Beyond the Velvet Rope

Chapter Seven

Thandie had not slept well. Every time she slipped into some semblance of rest, she was jarred awake by erotic images of a silver-eyed stranger. She awoke groggily and highly annoyed. There was a high probably this would not be her best day ever.

Pulling her hair into a sloppy bun at the top of her head, she washed up and headed downstairs. The empty kitchen was alight with bright mid-day sunshine. Thandie pulled a glass out of the cabinet and helped herself to some orange juice. Taking a seat at the breakfast nook, she stared out the window and enjoyed the silence. She nearly choked on her juice when Warren entered the kitchen moments later. It wasn’t his presence that jarred her, it was his attire. He was dressed in a T-shirt and the smallest shorts she’d ever seen on a grown man.

“Good morning, kiddo,” he said cheerfully.

Thandie used the back of her hand to wipe juice from her chin. “Where are you going in those?”

“Yoga class.” Warren slapped his spandex-clad bottom. “It keeps me in shape for the young ladies.”

“I thought you were into biking?”

“I gave that up months ago. Yoga instructors are far more attractive.”

“Warren, I don’t think those shorts are legal in public,” she said in what she hoped was a tactful tone. “Or that shirt,” she added, having now noticed it showed several inches of pale midriff.

Warren laughed. “You need to live a little, kiddo.” He grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and waved. “I’m off.”

“Have a good workout,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Ah!” Warren snapped his fingers. “I just thought of something.” He looked over his shoulder to ensure they were alone before he spoke. “I’m not sure if I warned you earlier, but you’ll want to stay away from the Tower during working hours. It’s reserved for private parties, and they tend to get a little wild up there.”

She groaned.

“Elliot doesn’t allow any female servers up there,” he continued. “Every so often, he has to go to the Tower to make sure they aren’t doing drugs up there.”

“Is that the only reason he goes up there?” she asked skeptically.

Warren laughed. “Of course. Elliot may be a womanizer, but one thing is for sure; he doesn’t party like they do in the Tower.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “He prefers to party in his office, if you know what I mean.”

Not wanting to talk about the Tower anymore, she changed the subject. “Thanks for the heads-up, Warren. You better get to your class.”

He gave a mock salute. “Try not to stare at my ass.”

Thandie giggled. “Go!”

Warren hummed happily to himself as he strolled away. Thandie heard him all the way to the front door. Then he paused and called out, “Did you look?”

Thandie laughed aloud. “Just a little,” she called back.

“I knew it!” he shouted back.

Thandie was still laughing when Len came into the kitchen. “What’s so funny?” she asked sleepily.

“You don’t want to know,” Thandie assured her.

An hour later, Thandie and the girls hovered over their laptops. They’d converted Warren’s living room into work central. Papers, pens and multicolored Post-it notes littered the heavy oak table. Since they were working from home, no one needed to get dressed or bother with makeup. Thandie was drab in a pair of cutoff jeans and Raja was wearing her favorite pair of sweatpants. Len was still in her pajamas.

“Do you think this is going to work?”

“Huh?” Thandie’s head snapped up, realizing she’d been asked a question. “What did you say?”

Len stared at her from over her laptop. “I asked if you thought we could successfully complete everything in this proposal?”

“I don’t see why not. Before Babylon closed for renovations, they had Lady Gaga and Jay-Z perform within the same month.”

“I’m sure they had time to plan those appearances. We’re attempting to lock in A-list stars in a matter of weeks.” Len scrunched up her nose. “Do you really think we can book Nicki Minaj on such short notice?”

“Anything is possible.”

“You always say that,” Len muttered.

“That’s because it’s true.” Thandie returned her attention back to the email she’d been typing. “My conversation with her agent went very well. I see no reason why it won’t work.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Raja asked.

“Then we’ll move on to plan B,” Thandie replied.

Raja picked up her notepad. “Lil Wayne is hardly a plan B. Why can’t we go after him first?”

“Because, Raja,” Thandie said in a tired voice, “his entourage is large and I’d rather not pay for all of them to travel to Miami and sleep in the most expensive hotel on the strip. We have to consider the budget.” This was twice in as many minutes the girls had questioned her entertainment selections. Her patience was beginning to wear thin.

“Are we sure we can’t get Shaun Cross to perform?” Raja asked in a whiny voice.

Thandie fixed her with an annoyed look. “How many times do I have to tell you we can’t afford Cross? Besides, he’s on tour. He’s unavailable.”

“Sorry,” Raja muttered to her keyboard. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Thandie ignored her. “Len, where are we with Guetta?”

Len fumbled through her notes. “We’re still haggling over the price, but it’s going in our favor. It helps that his wife likes you.”

Thandie nodded. Booking David Guetta would be outstanding, but she worried about the cost. The international flights would kill their budget. Thandie had already discovered the challenges of financing her grand plans. The tight budget Elliot had allowed her was a constant source of irritation.

“At least we’ve got Drake booked,” Raja said in an effort to console herself.

“I adore him,” Len chimed in. “I could definitely see myself as the next Mrs. Drake.”

“Is Drake his first name or his last name?” Raja asked to no one in particular.

“Who cares?” Len protested. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Speaking of gorgeous,” Raja whirled on Thandie. “Why didn’t you tell us Elliot was such a hottie?”

The mention of Elliot’s name again, so early in the day, set Thandie’s teeth on edge.

“Now he is gorgeous,” Len said dreamily.

“I bet he has a girlfriend for everyday of the week,” Raja said with more certainty than evidence.

“Do you suppose he has an opening on Wednesday?” Len asked in all seriousness.

Raja’s eyes brightened. “Let’s ask Google!”

Thandie had had enough. “Okay, you two,” she said in a warning voice. “Get back to work.”

Len and Raja ducked their heads behind their laptop screens, and began typing furiously on their keypads. The sound of a new email chimed from one of their computers, and then, like five year olds, the sound of the girls’ muffled snickering filled the air. Thandie pinched the bridge of her nose. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Thandie looked down at the Post-it and then back up at the building. The insignia read House of Glow. She was at the right place. According to Adam, it was a popular day spa. She had not asked about the massages. She planned to find out the answer to that question for herself.

Stuffing the slip of paper into the back pocket of her cutoffs, she pushed up her oversize sunglasses farther on her nose, and took a deep breath. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed to be seen going inside the building, she simply didn’t want to be seen period. Her hair was still piled on top of her head and she was still in the clothes she’d been wearing earlier today. Aside from the lip gloss, her face was bare of any cosmetics. She looked like a slob.

She pulled open the front door and was greeted by a pleasant looking receptionist. “Welcome to House of Glow,” she said. “May I help you?”

The front door opened again and a loud voice exclaimed, “Thandie? Thandie Shaw, is that you?”

Thandie froze. Seriously? Was her luck really that bad? Hesitantly, she turned around, following the sound of the voice. That’s when her gaze fell on the petite woman. Her face suddenly brightened. “Day?”

The tiny creature smirked and then gave Thandie a hug and air kisses on either cheek. “I thought that was you. I was having lunch with my cousin next door. I had to come over and make sure.”

Even at full height, she barely reached Thandie’s shoulder. She had to lean down to hug the woman.

Her name was Victoria Day, although most people simply knew her as Day. The product of a Jamaican father and Chinese mother, Day had striking features. With high cheekbones and small slanted eyes, she was quite pretty. Her hair was cut short in a spiky yet very becoming style.

“It’s about time our paths crossed again,” Day said with a bright grin. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see a familiar face down here. How the hell are you?”

Thandie couldn’t help but smile at the small woman. Day had a flair all her own.

“I’m great, Day. How have you been?”

“I’m going out of my mind, as usual. I came down here to create my line in peace and quiet, and I’ve gotten nothing of the sort. The editors from Vogue and BHP want a run-through in three weeks. I keep telling them that’s not gonna happen. I’ll slit my wrists before I show my collection ahead of schedule. On top of everything else, I’m sweating bullets trying to secure a location for my show. It’s been one shitstorm after the next. But enough about me. I heard about the breakup with Cam. Sorry to hear it.”

“How did you know about that?” Thandie asked, surprised news traveled so widely.

Day’s brow hiked up. “Nothing is sacred anymore.”

“I guess not,” Thandie said with a frown.

“And that business at Fashion Week,” she wagged her finger and made a tsking sound. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Thandie gasped. “You heard about that, too? But how?”

“Don’t worry, girl. I only listen to gossip. I don’t spread it.”

“Gage—” Thandie breathed.

“She’d never,” Day promised. “I have other sources.”

“Like?”

“Cam’s girlfriend. ”

“They’re still together?” Thandie asked, too shocked to play coy.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.