Chapter Five. #2
Jess was proving a mystery, and he didn’t like it.
Not one little bit, but he was obsessed with finding her.
Even if it was to look her in the eye and call her a coward, he drove to the event and sighed at all the glitter and ceremony.
Mitch usually sent a cheque for things like this. Instead, Diar had dragged him out.
They waited ten minutes until they pulled up at the entrance. The valet’s eyes went wide.
“Damn again? This is the second one tonight I’ve gotten to drive!” he exclaimed.
“There’s another La Rose Noire Droptail here?” Mitch demanded, pausing.
“Yeah.” The kid looked around and leaned closely. “Leon Ericks is here,” he whispered.
Mitch pursed his lips and nodded. Well, that was a shock.
The man rumoured to be the richest guy in the world was as elusive as a unicorn.
He and Diar exchanged glances. This evening might be amusing after all.
Mitch was well known for being a recluse, but everyone knew Diar would drag him out occasionally.
However, Leon Ericks was so rarely seen that some people thought he was a myth.
“Nice,” Diar said and offered the valet two fifty-pound notes. “Keep her safe; he’ll meltdown if she’s scratched.”
The kid nodded, took the keys, and rounded the car.
“Come on, you miserable bastard,” Diar ordered.
Mitch grumpily followed, glowering as hard as he could. He wasn’t here to make sweet talk or business deals. He was merely Diar’s wingman. Mitch trailed Diar into the ballroom of the hotel they were at and headed straight for the bar. Diar noticed Mitch’s focus, laughed, and changed direction.
“Two whiskeys over rocks,” Mitch ordered.
The bartender obliged as Mitch scanned the room. The dining tables were set out ready for the meal, and there’d be dancing later. How joyous, he thought sarcastically.
Several women eyed him with interest, and Mitch’s scowl darkened. He wasn’t a piece of meat on display for them.
“Mitch, how unexpected to find you here,” a woman said, approaching, and he stared at her. She was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t recall her name.
“Yes, a surprise to me too,” Mitch replied coldly. She blinked and then smiled uncertainly.
“How have you been keeping?”
“Fine.”
Diar snorted at Mitch’s short answer.
“Julia, darling, Mitch is in a bad mood tonight. Perhaps let everyone know,” Diar said smoothly. Julia glanced at Mitch, and the flirtatious expression disappeared from her eyes.
“Of course, nobody would want to upset Mitch,” Julia responded with a dark glare before she glided away.
“Jesus, who was that?” Mitch growled.
“Spencer’s sister-in-law, she’s searching for a rich husband,” Diar replied.
“Then she can search elsewhere. I’m not interested,” Mitch stated.
A woman caught his eye, and he paused. She was also familiar. She wore a beautiful evening gown, and her hair tumbled in curls, held in place by diamond combs.
“Seen something you like?” Diar teased, following his gaze. “Well, damn, that’s a Lorelai one-off design. I bet ninety per cent of the bitches here are jealous as hell.”
“The mysterious fashion designer?” Mitch asked as he studied the woman. Everything in him became alert. He knew her.
“Ah, she’s with Leon Ericks; that explains the dress. He can afford the best,” Diar remarked. But his voice came from a distance as Mitch focused on Erick’s date.
Jess! He was sure of it.
Mitch straightened, and Diar glanced at him.
“What is it?”
“That’s Jess,” Mitch stated.
“On the arm of Leon Ericks? I doubt it, my friend,” Diar replied.
“I’m telling you…” Mitch broke off as the woman turned around, and he clenched his jaw. “That’s fucking Jess.”
“Bro, you said she was a film set designer. How the hell is she acquainted with Ericks?” Diar exclaimed.
“No idea, but I’ll find out.” Mitch began to walk through the crowd, and Diar blocked him.
“You can’t approach Ericks like this. The man could break you,” Diar warned.
“I don’t care, I want to know why Jess is with him,” Mitch growled out.
“Then wait for her to be alone. Only an idiot confronts Ericks,” Diar insisted. Mitch ground his teeth as he studied the handsome guy next to Jess. Ericks was dressed in an eye-catching gothic-style tuxedo and was noticeable from a distance. Everyone was in no doubt that Leon Ericks was among them.
Ericks stood with his hand loosely on Jess’s hip as several people spoke around him.
Although they were part of the group, Ericks and Jess seemed aloof and paid them no attention.
Mitch could sense the powerful influence coming off Ericks; it was much like his own.
Ericks and Mitch both eluded power, but they didn’t wield it like a club hammer.
Ericks bent his head and murmured in Jess’s ear, and she laughed softly. Mitch ground his teeth; Jess looked beautiful and clearly able to hold her own in company like this.
“Did you have any idea she knew him?” Diar asked.
“No. I have to wonder if she was a gold-digger after all. Look at her. How much was that dress, would you say?”
“That has to be at least one hundred k. Lorelai only dresses for the super-rich,” Diar whispered. “Could she afford that on her own?”
“No. And she’s wearing five million pounds around her neck alone,” Mitch muttered.
“What?” Diar asked.
“That necklace set. It’s from Elysian Dreams, a one-off. That was valued at nine million for the set. It sold two years ago, and it’s not been seen since,” Mitch explained. His gut was turning itself inside out.
Jess wore the dress and diamonds as if she were born to them.
She was at ease with the elite of society.
The woman who’d sailed Loch Ness and stated she hated jellied eels was nowhere in existence.
Mitch’s eyes narrowed as Jess turned to Ericks and placed a hand on his arm before whispering something in his ear.
Before he or Diar realised it, Mitch was across the room and in front of Jess and Ericks. Diar released a low groan but backed him up. Ericks raised an imperious eyebrow as Mitch joined their circle.
Jess glanced at him, then turned white. Her hand gripped Leon’s arm tighter, and Leon’s hand tightened around Jess’s waist.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?” Ericks asked.
“I’m Diarmad McDonald of the Aisling Hotel Chain,” Diar introduced himself. “This is my friend, Mitch.”
“Just Mitch?” Ericks challenged, and someone in the group tittered. Ericks sent them a look that made them quickly subside.
“Mitchum McQuoid. I own the Elysian Memories Jewellery franchise. Clearly, you’re familiar with my designs.” Mitch nodded at the necklace around Jess’s throat.
“A beautiful piece of work,” Ericks murmured, his eyes narrowed. “It enhances the beauty of the wearer.”
“Indeed,” Mitch ground out. Jess flinched.
“I was planning to look you up,” Ericks said, turning to Diar, who looked surprised.
“Oh?”
“Yes, there’s a penthouse in one of your hotels I wish to acquire. Tonight isn’t the place to talk business. Jess, give Diarmad one of my personal cards, darling,” Ericks ordered, and his eyes flickered back to Mitch.
Mitch nearly lost his temper as Jess dug in her purse for a card and gave it to Diar. What stopped him was the almost minuscule movement from her. Mitch would swear she just pinched Leon on his arm as a warning. That spoke of a familiarity that went beyond what he and Jess had experienced.
“Have you ever been to Loch Ness?” Mitch inquired, and Jess flinched imperceptibly.
“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure, although Jess owns a cottage there, don’t you, darling?” Ericks asked.
“Yes, on the shore,” Jess replied.
“Nessie hunting, McQuoid?” someone sneered. Mitch turned and spotted an old rival, Haughton.
“Why not? I’d not only be famous for my jewellery but as the man who captured Nessie!” Mitch retorted, and Haughton subsided. That was a slap he couldn’t recover from. It was well known that Haughton wanted the number one spot, but Mitch was firmly entrenched in that place.
“Ho. Do I perceive professional rivalry, gentlemen?” Ericks asked, appearing coldly amused.
“Not on my behalf,” Mitch replied. Diar made a hissing noise, and Mitch allowed a small smile to cross his face.
Haughton reacted to Mitch’s burn and excused himself.
“Peacock,” Ericks remarked, and Mitch couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him.
“That’s truer than you know,” Mitch commented.
“Why don’t you lot take a walk?” Ericks asked those surrounding him, and they all disappeared. “Are you here to talk business?”
“Wow, wish I could make people disappear like that,” Diar muttered.
“Nobody wants to upset the great white whale, except you, I sense,” Ericks said, looking at Mitch.
Mitch held his gaze. “You’re possibly the richest man in the room. But Ericks, you bleed red like the rest of us. Strip you naked, and you’re the same as everyone else.”
Ericks laughed as Jess blanched. “One day, Mitchum McQuoid, you might find the error of those statements. But for now, I’ll ignore them.”
“Leon, I’m heading to powder my nose,” Jess murmured.
“Now, Diarmad, let’s talk about that penthouse,” Ericks said.
“I thought we weren’t going to talk business,” Diar replied, and Mitch wanted to kick his shin.
“We’re not. McDonald, we’re discussing the possibility of you selling me a penthouse or two.” Ericks chuckled.
“On that note, I see someone I need to speak with. Excuse me,” Mitch stated and walked away. He had his target in sight and wanted a word.