48 - Brothel
Despite all the scandals surrounding me and others involved in the film, “Bad Boss” became an instant sensation at the box office. Now that I think about it, maybe it was because of the scandals.
Nolan helped me destroy the false evidence that would have framed me, and we separated the real evidence to use against Max, Owen, and Sean. We were ready to come against them with everything we had. I felt satisfied that they wouldn’t get off easy.
I was ready to burn the world that burned me, starting with those three. So, I dressed in my best business outfit, styled my hair to reflect the powerful woman I am, and wore red lipstick to make a bold statement. Then I drove to the jail where Max was being held, awaiting his trial.
The guards let me in to see him with no questions asked. Leading me through several doors with key cards, they stopped us at a visitation room. I sat down at a table that had a hook to attach handcuffs to. Soon, they led Max in. As a violent offender, he had chains on his wrists and ankles, so he sort of shuffled to the table. A bruise shone on his right eye as if he’d had a run-in with someone’s fist. He looked downright awful.
The guards attached his cuffs to the table and backed away to the corners of the room. Then Max looked up at me, a dark expression on his face. “Come to gloat?” he said.
“Not exactly, but I do want you to know something,” I replied coolly.
“I have nothing to say to you.” Max attempted to cross his arms over his chest, but it was too difficult with the handcuffs, so he dropped them back to the table.
“So, don’t speak. Just listen.” I leaned in. “You’ll be going away for a lot more than attempted murder, Max. You thought you could get away with the money laundering and embezzlement, but you should have known I’d find out.
“On top of that,” I continued, “my real father’s lawyers have requested my medical records from the night you drugged me and tried to force yourself on me. We’ve already connected you to the purchase of the date rape drugs. Were you really so foolish as to use your credit card?”
Max’s face twisted. “You’re making that up.”
I let one side of my mouth curl up in a smile. “You wanna bet, Brother?”
He let out a curse. “My father never should have kept you. You’ve always been nothing but trouble.”
“From where I’m standing, it sounds like you should take the plank out of your own eye first.”
Max lunged. The chains snapped taut as the hook he was attached to stopped him from leaping over the table.
“You should really get those anger issues looked at,” I said as the guard said, “Meeting’s over.”
Rising, I followed another guard to the door. Max glanced at me the whole way as I exited, his hateful eyes burning a hole in my back. I probably shouldn’t have provoked him, but I wanted the satisfaction of watching his face when he realized everything we had on him.
I was not disappointed.
Next on my list was Sean. Since Owen was already in prison, and I didn’t ever want to see his face again, I decided I didn’t need to see his reaction. I’d gone from hurt to apathetic when it came to my ex-husband. But Sean was another story.
The heartthrob actor had played me. He’d tried to get close to me, and I was sure it was all a ruse to keep me under his thumb and out of his illegal activities. Thank God I hadn’t allowed him in. Otherwise, I might have been further implicated in things, or he could have brainwashed and manipulated me into … well, into looking the other way.
I knew only one word for him: snake. And snakes needed to be dealt with … unless you wanted to get bitten. Well, I could bite back.
So, I drove to Sean’s private club, where he was usually to be found when not at the Naughty Night. I’d known Sean had a party lifestyle, which was a big turnoff for me. Although I went out drinking with my girls from time to time, that was a social event, not a part of my personality.
Okay, so maybe I drank too much in general, but I’d cut back on that now. It wasn’t who I was. It was something I struggled with. But Sean reveled in his debauchery. It wasn’t the same thing.
The Rubber Ring, a filthy name for a filthy place, sat on the corner of 8th Avenue and Jones Street. It had a huge neon sign of a woman in lingerie wearing heels and glitter in the cement of the sidewalk out front. The place was always busy because it had private rooms for certain … activities—on the down-low, of course—that patrons paid to use. It was a modern-day brothel and hookup joint.
I had no idea how or why the police hadn’t shut it down, but I assumed the owners claimed the room was paid for, not the sex. There had to be some legal loophole that kept the place from being sanctioned.
Either way, it was not a reputable establishment by any means, and I was nervous about even entering the place. If the paparazzi saw me, it would be all over the tabloids. I could see them now: “Fay Lush turns to drastic measures now that she’s single.”
I shuddered at the thought, but I steeled myself. Sean was sure to be inside here or at the Naughty Night, and like ripping off a Band-Aid, I was going to try the worst option first.
There was no bouncer to prevent me from entering. I guess they either didn’t care about their employees’ safety, or they cared more about the money. Whichever it was, that was one less witness to my new low.
I stepped through the black doors, the purple neon lights shining in my eyes and quite painful to look at. Sean was inside, which both made me relieved and made me annoyed. Why couldn’t he have been somewhere less embarrassing?
I watched him approach a redheaded girl I was sure I’d often seen working on the street corner during the daytime. She and a woman with mahogany hair nodded and followed Sean to the back. I needed to interrupt before they got to whatever they had planned, or else I would miss my chance to confront him.
So, I followed them. When I got to the door leading to the hallway of private rooms, a man stopped me. “Miss, you need to pay to access the private area.”
What a horrible choice of words, I thought, shoving a wad of hundreds in his hands. “Will this cover it?”
The man’s eyes widened as he nodded and moved out of my way. There was only one problem: there were too many doors here. I didn’t know which one they entered, and I wasn’t about to open every one until I found them. Gosh, that would be way too much to assault my eyes.
Moans echoed from behind various doors as I walked past. Some were open, indicating they were available, but quite a few were closed. Girlish giggles and sensual groans came from the door to my left, then I heard a man’s voice that could have been Sean’s from the door next to it.
The moans from the first door were too loud. I had to get closer. Putting my ear to the other door, I thought I heard Sean saying something. Yes, he was behind there.
I cracked the door to make sure they hadn’t already started, but then I froze. The redhead had her hand down Sean’s pants, stroking him, as the brunette woman stuck her tongue down his throat.
The brunette yanked his pants down and fondled him, too, then the women pushed him onto the bed, where they began to pleasure him in other ways.
I needed to get out of here. I was too late, and there was no way I wanted to see any more. But when I went to shut the door, I stumbled on a dip in the floor, falling loudly to the ground. When I stood, I saw that when I fell, I’d hit the door, pushing it wide open.
Sean was staring right at me, a sensual curve to his lips. “Come to join in on the fun, Fay?” he purred. “There’s plenty of room for you in here.”
I swallowed, cheeks blazing. “I came to talk,” I said, lifting my chin though my voice wavered.
Sean smirked. “We aren’t doing a lot of talking, but you can let your hands do yours.”
“Gross.” My upper lip curled in disgust as I kept my eyes fixed pointedly on his face, and not the large erection exposed to the air.
“Girls?” Sean said. “Give Fay and me a minute.”
He rose and shoved his erection back in his pants, and the women glared at me like I’d stolen the joy from their lives. Then Sean turned to me. “So. What did you come to talk about?”