He was on a power trip. He had to be, Amber thought, as she watched the man enjoying the authority that he had over them. Purposely taking his time in deciding whether or not to let them in. Well, she’d had enough of the man’s petty games.
‘Are you done or what, cos I’m freezing my tits off out here,’ she said, tapping her foot in agitation as she tried to call the bouncer’s bluff by making out that she was not impressed with him holding them up from going inside. ‘You asked for ID and you got it. What’s your problem?’
‘All right, gobby!’ the doorman said with a smirk.
Then looking back at Megan, or Olivia, as he believed she was called, Jenson Reed softened. The youngest of the two girls was much nicer than her older, trappy mate. She was the prettier too, he thought as he allowed his gaze to linger on the girl’s toned figure. Wearing a tiny denim miniskirt and crop top, finished off by some ridiculously high heels that the girls were all wearing these days, she looked that tall, she was swaying.
He shook his head playfully, before offering the girls a nugget of his wisdom for future reference.
‘You know, you really need to work on your confidence,’ Jenson said. ‘Firstly, your nerves totally gave you away.’ He grinned at Megan, shaking his head in dismay, though he couldn’t help but laugh at the girls’ abysmal attempt at trying to pull the wool over his eyes. ‘And secondly, I’ve seen some dodgy fucking fakes in my time, but these are probably the worst I’ve come across. You girls been doing arts and crafts at school have ya? Trying to earn yourselves one of those Blue Peter badges off the telly? Jesus! I’ve seen it all now.’ Jenson tapped at Megan’s ID. ‘It says you were born in 1971. Now my maths is pretty fucking shocking, ladies, but that makes you thirty-two, and there’s no way that both of you combined are as old as me.’ Handing the ID back to the girls with a grin he added: ‘ten out of ten for having the bollocks to try and pull it off.’ He winked now. Enjoying the disappointed looks on the girls’ faces as he handed back their IDs, letting them know that they’d been well and truly caught out.
Megan Harris was relieved. The longer she’d stood here at the doors of the club, the more she’d decided that this was in fact the worse idea that Amber had ever had. She was glad that they weren’t going in now. She’d been petrified that she’d be caught out. ‘Come on, Amber, let’s go.’ Grabbing her friend’s arm in a bid to drag her away.
But Amber wasn’t as easily dismissed as Megan.
‘Hang on,’ she said, shrugging Megan’s hand from her arm. The Karma Club was one of the best clubs in London, and tonight she was supposed to be proving to Reece that she was more mature than he gave her credit for. Not getting in to this club tonight wasn’t an option. If she didn’t get in, Reece would dump her. He’d practically said as much. Complaining that she was too young to go anywhere with him, or get in anywhere. That she was always at school. He was getting bored, Amber could sense it and it wouldn’t be long until he started looking at his other options elsewhere. And judging by the state of some of the other nigh on naked girls that Amber had seen going into the club tonight, he was bound to find someone to take her place. She had to get in tonight. There was no way that she was going to let some other little slapper make a play for her man.
‘Oh come on, man, give us a break, mate. We’re supposed to be meeting up with some mates. They’re already inside.’
Jenson shrugged as if the decision was out of his hands – which they all knew it wasn’t.
‘Come on, Amber, leave it yeah?’ Megan pleaded. Hoping that Amber wouldn’t cause any more of a scene than she already had. ‘Let’s just go back to yours, yeah? My dad gave me enough cash for a takeaway. We can try and get some drink from the offie on the way home.’
Jenson laughed then. ‘God, you two are a bit gullible, ain’t ya?! Cor, Reece said you were a bit easy to wind up!’ He winked, finally giving in and letting the girls know that he’d been having them on all along.
This was the friend on the door that Reece had told her about.
‘Very funny!’ Amber said with a smile, trying to hide the fact that she’d been seconds away from losing her shit with the man. Glad now that she’d somehow kept a lid on her temper, she knew every word of tonight was going to get back to her boyfriend. Well, at least she’d shown that she could hold her own.
‘Good one. I knew you were only joking all along. I was just going along with it all,’ she said now, smiling her most charming smile at the man. If this was one of Reece’s mates, then Amber was determined to leave a good impression. She knew what lads could be like, influencing each other with just a few words. The last thing she needed was someone in his ear telling him to ditch her.
‘’Course you did,’ Jenson said with a knowing look, before lifting the red twisted rope and allowing the two girls into the club.
‘I’ll be seeing you later, ladies!’ he said then. ‘I’ll come and have a drink with you when we quieten down a bit later on.’
Jenson shot a smile at Megan, pleased to see her blushing at his obvious advances towards her.
He smirked, staring at the girls’ arses as they sauntered into the club.
He’d done these two girls a good turn letting them both in here tonight, and it was only fair that at least one of them returned the favour.
And Jenson Reed would make sure that they did.
Chapter Nineteen
‘You do know that you haven’t stopped looking at that clock tonight; you got somewhere else you’d rather be?’ Jennifer Dawson scolded Alfie Harris playfully, shaking her head at the man.
‘Don’t be silly!’ Alfie smiled, sitting back in his chair, full after the delicious meal that Jennifer had just cooked for them both.
‘Oh, come on, Alfie. I know you, darling. What’s on your mind? Is it Megan or the club that you’re worrying about tonight?’
Getting up to clear the plates away, Alfie shrugged, knowing there was no point in lying to Jennifer. His head had been elsewhere all evening, if he was honest.
‘It’s not Megan, she’s an angel. She’s probably the one thing I’ve never had to worry about really. Even though, naturally I still do.’
‘’Course you do! You’re her dad. It’s only natural you’re going to worry about her. But she’s sixteen, and by the looks of it, you’ve done a great job in raising her,’ Jennifer said, knowing that Alfie Harris had brought his daughter up single-handedly. He’d told her about his wife running off with another man shortly after Megan was born. That she was unable to cope with the responsibility of motherhood, so she’d upped and legged it, leaving Alfie holding the baby, literally.
Jennifer could only imagine the amount of women the man had dated since then. Though he’d insisted that he’d never once introduced any of them to his daughter, so she figured she must mean more to him than she’d first hoped.
‘She’s sixteen, though, babe. You got to let her have a bit of freedom. Girls need that,’ Jennifer said, trying to offer Alfie some womanly advice. ‘You remember what it was like to be sixteen, don’t you?’ She teased again, watching as Alfie smiled.
‘’Course I do! That’s what bloody worries me so much!’ he grinned, amused by Jennifer’s banter.
‘Look, I know yesterday wasn’t easy for you, Jen. Megan isn’t normally so off-hand with people. It’s going to take her a while to adjust,’ he said, trying to reassure the girl. ‘I think you’ll both hit it off like a house on fire in time.’
‘I reckon we will too,’ Jennifer agreed. ‘She seems like a lovely girl, Alfie. Let’s just give it time and not put too much pressure on her.’
Alfie relaxed then.
Jennifer was the salt of the earth. She really was.
And Megan would see that in time too.
‘To be honest, I’m more worried about the poxy club. This is the first Saturday night I’ve not gone in since the place opened,’ Alfie said, being truthful with Jennifer now. Wishing that he wasn’t such a control freak and that, for one night, he could
just take the evening off and enjoy it.
Especially given the company he was keeping. It didn’t get much better than this; only, he’d already had one phone call from Gem this evening, asking a stupid question about the alarm system and it had set him on edge. It didn’t feel right staying here at home, not when Saturdays were the highest profile night of the week at the club. But then, at the same time, he and Jennifer never got the house to themselves. This was a rare opportunity for Jennifer to spend some proper time with him. Away from the fancy restaurants, and the expensive hotel rooms they’d spent the past two months having to settle for.
With Megan staying over at Amber’s this weekend, tonight they could just be themselves. Just the two of them.
There was no way that Alfie could run out on her now, to go down and keep an eye on the place. No matter how much he’d secretly thought about it. He’d done that to her last night. Popped in to the club, to check on the place, but in the end he’d stayed there for hours. The girl would do her nut if after all the effort she’d gone to, he upped and left her again. Alfie wouldn’t blame her.
‘Look, you said yourself. You trust Gem. He’s the head of your security, isn’t he? If there’s an emergency, he can get you on the phone, can’t he? It’s all in hand.’
She stood up. ‘And speaking of everything being “all in hand”…’ she grinned then, before wrapping her arms around Alfie, and guiding him back to his chair. Leaning across the table, Jennifer poured him another glass of wine and handed it to him. Sipping hers then too, she smiled.
‘You’re a good man, you know that, Alfie. I wasn’t sure at first. You know, after hearing some of the rumours I have about you, but you’re nothing like what they say.’
Alfie couldn’t help but laugh then. ‘And what is it that they say?’
‘That you were a very bad man back in your day.’
‘Oi!’ Alfie laughed again, aware of the twenty-year age gap between them both. ‘You make me sound bloody ancient.’
Jennifer giggled at that; in her element winding Alfie up.
‘You’re a real softy, really. The way you are with your daughter. The way you are with me.’ She put her glass down. Moving over to where Alfie was sitting, she straddled him, relishing the fact that they had this big old house to themselves. That they could do whatever they pleased without interruptions.
‘I love that about you. How protective you can be, how caring you really are. I bet not many people get to see that side of you?’
‘Yeah, maybe,’ Alfie said, knowing full well that up until now the only person who had seen this side to him had been Megan.
Alfie Harris had been a notorious face in his time. But when it came to his daughter, he’d been the perfect gentleman and the best father he could be. He was like that with Jennifer, too. The girl was different to other girls he’d dated. This actually meant something to him. Fuck, it must have, to stop him from going into the club on the busiest night of the bloody week.
‘I like it. In fact, I really like you.’ Jennifer smiled down at Alfie, before leaning down and gently kissing him.
Which Alfie immediately responded to.
He loved the way that Jennifer only seemed to see the good in him. It made him want to keep it up, this new persona of his. Finally out of the game, the gangster way of life. He was happy going straight these days. Trading in a lifetime of crime and dodgy dealings to become a legitimate businessman and, what’s more, his club had turned out to be a roaring success. He was a natural.
Like many other big faces in London over the last decade, Alfie Harris had invested wisely into the clubbing scene. He’d recognised a perfect business opportunity to pass some cash through. Only, what he hadn’t anticipated was the club taking off overnight as such a success.
Things were on the up, in all aspects of his life, he thought, taking in the beautiful sight of his girlfriend, as Jennifer Dawson started to slowly undress.
Straddling him, she lifted herself backwards so that she was lying across the dinner table, almost naked.
‘Well, babe. There’s something that you should know about me,’ Alfie said, taking off his shirt now, as he stared down at her.
She was sprawled out on his kitchen table, in only her black lace lingerie, looking sexy as hell.
‘I’m still a very bad man sometimes, you know!’
‘Oh, don’t you worry, Alfie. I’m counting on that!’
Jennifer laughed, before pulling Alfie Harris down on top of her.
Determined to get all thoughts of her boyfriend’s business out of his mind.
Chapter Twenty
Staring over to where Amber and her new boyfriend Reece Bettle were now practically dry humping each other on the seat beside her, Megan Harris – or Olivia as she was having to answer to all evening, tugged down the material of the minuscule skirt that Amber had insisted she wore tonight. Chic and sophisticated Amber had said, only Megan felt anything but.
Megan had heard so much about her father’s nightclub, and it was safe to say that she would have been more than impressed if she had seen the place under different circumstances. Though experiencing it first-hand, sneaking in her with fake ID and worried sick that her father might somehow just show up here and catch her out, Megan felt completely out of her depth.
She wasn’t enjoying herself one bit.
It didn’t help that she’d spent the entire evening being hit on by pervy old men that were old enough to be her dad. Even Reece’s dodgy mates were at it. All of them trying their luck with her, figuring that if Reece was on some kind of a promise with Amber, then one of them clearly stood a chance with Megan.
Though they were all well and truly out of luck, as Megan didn’t like any of them, Reece included. And she doubted any of them even liked her, seeing as not one of them had bothered to try and strike up any real form of conversation with her. They just sat there leering at her, making little comments between themselves while giving her the eye.
Reece Bettle was the worst one of them all. Letching at any girl that passed them. Megan didn’t know what Amber saw in the bloke. Him and his group of little clones. All loud and gobby, and under the illusion that they were God’s gift to women. They were the type of men that Megan’s father had spent his whole life warning her away from and Megan was doing her best to ignore the lot of them, but sitting here on her tod all evening was becoming boring.
‘Amber?’ Megan interrupted, taking her chance as she saw her friend’s head pop up for air between snogging the face off her new fella, before Reece-the-creep could pull her back down into another passionate embrace. ‘I think I’m going to get off. This is boring. Are you coming?’
Megan squirmed as she watched Reece continue to paw over her mate, his hands sweeping greedily over her body as he copped a cheeky feel. Cupping Amber’s boobs, all the while purposely keeping eye contact with Megan.
The bloke made her feel physically sick.
‘Can’t you just stay a bit longer, Olivia?’ Amber said, throwing a pleading look to her mate, letting her know that she wasn’t quite ready to leave as she gestured to Reece who was still feeling up her padded bra; though judging by the way he was panting, the wad of tissues she’d stuffed down there earlier this evening wasn’t putting him off. ‘Fifteen more minutes, yeah?’ Amber said, shooting her mate another pleading look. Then making a point she added. ‘I dunno why you’re worrying, babe. We told your dad that you’re staying at my house, and my mum and dad think we’re at yours. We don’t have to go anywhere—’
‘What? You’re free all night?’ Reece said with a sly grin, before lunging at Amber playfully and ramming his tongue down her throat again.
Pulling herself out of the embrace, Amber laughed.
‘Steady on, Romeo. I didn’t say I was free all night. I said we weren’t in a hurry,’ she said, her tone pleading as she looked back at her friend. ‘Come on, Olivia, just stay a little bit longer, yeah?’
Desperately trying to keep her cool and
act mature, Amber was trying not to lose her temper with her friend, but Megan was really testing her patience. Amber had gone out of her way to try and prove to Reece that she was more grown up than he gave her credit for. Getting let into the club, drinking whatever drinks he bought for her, even though most of them tasted disgusting. She’d even let him stick his hands inside her knickers just now while they were kissing, and all Megan was doing was acting like a spoilt brat and sabotaging all her attempts at trying to act older.
Amber was beginning to wish she’d never brought Megan with her tonight.
‘But you said we were going to have a girls’ night?’
Amber rolled her eyes at Reece playfully then, trying to make a joke out of Megan’s whining. ‘I only said that for your dad’s benefit.’ Then turning to Reece. ‘Her dad’s a nightmare. Talk about overprotective. We only came here tonight because—’
‘Amber!’ Megan warned. Not wanting her friend to tell Reece anything else about her father. The last thing she needed was any more unwanted attention from Reece and his cronies. ‘My dad’s not that bad. He just worries about me, that’s all,’ Megan lied, knowing full well that if her father found out about her being here in the club tonight, he’d have a full on fit. Beyond overprotective, Megan wasn’t even allowed to go to her friend’s house without him constantly checking on her, and he insisted on driving her everywhere. He’d only let her out this weekend without making too much of a fuss because he actually liked Amber. He thought the girl was an angel. A good influence on his daughter.
The irony.
If only he could see the girl now. Drunk in a club, and draped across a scumbag like Reece.
Though clearly Reece was the sole purpose of Amber insisting on coming here tonight.
‘Oh come on, Olivia. Lighten up, girl. Maybe you should have a drink. Enjoy yourself a bit.’ This coming from Reece, who, going by the state of him, and the slur to his voice, had clearly had enough for them both.
The Broken_A gripping thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat Page 14