“Noooo,” I said dramatically, as I leaned forward.

“Yes, the dude is a good guy, but made some bad choices in his life.”

“That explains what Rex has hanging over his head. Pretty much, Rex is blackmailing him to work at the club and dominate the women in front of all of the members. Rex calls them demonstrations; it’s so fucking weird.”

“Sounds like it. How do you plan on exposing Rex and Leo?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out. I heard that they were in the lead for Lot 17; they’re the top contender right now. Without this information to expose them, I’m afraid they might win the space, then what happens? Would I ever be able to live my life with Jett the way I want?”

“I don’t know,” Kace shook his head. “I wish I had a more solid answer for you, but Leo, especially, is a dangerous man, and he will do whatever it takes to make things happen for him. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants or he’s exposed, and I know damn sure, he’s never fully satisfied.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” I admitted. “Blane wants to work together to get the information we need. We just have to figure out how to do it first. We have a week still, right?”

“Pretty much, a little over a week. Interviews are next Friday.”

I nodded and then said, “I have an event I have to go to with Rex. Please tell me Jett is not going to be there.”

“Not sure,” Kace said, while looking away from me, making me believe he was lying.

“Kace…” I warned.

“He might be there, Goldie. Whatever you do, avoid him. I know you, you’re going to want to coddle him, but you have to be cold, you have to stay away. If you don’t, you’re going to tip Rex off, and then everything will go downhill from there.”

“That makes sense,” I swallowed, trying not to panic from the thought of seeing Jett on Saturday. I wanted nothing more than to see the man, to touch him, or just even be close enough to smell his masculine scent, but I knew I had to keep my distance. I had to act like I despised the man, when in fact, I loved him.

10

“Hard Work”

Jett

“Mr. Black is available now,” Aubrey, Zane Black’s assistant said, as she escorted me back to his office.

She was your typical secretary, blonde, busty, and sexy. I applauded Zane for having good taste; I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the man. Even though she was quite beautiful, there was something about her that told me her hair didn’t match her mind. She seemed intelligent and loyal; I liked that about her. And what I liked best about her was she didn’t seem to eat me alive with her eyes. It was refreshing.

We walked up to a grand door and I allowed Aubrey to open the door for me, escorting me into Zane’s office.

“Mr. Black, Mr. Colby is here to see you.”

Zane Black, a real estate mogul in New York City, stood up from his desk while buttoning his jacket and walked toward me. The man had quite a story, working from rags to riches, making a name for himself without help from anyone. He was a man to be admired.

Sticking out his hand, he introduced himself, “Mr. Colby, what a pleasure.”

I took his hand and said, “You can call me Jett.”

“Then, please, call me Z. No one really calls me Zane, and Mr. Black seems too formal for both of us. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’m quite fine right now, thank you.”

Quietly, Aubrey closed the door on us and Zane led me to the sitting area in his office, a move I found to be quite humble. Any other power hungry man would have had me sit across from him at his desk, but not Zane, he welcomed me into his office and offered me an even playing field. I liked the man already.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Z.”

Zane crossed his foot over his knee and relaxed in his chair, making me feel more comfortable with the ease in his posture he was displaying.

“I have to admit, when I heard you wanted to meet, I was intrigued as to what you wanted to talk about, since we’re both bidding for the same piece of property. Does this have anything to do with that?”

“It does,” I said, shifting in my seat and adjusting my jacket.

There was a limit of information I wanted to divulge when it came to talking to Zane. I didn’t want him to know about Goldie, because that would show weakness, and I didn’t want him to know about my feud with my father, because that would show jealousy. I wanted him to know the basics, but I wanted him to work with me.

“How important is Lot 17 to you?”

A small grin spread across Zane’s face as he thought about what I asked him. I could see this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it was when I first walked in. He was easygoing, but he was still a business man.

“It would allow me to expand my racing business. I have some thoughts about racing down in New Orleans, and Lot 17 would help with that.”

Zane Black owns Black Top Racing, an underground racing company in New York City. Black Top Racing wasn’t how he made all his money; it was a hobby he developed once he made his billions. The whole concept of Zane’s racing was actually intriguing, and I considered standing in on one of his races one day because of the uniqueness of his speedway. Thanks to Jeremy, I knew all about his underground secrets.

“What would you say if I told you I had access to the Riverfront Expressway Tunnel and could get you the rights to the underground road?”

Visibly, Zane perked up at my mention of the unfinished underground expressway in the heart of New Orleans. It was a tunnel the city started to build to ease traffic in 1960, but it was never completed, and instead of opening it up, it was closed off to the public. The Expressway was an attribute I knew Zane would be interested in obtaining, since he kept his speedway private.

“You’ve peaked my interest. What do you need from me?”

Smiling inwardly, I folded my hands together and said, “There are three bids up for interview next week, you, me and Rex Titan. Lot 17 means a great deal to me. I have plans to make a park for the local Boys and Girls Club, an organization that’s very dear to me. Right now, Rex Titan has the upper hand, due to his illegal plans, which have caught the eyes of some city officials.”

“What do you mean illegal?”

“Currently, he has a gentleman’s club, which a good portion of the city’s elite attend…”

“Don’t you have a club like that?” Zane asked.

“I do, but mine differs from theirs in a vast way. In my club, the women hold the cards. They are never touched, never naked, and earn all the money from the members. It’s a classy form of debauchery where they use choreography and handmade outfits to entice the members. Rex’s club is, unfortunately, more of a brothel, where club members pay to have sex with the girls. Although, I don’t have proof of the inner workings of the club.”

“And you want to bring them down, but need information on the inside, and can’t do that yourself,” Zane cut to the chase.

“No, I can’t.”

“And that’s where you want me to come in, am I right?”

“Yes,” I said, without hesitation.

“I’m not really down with paying for sex and getting caught.”

I knew this was going to be an issue, so that was why I’d already talked to one of my friends who was a detective in New Orleans. Ordinarily, I would have let the police handle such a call, but Rex knew everyone in town; he wouldn’t just let anyone in his club. There had to be a reason as to why Rex would allow someone on the outside to come into his club.

“I can understand that. That’s why I talked to a detective friend about giving you immunity for going into the club and gaining evidence to take down their business.”

Zane rubbed his chin and asked, “And what would I receive in return?”

Smart man, always wanting to know what was in it for him.