Chapter 13
Maggie peered through the window, trying to watch the conversation. Unfortunately, there was no way she could go out there to better hear what was being said. Their drinks were full and even an amateur would realize that they’d gone out to the edge of the patio for privacy.
Turning back, she watched the other group of men, who were laughing and drinking, tossing gambling chips onto the table that were worth more than most of them paid their employees in a year.
That only made her desire to hear what each of these bastards were saying more intense. She saw movement from the three men outside. But a moment later, she sensed that one of them was coming back inside.
“What’s going on?” Emily asked, efficiently surveying the room as if she were simply checking in on Maggie.
“I don’t know,” Maggie replied back with a fake, professional smile. “I can’t hear them out there, but I can tell that they’re saying something that Ra…” she stopped herself from using his first name. “Sheik al Quadar doesn’t like. She knew his full name now since the other club members were all whispering about him. “He looks rather grim.”
But she should have known better than to expect Emily to miss something important. Emily noticed everything. It was one of the reasons she was such an excellent club manager. She caught issues before they became a problem.
Emily’s gentle gaze moved over Maggie’s features. Sure enough, Emily understood. “ He’s your man!” she hissed. Emily’s head swiveled to look through the windows, then at Maggie, her jaw slack in the first moment of shock that Maggie had ever seen on her friend’s face. “You’re dating Sheik al Quadar?” She didn’t give Maggie time to answer. “How? How did you meet him? When? And for how long?”
Stunned, Maggie stammered for a moment. She thought about lying, but no, Maggie respected Emily too much to do that to her.
“Remember when I mentioned I was going to the art museum in downtown Philly on my day off?”
“Yeah.”
Maggie nodded. “Well, he was there as well. We discussed art and the various painters.” Her shoulders sagged and she tried to hide her hurt. But she felt…betrayed. “He’s quite knowledgeable about art in some ways.” There was a long silence, then Maggie’s lips trembled as she added, “I suppose one gets an excellent education when one has private tutors.”
“Oh Maggie,” Emily whispered, inching closer so that her shoulder touched Maggie’s. It was a sign of support amidst a wildly busy night. “Maybe he’s not one of the bad guys. Maybe…,” she thought for a moment. “Maybe he’s a good guy that…?”
Maggie waited, hoping that Emily could come up with an explanation.
But then Maggie pointed out, “He’s out there on the patio with Humphrey Todras and Barney Mathis.”
Emily couldn’t stop her grimace at the mention of the two slime balls. “Oh dear,” she sighed.
“Exactly.” Maggie straightened up and forced her sadness away. She’d have plenty of time to cry about yet another lying bastard when she got off work. Until then, she had a job to do. “I’d better get back to work,” she told Emily. “But I’m going to find out what Todras is up to. I know it has something to do with that land purchase in Annapolis. I just don’t know what.”
“Be careful,” Emily warned.
“Always am,” Maggie replied, starting to step forward. But she paused, her body trembling suddenly. “Except when it comes to my love life.” Then she moved towards a table where she noticed that several of the drinks needed to be refreshed.
The night was busy, but Maggie was able to keep an eye on Todras and Mathis. They were slimy, trust fund boys who thought that the world owed them something. If they hadn’t been born into money, the two of them might have contrived to be adequate, contributing members of the world. Unfortunately, their gambling habits, not to mention their addiction to various illegal substances, had drained a great deal of their inherited wealth. Obviously, they were not convincing Ram…Sheik al Qadar…to finance their lifestyle.
The thought of Ramit being a sheik, a man who ruled a very important and powerful country, hurt more than she wanted to admit. Apparently, he was just like all the rest. He’d gotten her into bed with lies and omissions, and Maggie had fallen for it. She’d believed he was just a regular guy.
“What a rat bastard!” she whispered, then plastered on a professional smile as she greeted the men at the table and asked if they wanted a refill.
Three hours later, the club was calming as the club members headed home for the night. The poker tables were only half filled now and Maggie was relieved that Ramit was playing pool in another room. He, Levi, and Sean were having a conversation, according to Ann. However, Ann couldn’t get close enough to hear what was being said.
Maggie was using one of the back hallways to get to the kitchen so she could pick up a food order. The quiet moment was a relief from the tension in the main rooms. She waved to the cameras, wondering if it was Hendrix watching the monitors in the security office. There were obvious cameras and not-so-obvious cameras throughout the club. She had her head bowed, wondering how she could avoid speaking to Ramit again tonight. Maggie suspected that he was going to try to talk to her, maybe explain? Or maybe not. Wealthy bastards assumed that they didn’t need to explain their actions. In her experience, the rich thought that they could just do whatever they wanted with impunity. The laws literally did not apply to them.
She, Emily, and Ann had overheard enough conversations in this place of illegal activities. She smiled faintly, thinking of the numerous times that they had arranged for an anonymous tip to be delivered to the appropriate authorities. However, there were many illegal conversations that never resulted in any punishment.
Because her head was bowed, her thoughts focused on how to avoid one man in particular, and because only staff members were supposed to be in this hallway, Maggie didn’t see the man lurking around the corner until it was too late. Before she knew what was happening, the man had already grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.
“Hello, beautiful!” Barney Mathis slurred in what he probably thought was a sexy voice. His breathing was heavy, as if he’d just run a marathon, and there was a line of sweat beaded on his upper lip. Ick!
“Mr. Mathis, please back away,” Maggie replied flatly, looking straight into the man’s eyes. He was short enough that their eyes were even with each other’s and she refused to let him bully her.
Mathis was oblivious to the security cameras.
He grinned, shifting his bulk so that she couldn’t get away. He even pressed his groin against her thigh as if needing to demonstrate the strength of his erection.
“Ah, but sweetie, I think we should go find a private place for a bit of fun!” he suggested, then lifted a hand to touch her hair, playing with a strand that had fallen down during the evening.
“Absolutely not,” she replied succinctly and started to duck under the creep’s arm.
Unfortunately, he was faster than she’d expected. And stronger! He blocked her attempt to move away, shifting so that he had her pinned against the wall, trapped by his arms.
“Darling, I’m very wealthy,” he coaxed. Then added a chuckle. “And in a few weeks, I’m going to be even wealthier. So why don’t you be… nice… to me so that I can spoil you a little?”
Maggie lifted her hand, giving the signal to the security team that she needed help. She should probably try to soothe the guy to get more information about his upcoming wealth. Whatever he was planning, she might need to alert the authorities.
A sound at the far end of the hallway alerted her that the club’s security team was nearby. So she felt more confident and tried again to put some space between herself and Mathis.
“Sir, I have a job and I don’t want to be pressured to offer sexual favors.”
“But…Maggie!It’s me!” Mathis slurred.
She rolled her eyes when the jerk shifted closer. She turned her head, eager to see one of Hendrix’s guys coming around the corner.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Hendrix, or anyone on his security team standing in stunned silence at the other end of the hallway. It was Ramit! And the dark, forbidding look in his eyes warned her that he’d already assumed the worst.
His look of fury and disgust hurt Maggie. She looked away, focusing her attention on Mathis, trying to get away from him. What did she care if Ramit thought the worst of her? She felt the same towards him!
Nor did she care that Ramit thought she was actually entertaining this guy’s disgusting offer. When Ramit turned and walked away, not even bothering to ask her if she needed help, it solidified her hurt and anger.
“Good man,” Mathis said with a chuckle. “Apparently, even sheiks know when to leave things alone.” He shifted again and had no idea that he’d just put his family jewels in danger. “So, how about it? We could get a drink and I could drive you to my place. Or yours,” he offered. “I want you to feel comfortable.”
“Really?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “You want me to feel comfortable when you refuse to let me walk away?” She lifted her hands, letting them rest on his shoulders. “I feel very threatened by the way you won’t let me leave. Furthermore,” she paused just long enough to slam her knee into his groin, feeling a sense of intense satisfaction when the man’s face turned an interesting shade of purple, “I don’t appreciate you propositioning me,” she finished as the man slowly sank to the floor, cupping the throbbing part of his anatomy with both hands.
A split second later, Hendrix and Jim rushed around the corner, both coming to a halt as they took in the scene before them.
Hendrix squatted down, his large hands dangling between his knees as he eyed the downed man. “Damn, Mr. Mathis, that probably hurt!”
“Fire her!” Barney Mathis squeaked out.
Levi came around the corner. He’d obviously heard, and saw, the whole scene on the security cameras. “Not going to happen, Mathis,” Levi announced. “In fact, your club membership has just been revoked.”
Barney was struggling to breathe through the pain. He stumbled to a semi-sitting position, shifting his back so that he was propped against the wall. Levi turned to Maggie. “I’m so sorry we didn’t get here sooner. Do you need to head on home? Are you okay? Did he hurt you in any way?”
“No,” Maggie replied, smiling tightly up at the club owner. “He just wouldn’t let me pass.”
Levi nodded. “Yeah, we saw it all. I’m glad that you kneed him.”
Maggie’s appreciation for her boss, and for Hendrix’s team, went up several notches. “Thanks for backing me up.”
“Always,” Levi replied.
She pointed towards the other end of the hallway. “I was heading to the kitchen to pick up a food order.”
“Go,” Levi assured her. “We’ve got this covered.”
Maggie gave him a resigned nod, executing a strategic about-face, then casually walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. Her inner victory dance was because she’d successfully resisted the tempting urge to give the guy another kick. A woman needed to celebrate her triumphs!