empty glass against the table.

  “Shouldn’t you be at home with the lovely wife?” I ask.

  “Sissy’s too busy puking her dinner up and washing her mouth out with Scotch. Besides, the old girl hasn’t opened her legs since they invented the iPod.”

  Sissy’s had to suffer nearly two decades of marriage to this worthless piece of trash, and yet she stays with him. I should just kill him. Take a gun to his head and blow out his brains. But then Tiny would be alone, and I’d be sitting in a prison cell. There are other ways to ruin a person’s life. For Howe, a life sentence of living a hand-to-mouth existence would be worse than death. I’ll apply more pressure. Maybe if Cecilia was on the brink of ruin, she would leave him. Because damn her, she’s right. I don’t want to hurt her. “She should divorce you.”

  “Can’t. Daddy would have a fit. Speaking of my old man, how does it feel to be fellated by him publicly? ‘Ian Kerr is an example of what New York can do for people and what I want to do for New York.’” Richard mocks his father’s latest sound bite. “He keeps asking me why I’m not a success like Ian Kerr who didn’t even go to business school.”

  “Why aren’t you, Howe? Degrees from Yale and Columbia. Old family name. Connections. You should be rolling in it.” I dig the knife in as hard as I can.

  “Fuck you,” he curses. “You’ve just been phenomenally lucky.”

  “Or smart.”

  “You invested in one technology early that set you up for life. Everything since your investment in SeeMe is just gravy. That’s fucking luck. And everyone knows your money was dirty. You’re no better than a goddamn mobster.” He looks ready to throw the glass on the floor.

  “There were plenty of people who were offered the chance to invest in that video sharing software. I believe I heard you were even approached.”

  “I could have had her, you know.” He abruptly switches the subject. I glance over the dance floor at Tiny and Sarah who are busy shaking their hips and arms to the heavy bass of EDM being spun by the DJ. “If her mom hadn’t died, she would have eventually succumbed.”

  Finally I turn to look at him, and he flinches from the murderous look in my eyes. “If it pleases you to delude yourself, go right ahead.” Another sip. I concentrate on the liquid, savoring the cherry notes on top of the smoke and wood, but I don’t take my eyes off of him.

  “If you only knew the women I’ve had in the past.” Richard’s words are a tease and the closest he’s ever come to admitting that he slept with my mother; that he took advantage of her at her lowest moment; that he drove her to suicide. I squeeze the tumbler so that the cut crystal of the base digs into my palm. I want him to admit it. To verbalize his deed so that I can take him down without feeling an ounce of remorse.

  It takes a superhuman effort, but I’m able to respond without inflection. “I don’t doubt your past is littered with stories. None of them are of any interest to me,” I lied.

  “Then let me tell you—”

  “Mr. Howe, there’s a phone call from your father.” Kaga appears suddenly. “He says it’s urgent that you present yourself at campaign headquarters immediately. Something about a young woman claiming to have personal information about you.”

  There are two burly bouncers standing behind Kaga who are clearly ready to drag Howe out of the VIP section, willing or not. He leans forward, so close I can smell the cheap booze and desperation. “You are nothing, Kerr. And whatever you’ve built can be ripped down in a moment. Without your money, you wouldn’t be able to buy a whore in the city let alone sit here like a sultan purveying his harem.”

  “Your clock is ticking, Howe. I can bring you down with one phone call. And all of this—” I sweep my arm toward the bar “—will be out of your reach.

  He looks behind him and curses. “I’m not the only one with plans. Keep your loved ones close, Kerr. Not everyone has the same principles as you.”

  “I’d take your threats more seriously if you weren’t such a complete and utter failure at life, Howe. Maybe I’ll give you more time. Your humiliation is entertaining.” I flick my hand in dismissal. Kaga nods his head and the two bouncers grab hold of one arm each and pull Howe toward the exit. Shock paralyzes him, and I savor the spectacle until he gathers himself and jerks his arms out of their grip and trots hurriedly down the stairs.

  “Call from his father?”

  Kaga shrugs and sits down. A glass appears in front of him before his ass can hit the cushion. “His father should be keeping a closer eye on him. And you need to either pull the trigger on Howe or just let it go.”

  “I’m pulling the trigger, but I’m not going to sink to his level and ruin an entire family.” I look into my tumbler. “At least not yet.”

  I swallow the rest of the glass and try to push thoughts of Richard and Cecilia aside. Below me, Tiny’s sequins flash under the strobe lights as she twirls and shakes. I concentrate on her until the rage recedes and the tension eases. She’s all I’ll ever need.

  “You really love her,” Kaga says in wonderment.

  “She makes my world turn.”

  TINY

  “This place is amazing,” Sarah yells. It’s the only way to be heard over the club music that’s pouring out of every speaker. We’re on the edge of the VIP dance floor, the one with the glass tiles. Some of the partygoers are just in their underwear, still wet from the plunge pools that circle the outer rim.

  “It’s a lot more fun this time around,” I admit. I’m nervous though, looking for Howe in every corner.

  “Do you see him?” she shouts again.

  I shake my head. It’s hard to see anything here. My idea was a good one in theory, not so great in practice. But at least Sarah is having a good time. I decide to allow myself to enjoy the music, my friend, and the hot gaze of my lover. A couple of guys try to insert themselves between us, but Sarah sidles closer, placing her hands on my hips so as to block them. When it’s apparent they won’t leave, Sarah and I exit the dance floor.

  “Bathroom?” I ask. She nods and we head off toward the ladies’ room. The nice thing about the VIP floor is the bathroom is super swank. There’s an outer sitting area with a wall full of mirrors and two small sofas. Inside are six separate stalls with toilets that have more buttons than the remote for my television.

  “I don’t know who’s hotter,” she says as we’re washing our hands. I’d pointed him out as he was crossing the dance floor. “Kaga or Ian. I’d do either or both. At the same time if I had to.”

  “Since I’m not sharing Ian, you’ll have to make do with Kaga.”

  “Like that would be a tragedy. His cheekbones are so sharp I think I’d cut my tongue on them. I need to test it out to be sure. Is he single?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “He seems single,” Sarah says, making use of the complimentary cosmetics at the counter. “Ian can’t take his eyes off you, but Kaga’s looking everywhere. Assessing things.”

  “He is the owner,” I point out.

  Sarah shakes her head. “It’s different. When I look at Ian, he doesn’t even see me. His eyes are locked on you and you alone. It’s all he sees. Cam never looked at me like that. I don’t think any guy has. It’s amazing. And shit, that picture of him in the Observer does no justice to him. He and Kaga look like they should be on billboards wearing nothing but what God gave them. You need to make that happen for the rest of womankind.”

  “That’d cause a riot.” I smile. “I’ve seen Ian Kerr naked and it’s enough to stop traffic. There’d be women fainting in cars and men beating themselves up for not looking as good. It’s for the good of all mankind that he keeps himself
clothed in public. Trust me on this.”

  She whimpers. Or I thought she whimpered, but after a moment the whimpers turn to choked sobs. We stare at each other and then look into the sitting room. Someone is crying out there.

  Grimacing slightly, I tiptoe over and sure enough, a woman is crying in the arms of a friend.

  “Is she okay?” I ask, wondering if I should get Kaga. “Do you need anything?”

  The friend, a raven-haired woman thin enough to be a model, frowns at me. “It’s nothing. She’ll be fine.”

  The crying woman pushes away and despite her tears, she’s stunning. Two models, for sure. They both have prominent cheekbones and elegant bodies that look good in anything.

  “Are you the one?” she asks, pointing to me.

  “The one what?” I say.

  “The one dating Ian Kerr. You said you saw him naked.”

  In the short time I’ve dated Ian, he’s never mentioned another woman and we’ve never run into any of his girlfriends. My luck has run out.

  “Yeah, she’s dating Ian Kerr. What of it?” Sarah says, her chin jutting out aggressively.

  Tears well up in the model’s eyes, making her look luminous in the sparsely lit sitting room. “I’m Melinda.” Her voice is hopeful, as if she’s optimistic that Ian has mentioned her to me.

  “I’m Victoria Corielli,” I say instead, because I’ve never heard of her before. It doesn’t seem right to say that—not with tears still running down her face.

  “He went to your mother’s funeral.” It isn’t a question. God, has everyone seen that Observer picture?

  “Yes. My mom meant a lot to him.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” she says sincerely.

  “Thank you.” This is so awkward. I want to leave, yet it seems rude to walk out on her. I look to Sarah for help, but she just grimaces as if to say she doesn’t know what the appropriate thing to do is either.

  “Come sit with me for a moment.” Melinda pats the sofa cushion next to her.