plan within a fairly short amount of time. Formalizing a proposal Elliot would agree to might require some persuasion. She only hoped the cost of gaining his cooperation was a price she was willing to pay.
* * *
It had taken forever to get Len and Raja to decide what to wear. Finally, they were in the car and headed toward the strip. Thandie gave them a quick rundown on the club’s structure, disclosing information she’d learned from Adam, and mentioning a handful of employee names she was able to remember. After finishing, Thandie had the nagging sensation she had forgotten something important.
As Thandie drove, she and the girls went over their findings from earlier that evening. Raja had located several agents who sounded promising, and Len confirmed radio contacts and a reputable gossip columnist who lived in the area. They spent the remainder of the trip haggling over how to best utilize their new found information.
As their SUV turned onto the main street, they could see a line of cars waiting for Club Babylon’s valet service. Thandie called a number Adam had given her which gave her direct access to the valet stand. After announcing her name, they directed her to drive ahead of the other cars. The attendants were all smiles when they greeted her.
“Hi, Thandie,” one man said. “Have a good time tonight.”
Tiny, the bouncer she’d met the previous night, made a path for them with his huge body. They ignored the curious gazes shot in their direction, aware they were the envy of everyone waiting patiently in line. Thandie heard the girls gasp in wonder as soon as they entered the club. Tonight Babylon was bathed in vibrant green lighting, and the arena took on the appearance of a tropical garden. Thandie looked skyward and was delighted to see the hanging gardens were on display. It was otherworldly, giving the heady sense of being dropped into a mystical lush garden.
Fixing a controlled smile on her face, Thandie guided the girls up the staircase that led to Elliot’s office. She introduced them to the unsmiling bodyguard, Michelle, as he held the door open. When they walked inside, the men who made up Elliot’s management staff turned their heads in unison. Just as before, all conversation stopped.
Thandie stepped forward. “Hello, gentlemen,” she said pleasantly. “Sorry for interrupting, but I wanted to introduce my assistants to you. This is Raja Travis and Len Harris. Len. Raja. This is Rex, Markie, Eddie, Adam and Tom.” She paused before turning toward the handsome creature leaning casually against his large gleaming desk. “And this is the owner, Elliot Richards.” She couldn’t bear to look into his stormy silver eyes for longer than a few seconds. “Len and Raja will be helping me with the promotion plans,” she said to no one in particular. “They’ve worked with me for years. You should find them very helpful.”
Again, silence. Thandie was beginning to wonder if she was doing something wrong, but when she looked up at the men, she could see their eyes were trained on the girls’ bodies. Meanwhile, Len and Raja were openly ogling Elliot. She could only imagine what he was looking at.
Clearing her throat, Thandie turned to the men. “Are we interrupting something important?”
Adam and Rex suddenly jumped to their feet and smiled broadly. They lightly kissed Thandie on the cheek and shook Raja and Len’s hands. Tom, Eddie and Markie quickly stood and started introducing themselves. Thandie positioned herself as far away from Elliot as she could possibly manage without seeming rude.
Len and Raja weren’t as guarded. They gave polite nods to everyone in the room and just about threw themselves at Elliot. She watched in horror as they asked him random questions about the club, each trying to outdo the other to hold his attention the longest. Elliot charmed them with his good looks and flirtatious finesse. Whether she wanted to or not, Thandie was drawn to the sound of his voice.
“You are both very lovely ladies,” Elliot said silkily. “We’re fortunate to have you here. I’m sure the men of Miami will soon be begging for a moment of your time.”
“You think so?” Len’s voice had turned unrecognizably high-pitched.
“Of course.” Elliot leaned forward to pin each girl with those enchanting silver eyes of his. “Promise not to forget me when some lucky guy sweeps you off your feet.”
The eruption of girlish laughter was like hearing fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard. Thandie had to turn away from the train wreck. She forced herself to listen to Adam and Rex argue over which one of them would introduce her to tonight’s guest DJ. She put a halt to the dispute when she insisted that both of them should do the honors. Markie offered to give the girls a tour of the arena. However, she didn’t miss that his eyes lingered on Raja when he spoke. Thandie inwardly groaned. Keeping everyone on task seemed to be a bigger undertaking than she’d expected.
She was grateful when Elliot called everyone’s attention back to tomorrow’s agenda. Markie and Adam spoke at length, while everyone nodded and listened attentively. Tom and Eddie made a few short comments before Rex took center stage. He was the marketing director, so Thandie was more interested in what he had to say. Even Raja and Len managed to tear their eyes away from Elliot long enough to listen to Rex recap his current projects. When the meeting was over, Adam, Markie and Rex escorted Thandie down to the arena. She had to literally call out to the girls to get them to follow her.
The club was already in high gear. Miami’s most beautiful and affluent residents laughed together and swayed their hips to the steady pulsation of a bewitching tempo.
Markie held out his arm to Thandie and guided her through the crowd. The girls followed closely behind, oohing and ahhing at just about everything.
In a low voice, Markie explained the wait staff’s table system and zone layout. He pointed out the hidden surveillance cameras, which were discreetly mounted above the cash registers at every bar. Markie led them backstage to meet a few of the dancers. Immediately, the dancers knew who Thandie was. Unfortunately, it was not from her reputation. Apparently, pictures of Ruark Randall kissing her at Phenomenon weeks earlier was beginning to make news. According to the dancers, Access Hollywood was reporting that she was Ruark’s new girlfriend.
Thandie rationalized that any press a PR agent created was good, but she failed to see the joy in her connection with actor Ruark Randall. He was an idiot. At any rate, it seemed to gain her an unreasonable amount of respect from the dancers. Thandie chatted with them while Markie continued to show Len and Raja the building. The girls didn’t seem to mind losing Thandie on the tour. It was their first time inside Club Babylon, and they were eager to see everything.
Thandie didn’t see Raja and Len until an hour later, after Adam introduced her to Ibiza native, DJ Von. The girls appeared to be having a good time. They were working the VIP room and dancing with club members.
Thandie was more at ease when she was able to clearly see the girls and know they were not up to their usual devilry. Involuntarily, Thandie caught herself searching the crowd for Elliot. It was unexplainable. She was in a constant state of alert until she found him. It took several tries before she spied him on the upper level in the VIP lounge. He was much closer than she’d expected; no farther than twenty feet away from where she stood. He was seated in a booth chatting with a couple. Like Elliot, the man was very handsome. But where Elliot was dark-haired, the stranger at his side was blond. A flash of his intense blue eyes was enough to stamp his appeal. Even from this distance, Thandie could see the lilt of his lips give way to an arrogant expression. She recognized a man born to wealth when she saw one. It was never what they wore or what elaborate toys they owned—it was the unshaken self-confidence that radiated from them.
At the man’s side was an attractive woman. She laughed prettily at the blond
