The Midnight Club

by Love, Michelle

  “Shut the fuck up, moron. Is he here?”

  “Ready and waiting”

  The man walked into the suite’s living room. Tyson Janek was impeccably dressed, even at this late hour, in a Saville Row suit, a heavy glass of bourbon n his hands. He stood with back facing the room, but turned as the man greeted him. His steel gray eyes were cold.

  “Where is my stepdaughter?”

  “She attacked me, and then her boyfriend got involved. I thought it best to back off and re-evaluate”

  Janek’s face was expressionless. “My stepdaughter does not have a boyfriend, Mr. Harrison. Are you telling me that there was a man with her tonight?”

  Harrison nodded.

  Janek put his glass down on the table. “Filthy little whore,” he whispered, almost to himself. He was silent for a few long moments, then looked back at Harrison. “Find out who the boyfriend is and end him”

  Harrison—who had no trouble killing women, but balked at taking on men twice his size—looked alarmed. “Sir, I think that might be a mistake”

  Janek looked faintly amused. “You do?”

  Harrison kept his mouth shut, knowing this look of old. It was the calm before the storm. Janek would appear amused, then from nowhere would explode into a rage which made Hurricane Katrina look like a brief rain shower.

  Janek picked up his glass. “So, she has a boyfriend. I knew the blessed little virgin act wouldn’t last” He considered, then glanced back at Harrison. “Fine. Keep watching them, but I want to know everything about the boyfriend”

  Harrison was relieved. “Consider it done”

  When he was alone, Janek brooded, nursing another drink. He had come to Italy after a mutual friend had told him he’d seen Ori in the city— alone, the friend had told him. Tyson Janek had seen his political career collapse because of his affairs with the wives of his friends, but he was convinced he could turn things around in a year or two. After all, who would honestly care about it after the initial scandal? How many times had JFK fucked up? And yet he was still considered a god.

  Tyson went to his bathroom now and stripped off. At fifty-five, he was still hard-bodied and had the handsome, all-American good looks that had propelled his career so far. Even now, so near to the scandal, people were already whispering that he was so good-looking, who could blame those women for falling for him? Who could blame a red-blooded male for taking advantage of what was thrown in his path?

  Once Kathryn had—fortuitously, in Tyson’s opinion—died young of cancer, he had been able to focus all of his attention on Ori. On those nights he used to go to her room, force the door open, and see her cowering on her single bed, there was no one to hear him and stop him then. Nor would there be now …

  When she left home—practically the day she turned sixteen—Tyson had lost some of that control over her, but while AJ was still under his parentage, he knew he could still be sure that Ori would not tell anyone about Tyson’s particular peccadillos.

  Now AJ had left home and Tyson no longer had that assurance. Which was why, regrettably, his beautiful Orianthi would have to die.

  He stepped into the shower, cranking the hot water on. As he stood under the spray, he imagined the leverage that a tragic death in the family would give him. All sins would be forgiven as the courageous, devastated congressman bravely vowed to find out who murdered his beautiful stepdaughter. And now that she had a boyfriend, he suddenly realized, he had someone to pin it on, to frame when they found Ori’s broken, brutalized body.

  Tyson grinned to himself as he shampooed his hair. Perfect, he thought. Perfect. Now he just had to pick the perfect time to kill her. Harrison was willing, if not eager to do it, but Janek had turned him down. “As much as I admire your bloodlust, Harrison, I will be the one to end Orianthi’s life”

  He couldn’t wait.

  When Ori woke in the morning, the bed beside her was empty. For a long moment, she fought with both disappointment and acceptance. It’s for the best, she told herself. Maybe Maceo understood that this could not be a thing if they were to work with each other. She pushed the sheet back and swung her legs over the side of the bed just as she heard the door to the apartment open and his voice calling, “Good morning, beautiful”

  Ori flushed, her heart leaping with joy. She padded barefoot into the living area to see him dumping fresh breakfast rolls onto a plate, a jug of orange juice already on her table. Maceo switched her coffee pot on and grinned at her. She laughed softly.

  “Domesticated”

  Maceo laughed. “No, just a hungry man. I need some energy after last night. Come here to me” He held out his arms but Ori backed off, grinning.

  “Two seconds to brush my teeth, I have morning breath”

  He held up his hands. “I don’t care, but okay, go do what you have to”

  Ori scooted into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, trying to get a handle on what she was feeling. Thoroughly and professionally fucked, for one, she grinned to herself now, as she rinsed her mouth. Her thighs ached and her vagina throbbed from the pounding Maceo’s huge and ramrod hard cock had given it. Jeez … even thinking about it made her wet again.

  Her smile faded when she noticed the bruises on her neck and the clearly defined fingerprints. Jeez, what a whirlwind. One minute I was being murdered, the next fucked to within an inch of my life. Who the hell had broken into her apartment and why had he tried to kill her?

  An image of her stepfather flashed into her mind. No. He had no idea where she was … did he? Surely now that he was in disgrace, a lot of the contacts he could have used to find her had vanished—mostly because he’d fucked their wives. A wave of nausea hit her, and she gripped the side of the washbasin to steady herself.

  “Are you okay, bella?”

  Ori looked up to see Maceo watching her with concerned eyes. She smiled weakly at him. “I think the break-in just hit me”

  He came to her then, his fingers brushing her bruised neck. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Ori. I promise” God, she could get lost in his green eyes…

  Maceo brushed his lips against hers. He tasted of fresh air. Ori closed her eyes and reveled in his kiss, his tongue gently massaging hers, his hands dropping to her waist and pulling her close to him. She could feel his erection through his clothes, hot and long against her belly. What this man does to me …

  She gave a little moan, which seemed to spur him into action. Pulling her T-shirt over her head in one swift motion, he lifted her up so her buttocks rested on the sink. Ori kept her mouth on his as he eased her shorts off and tugged her legs around his waist. And then he was inside her again, impaling her on his long shaft. Ori cried out as he fucked her hard, his thickly muscled arms lifting her small frame easily, his mouth rough on hers.

  He took her again in the shower they shared, pressing her against the cool tile as he thrust into her from behind, murmuring her name again and again until she was almost crying with pleasure.

  They devoured the breakfast rolls hungrily afterward, and Maceo told her some more about her new job. “I think we will be working together very closely,” he said with a wicked grin. “I need someone to travel the world with me, to go and scout the cities while I deal with the red tape and business side. It is regretful that I cannot make the time to see all the galleries—that is my first love—but it’s not what made me a billionaire”

  Ori was curious. “Do you come from a rich family?”

  Maceo shook his head. “My mother looked after me on her own and gave me a good upbringing, but we did not lead a wealthy life. It made me determined to give her everything. I am glad I got to spoil her before she passed”

  Ori felt a wash of sympathy. “I’m sorry she’s gone, Maceo”

  He nodded, comfortable with his emotions. “What about you?”

  Ori shifted in her chair. “My mom died a few years ago. I have a younger brother— well, half-brother, AJ He’s the love of my life, really” She was grinning now, thinking of him, and Maceo sm
iled at her.

  “I can see that. Lucia tells me your stepfather is a politician”

  Ori’s smiled faded and unconsciously, she touched the bruises at her neck. “My mother is dead. He’s no longer my stepfather”

  Maceo covered her hand with his. “I understand, bella” He leaned over to kiss her. “Now, by your own logic, I’m not your boss until Monday morning, and it just so happens that I have the weekend free. Would you spend it with me, Ori? I would like to show you my Venezia”

  Ori smiled at him, grateful for the change of subject. “Yes, Maceo, I would like that very much”

  A little while later, when Ori had excused herself to use the bathroom, Maceo pulled out his cell phone. In a low voice, he instructed his private detective to find out everything he could on Tyson Janek. “I want to know where he is, what he wants … and what the hell he’s been doing to his stepdaughter”

  “Mr. Milland, would you come this way?” The police captain came to greet him personally and led him to his office. After they had been seated, the captain gave him a sympathetic look.

  “Mr. Milland, I know this has been hard, but I assure you that we are doing everything we can to find Viola’s killer”

  “It’s been weeks and no new leads,” Alex said. “Surely there must be something. Can you trace the crossbow bolt?”

  “Unlikely,” the captain said. “Mr. Milland, can you think of anyone or anything, no matter how seemingly inconsequential that might make—”

  “Someone fire a crossbow bolt into the abdomen of the woman I loved? No,” Alex was snippy now. “Viola had no enemies. None. And to do that to someone … why?”

  The police captain hesitated. “Mr. Milland, our police psychologist has been asking the same questions”

  “And?”

  “The manner of killing … the way she was tied before being shot … he seems to think it was a sexual motive”

  Alex leaned forward. “Aren’t they all? Viola was a beautiful woman, Captain. I assumed it was sexually motivated from the beginning. The question is—who?”

  The captain tapped his pen on the desk. “Mr. Milland, how long had you and Viola been in a relationship?”

  “Two years, five months, and seven days. Why?”

  “Is it possible she had a lover? Or lovers?”

  Alex felt the blood drain out of his face, but he sighed. “It’s possible. I spent long days and nights away on business. We sometimes argued about it” He turned hooded, haunted eyes to the captain. “Am I a suspect?”

  “We can’t rule out anyone at this point”

  Alex nodded. “I understand”

  “Do you know of anyone close to you who might have had the opportunity—I’m not saying they did anything untoward—but had the opportunity to be alone with Viola?”

  Alex rubbed his head. “Yes. I have a group of friends with whom Viola was friendly, and I know when they were in town and I wasn’t, they would sometimes have dinner or drinks with her. But none of them would do this, Captain. They are my brothers”

  “It would be good to talk to them, Mr. Milland”

  Alex shook his head. “No, I won’t believe any of them had anything to do with this. You’re looking in the wrong direction”

  “Still, Mr. Milland … I’d like to have their names. Just to be thorough” The captain’s voice had taken on a hard edge and Alex, seeing how seriously he was taking this, couldn’t think of a way to dissuade him.

  “Please don’t harass them,” he said and, sighing, began to recite their names. “Lisander Duarte, Benoit Vaux, Seth Cantor, Maceo Bartoli …”

  After a weekend of sightseeing and screwing—sometimes both at the same time— Ori finally sent Maceo home on Sunday evening. “I don’t want anyone to know we’ve been together,” she said firmly, “I need to make my own first impression. I don’t want to be known as the girl who screwed her way into her job, Maceo”

  Maceo had no choice but to honor her wishes, but he insisted on making sure the apartment was intruder-proof before he left. Ori didn’t mind that at all. Seeing Maceo working with his hands, fixing deadbolts to the door, installing an alarm, especially when he could have just paid someone to do it, was a huge turn on. She thanked him profusely in the shower afterward.

  Now, as she sat outside on the balcony breathing in the cool night air, she missed him. His crazy, infectious energy was like a balm to every bad thing. Yes, she knew that she was unlikely to ever be able to trust him completely … but when had she trusted anyone, anyway? Even her beloved mother had let her down the one time Ori had gone to her and told her what Tyson had done to her.

  “You must never, ever say anything like that ever again, child, never”

  And, haunted by the fear on her mother’s face, she hadn’t.

  Maceo Bartoli … he had gotten under her skin in a way Ori had never experienced before. She was under no illusions that they were dating—they were merely screwing—no commitment, no relationship, and that was fine with her. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the way his lips felt against hers, or the clean scent of his skin, and the way his gaze fixed on hers as he thrust into her. She could still feel the way his dark brown curls felt as she slid her fingers through them. God, stop thinking about him, she told herself fiercely—even dreaming of him turned her on.

  She went to bed early, setting her alarm for seven a.m. She had a water taxi booked for eight; she wanted to be early on her first day. Her work clothes—a simple burgundy dress and heels—hung on the back of her door. Ori got into bed and switched off the lamp, scooching down. She felt optimistic for the first time in a long time. A new job, a new life. A new love? Her cell phone beeped with a text message.

  Goodnight, sleeping beauty. I will see you in the morning. Sleep well, M.

  Ori smiled to herself and replied. You too … boss. She put a smiley face on the end of the message and shut off her phone. Soon she was asleep, the cool Venice air drifting in through the window.

  She had no idea how soon her happiness would be shattered.

  Tyson Janek stood on the small boat as it pulled up alongside the jetty outside Ori’s apartment, but he made no move to get out. Instead, he stared up at the open window of where she had to be sleeping. So close …

  So she’d scored herself a billionaire boyfriend, then? Maceo Bartoli. Tyson’s murderous jealousy had not been helped by what Harrison had discovered about the man. He was 39, an art dealer and gallery owner, involved in something called The Midnight Club. Bartoli was powerful, had friends in the Italian government, and was a ruthless businessman. But all that was nothing compared to Bartoli’s almost legendary status with women. If he wanted them, he could have them—his devastating good looks made sure that the world’s most beautiful women hung on his every word.

  And now he had Ori. My Ori, Tyson seethed, but he did not show it on his face. He wondered if Bartoli would be unhappy when Ori died or if she was just another random fuck for him.

  No. From the personality profile he had on the man, Bartoli might be a whore, but he treated all his castoffs royally. He was passionate and caring, even if commitment wasn’t his thing. Tyson had to admit, he probably suited Ori. Ori had always hated being tied down—Tyson smirked to himself, and literally too.

  He nodded to the boat captain, who backed the small boat away from the jetty and out into the lagoon. No, Maceo Bartoli would mourn Ori, Tyson was sure.

  But he’ll mourn her from the confines of a jail cell.

  Ori walked into the gallery at a quarter of nine, nervous but excited. She saw Maceo already there, talking to a group of people gathered around one of the paintings. Clients, she guessed, and hovered in the background, not sure of what to do. She watched Maceo charm them, making them laugh, the women all tucking their hair behind their ears and standing a little straighter. Ori hid a smile. Man whore in everything, she thought without malice. She could see the danger of him—so easy to fall for, so difficult to let go.

  Maceo noticed her, a
nd a huge smile spread across his face. He excused himself politely and came to her. “And early, too. That’s always a plus” He kissed her cheeks, his green eyes twinkling at her. “Come meet some people and then we’ll get to organizing you”

  The morning flew by as Ori didn’t have the time to worry as Maceo steered her through meeting clients and getting to know the staff. He introduced her as a friend of Lucia’s; she was glad, it saved her a lot of nervousness. Maceo, his hand on the small of her back, was professional all the way, and most of the young woman greeted her as an old friend. Ori wasn’t stupid; she knew Maceo had probably screwed half, if not more, of them, but to his credit, they all seemed to be on friendly terms with their boss. Only one woman, Cassie—the other American—Maceo had chuckled – a blonde with a sweet face, was cooler to Ori, her eyes searching her face, then resting on Maceo. A small smirk hitched up at the side of her mouth. Ori flushed, but Maceo didn’t notice anything.

  “Cas, can I get you to show Ori somewhere she can dump her things? She’ll be hot-desking mostly for now. Ori, please excuse me for a few more moments while I show my clients out”

  “Of course”

  Cassie took Ori up a flight of glass stairs. A large open plan office lay on the second floor but Ori was amused to see huge tables filled with art materials as well as the usual desks. It was messy and colorful and Ori loved it. A few of the women working up there looked at her curiously. Cassie showed her a desk in the corner, a view out to the lagoon a welcome sight to the cramped space.

  “You can use this one,” Cassie told her. “Maceo doesn’t care how you personalize it as long as you’re happy—but it doesn’t sound like you’ll be using it a lot. I hear you’re to be our new scout?”

  Ori detected an undertone to her words but decided to ignore it. She didn’t want to fall out with anyone on her first day. “Apparently so. I’m excited to start”

  Cassie took her through the computer and phone system, then showed her the bathrooms and kitchen, making them both a rather weak coffee. Ori sipped it, grateful despite the taste. Her nerves had only gotten worse since she got to the gallery. Cassie left her alone at her desk, and Ori took the chance to catch her breath and survey her surroundings. A small dark girl waved at her from across the room, and Ori smiled at her. The girl came over and sat on Ori’s desk.