by Anne Brooke
“God knows this probably isn’t supposed to happen, but I like how they make me feel, and the whole danger thing? Well, it’s hot, isn’t it? But they’re not bad to me, not terribly bad anyway, and, hell, they know how to give a bloke a good time. But the thing is, you know them a damn sight better than I do, so I need you to tell me: how do I keep them interested and how do I get them to see me as more than a good quality fuck? I need to know, Melissa.”
By the time I’d finished, my boss’s eyes were so wide I could probably have used them as dinner plates if I was so inclined. She snorted and flapped her hand across her face, as if to cool down.
“God, Liam, too much information. Far too much information.”
“Sorry,” I said, “but I couldn’t think of any other way of putting it.”
She sighed and rose to her feet in order to open the window. I was glad she did, as the breeze helped to cool me down, too, in all sorts of ways.
She paced up and down next to the desk for a few moments, and I could tell she was thinking. Whether it was how to solve my problem or how to get rid of a possibly insane employee, I couldn’t tell. I just hoped it was the former, as I definitely needed the job.
Finally, she came to a halt and fixed her deep green eyes on me.
“Well,” she said slowly, “funnily enough there might be something you can do to impress the Delaneys, but you’ll need to be smart, subtle and quick. Do you think you can do any of those, Liam?”
“I’ve no idea,” I said with admirable honesty, but not much sense, which probably put me out of the running for all three categories. “But I’ll have a go if you think it might help.”
She sat back down and drummed her fingernails briefly on the desk. “Well, it’s like this…”
As Melissa explained the darker dealings of the Delaney brothers, something I hadn’t realized she was quite so privy to, I was sure my eyes became wider and my expression more disbelieving. Certainly, she kept giving me contemplative glances as she continued to speak, but must have found something in my face that encouraged her to go on.
What she told me was this: whilst my favorite twins had been involved in local and not-so-local organized crime for generations—it was a family tradition, when all was said and done—their main interest had been in the usual: drugs, extortion, debt-collecting, fraud, prostitution and so on. The sort of activity everyone knew about and most turned a blind eye to. Recently, however, they’d been making plans to expand their operations and had carried out some initial research into the many possibilities of art fraud.
“Art fraud?” I interrupted the boss in mid-flow, a cardinal sin which caused her to give me the evil eye, but I couldn’t help myself. “Isn’t it a bit risky? I mean, I know you’re friendly with the Delaneys, and believe me I know I’ve every reason to be grateful for it. But this is your business, Melissa, so don’t you want it to be above board?”
The evil eye became even more evil, if this was possible.
“Believe me, Liam,” she said crisply, “my business is as above board as it needs to be, and I’ll thank you not to say anything else, if you want to keep on being part of it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, resisting the urge to salute, but sitting straighter in my seat anyway. You never knew how angry Melissa might get, but obviously today she had other things on her mind.
“And if we want to keep on being a business,” she mused, turning to gaze out the window, “then we have to achieve a fine balancing act between being suitably legal and letting the Delaneys get what they want.”
“Oh, yes,” I said with rather more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary. “Because letting the Delaneys get what they want is always a good thing.”
“Indeed. But passing swiftly on from that, Liam, this is the plan.”
It didn’t take long for her to tell me. It sounded more than a little underhanded to me, but my mother prided herself on having brought me up in as correct a fashion as possible. It wasn’t her fault I was taking a walk on the shadowy side now and, hell, the Delaneys were worth it. Time to show them what I was made of then, and how wise they’d be to hang on to me.
“So, Liam?” Melissa prompted me when she’d finished.
I grinned at her, knowing exactly what my answer would be.
“I’ll do it,” I said. “You can rely on me, boss.”
* * *
Never let it be said the Delaneys did anything simply or by halves. Two nights after my conversation with Melissa, I made the call to them that would start everything off. It was the first time I’d made contact with them to start something off, as before, they’d either found me or called me with their requirements. And this time it wasn’t to do with sex either, which was a novelty. Still, with my plans dovetailing with Melissa’s, I was hoping sex wouldn’t be entirely off the agenda either. It was all, as they say, to play for.
I used the number Johnny had given me, and he answered at once. “Delaney here.”
His voice made my cock stiffen, and I wondered briefly if he and his brother might be up to phone sex at some point, but now probably wasn’t the moment to ask. I pushed down my libido, literally, and focused on the matter in hand, as it were.
“Mr. Delaney, sir,” I said, my voice croaking, so I had to clear my throat to carry on, “it’s Liam.”
“Ah, Liam.” Johnny’s tones flowed over me like honey over a rock on a warm summer day, or would have done if I’d been in the least way poetical. “Good to hear you. We’ve missed you, my brother and I.”
I grabbed the nearest chair at that point and had to sit down before I fell down. Lucky then I was in the living room and not the kitchen where chairs were rather scarce.
“I miss you, too, Johnny,” I said with a gulp, “and your brother as well. I’d love to see you both right now.”
“Really?” He practically purred, and I could sense his smile.
Weird how Johnny seemed to be more flirtatious on the phone than he was when you actually met him. Maybe it was because he wasn’t with his twin, letting Mark do the talking, but what the heck did I know? I was a loved-up receptionist, not a psychiatrist.
A list of acts I could perform or let them perform on me the moment I did see the twins filled my head, but I managed to squash them down. Unlike my mind-of-its-own cock, which was in overdrive right now, but it couldn’t be helped. I had to remember Melissa’s parting shot: business before pleasure.
“Yes, really,” I managed to say, “but there’s something I need to discuss with you first, Mr. Delaney, if it’s alright.”
A pause followed, then, “Go ahead, Liam.”
“I’ve been talking with Melissa,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I would ever be in real life. “We’re keen to help you with your new art project, assuming you’re still interested in branching out in that direction, sir. Seeing as we’re the best gallery in town and you’re the best…well…business consultants, Melissa thought it would be good to join forces in the way you outlined to her.”
“I see,” Johnny said slowly. “That’s good to hear, Liam, and very interesting indeed. I’ll put you on to Mark. He’ll have the final say, of course.”
“Of course,” I echoed and then waited as Johnny put the phone on hold, presumably in order to tell Mark how things were.
After a while, the sound came back.
“Liam,” a different voice said and, without thinking, I sat up even straighter.
Funny how Mark had the same effect on me as Melissa did. No wonder they got on so well.
“Mr. Delaney, sir,” I replied.
“My brother tells me you’re willing to help us in our new artistic ventures,” Mark said.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Mr. Delaney, I’m willing to help you in any ventures you and your brother might want. Anything at all. You only have to say the word, sir.”
Again, I heard a small gasp at the end of the line, which was exactly the response I’d been hoping for. Or would have been if I hadn’t a
ctually been trying to focus on business. Funny how sex always got in the way when it came to the Delaneys…every time.
“Good.” Mark’s tone was crisp, and I could only be impressed at his powers of recovery. “In that case, be in the gallery at eleven-thirty tonight. Make sure Melissa’s there, too. Then, do everything we say and you’ll find it’ll be worth your while, Liam. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
And that, as they say, was that.
* * *
I was at the gallery by eleven. The last thing I wanted to do was risk being late, but Melissa was already there. Not that I could see her from the outside as all the hall lights were out, but the alarm wasn’t primed, and when I stepped into the hallway, I could see a faint glimmer from under her office door.
I knocked softly on the polished wood.
“Come in, Liam,” she called out.
God, but I wished I had her confidence, as I would definitely have checked who it was first.
“Good,” she said when I walked in. “You’re early. Are you ready?”
Wordless, I nodded. This was it then. We were really going to do something underhand and not strictly legal. Actually, not legal at all, when I came to think of it. Funny how excited I felt. Perhaps I was an artful dodger after all. I’d make the Delaneys proud of me yet.
Melissa took out a flashlight and switched off the room light. The glow made everything look faintly sinister.
“We’re going to need light in the gallery, aren’t we?” I whispered.
“Yes, at some stage. I know that,” she retorted. “I’m not an idiot. And why are you whispering? Nobody’s here but us. I’ve turned off the lights because I don’t want people to see us from the street, but there’s no way they can hear us, not with the door shut.”
A pause, then, “You did shut the door, didn’t you, Liam?”
“Of course, I did,” I replied, unable to lift my voice above a whisper no matter what she said. There was something about the whole occasion that warranted secrecy and, anyway, I was rather enjoying it. “I’m not an idiot either.”
She grimaced and didn’t bother to reply. Instead she clip-clipped her way across the hall and into the largest room of her beloved gallery. I followed as closely as I could without actually falling over her feet. I didn’t want to miss anything. On the way, I checked I had indeed shut the door. I had.
In the gallery, I stared at the farthest wall as Melissa highlighted each picture with her flashlight. Amongst the collection, there were a couple of Lily Coopers, alongside an abstract watercolor of chimneys against a silver sun. It definitely wasn’t the moon, as the artist had been categorical about that. Painters could be strange sometimes.
“There’s no telling which one it is,” Melissa said, “until we see the picture the Delaneys are bringing with them. I just hope it’s not a Cooper.”
“No, me, too,” I said and would have added more, but at that moment, the front door clicked open, and we heard the sound of footsteps, at least two pair, in the hallway. The Delaneys had arrived.
Mark swept in, all blond hair and muscle, followed almost immediately by Johnny, who, of course, was equally all blond hair and muscle. Behind them were two henchmen, both carrying flashlights. I recognized one of them as Benjy, the chauffeur who’d driven me to the Delaney mansion for the sex party. I’d best keep away from him. I didn’t want to cause any more damage.
“’Evening, Melissa,” Mark said, giving her a brief but friendly kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for helping us with our business ventures. We won’t forget it.”
Then, much to my surprise under the circumstances, Mark grabbed me, tilted back my head and thrust his tongue into my mouth. I staggered and almost fell, but he held me steady in his arms. God, it felt nice. He tasted of brandy and something uniquely himself. I’d temporarily forgotten how bloody good Mark was at kissing and how much he enjoyed it. Tonight, it was just what I needed to take my mind off the criminal activity Melissa and I were about to take part in. Sex could be an instant lift, as it were.
By the time Mark let me go, Melissa was humming tunelessly and playing with making patterns on the walls with her flashlight, and the two henchman were shuffling their feet and staring at the carpet.
Mark smiled. “Good to see you, Liam.”
That was without a doubt the understatement of the day. All he had to do, really all anyone had to do, was cast their gaze southward and they’d see how good I thought it was to see them. Next time I took part in a little dodgy dealing, I promised myself I’d wear a stronger pair of briefs.
Nothing much I could do but smile back at the elder twin and then make sure I didn’t forget the younger one. Taking the few steps I needed to get to Johnny, I took him in my arms and kissed him, too. He groaned and rubbed his crotch against mine, which didn’t need much encouragement by then.
Finally, when Mark coughed behind us, I let him go.
“Mr. Delaneys, sirs,” I said, “never let it be said I want anyone to feel left out.”
Johnny punched me on the arm, but in a friendly way, and Mark gave a short bark of laughter.
“Come on then,” he said. “Let’s do our business and then we can think about pleasure.”
Mark nodded at Benjy, who brought out a parcel I hadn’t seen from behind him. A rolled-up package wrapped in brown paper and string, it might as well have had the words Piece of Fraudulent Artwork emblazoned across it. I couldn’t help chuckling. It looked like the henchman had copied it from some B Movie from the Hollywood years.
“What’s the matter, Liam?” Johnny asked, and I shut up at once, and all the quicker when Mark gave me one of his glances.
“Nothing, sir,” I said.
“In that case, keep quiet,” Mark said.
Wise advice indeed.
So Melissa and I watched as the two retainers unwrapped the parcel and unrolled what was, at first glance, a vintage Cooper in the trademark shades of blue and green. Wavy, too. In fact, it was almost the exact replica of Lily’s highest priced painting currently in pride of place in the main gallery, damn it.
“Oh,” said Melissa, as she peered closer. “My best artist.”
I felt my skin grow cold. I’d never imagined the Delaneys might want to start their new line in art fraud at the top, though I supposed, with their reputations, I should have been warned. They didn’t get where they were today by being cautious. But I couldn’t help myself—I hunkered down and stared at the picture, my heart beating fast. Benjy muttered something under his breath, but luckily didn’t go for his gun at my daring. The last thing we wanted was a shoot-out at the gallery, especially as we were all trying so hard to go unnoticed.
“What are you doing?” Mark said, his tones clipped. “We need to get that on display, hide the real McCoy and do the deal. Our client will be here soon, and we’ll all make a good profit. What could be better?”
“Yes, sir,” I stuttered a reply, eyes still scanning the painting for easy errors. Damn it, but there were none. “I’m checking it is all.”
Mark swore softly. “Melissa can do that, Liam. You make yourself useful and see there’s nobody outside.”
I sprang up, making sure the picture was safely back in Benjy’s hands and began to trot obediently over to the window.
“No,” Mark and Johnny said together, before Mark continued with, “Have some subtlety, for God’s sake. You don’t want to make it obvious you’re looking.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied and sidled up the last few paces, as if stalking a potential customer. Outside, I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just a couple of lads having a smoke under the farthest lamppost and a man with a briefcase striding past them.
Oh, hang on, though. Men with briefcases didn’t usually stride anywhere in this part of town, and certainly not at this time of night.
“There’s someone odd out there,” I said, though, in all honesty, he probably wasn’t as odd as the group of us in here, and Johnny was beside me in an instan
t.
His hand on my shoulder steadied me, and I felt his breath against my cheek as he pulled me back out of sight. He peered outside for a moment and then turned back to Mark, his hand still on my shoulder.
“It’s our contact,” he said. “He’s early.”
Mark swore softly and made a quick gesture toward the copy painting.
“Will it pass muster?” he said, glance darting between my boss and me.
“Yes, sir, I think so,” I said, and Melissa nodded.
Everything then happened at double-quick speed.
The two henchmen jogged out of the room and down the corridor toward the front door with all the elegance and finesse of a herd of marauding elephants, even though there were only two of them. Mark and Melissa, followed closely by Johnny, who was holding the copy painting clutched to his chest, headed to the gallery wall, the dazzling path of their flashlights lighting the way for them. I brought up the rear. Always play to your strengths is what I say.
As quickly as she could, Melissa snatched the real Lily Cooper off the wall and laid it on the floor, muttering under her breath as she struggled with the frame.
“Here, let me,” I said. “I’m a highly skilled professional, don’t you know.”
All that training in making sure customers didn’t stalk out of the gallery because they couldn’t get the painting they wanted in the frame they desired in the two minutes they’d allocated for the sale finally came in handy. I completed the task in barely a matter of seconds.
Johnny whistled. “Impressive, Liam.”
I couldn’t help but blush as I glanced up at him. “I aim to please, Mr. Delaney, sir.”
“Cut the chat, the two of you,” Mark snapped, his hand on my shoulder bringing all flirtation to an instant close. “Our man is on his way.”
Sure enough, I heard the sound of the front door opening and the henchmen making growling noises, which could have been polite greetings or the warning grunts of wild animals about to attack. It was hard to tell, but I couldn’t imagine it would be the latter. The Delaneys wouldn’t want blood on Melissa’s carpet.
I gave the real Cooper picture to my boss, who rolled it up smartly and tap-tapped her way across the floor toward the set of three nude statues. In the murky glimmer of the flashlights, they looked ghostly and hardly there at all, but they were joined at the base. Handy, indeed, as Melissa dropped the canvas behind them and then eased it deeper into the shadows with her foot. Nobody who wasn’t looking deliberately would see it.