Page 56 of Sex, Lust & Lingerie

CHAPTER 33

Gloria

The legendary pink Beverly Hills Hotel was located a few miles from my condo on Sunset Boulevard. Tyrone let me out at the entrance. A long-legged valet instantly ran up to the car and opened the passenger door.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Long. Welcome back.”

I was quite a fixture at the Beverly Hills Hotel, meeting numerous vendors and reporters here, especially for breakfast at the famed Polo Lounge. And this was, of course, where Victor Holden held all his business meetings. It was a favorite celebrity and power mogul hangout.

As I stepped out of the Range Rover, I told Ty to wait for me nearby. That I hoped to be done with Victor and whomever else I was meeting by two o’clock. He obliged with a big smile.

Passing through the famous pink and green Art Deco-inspired lobby, I strutted to the Polo Lounge located in the rear. My long-stepped stride was a blend of sexy confidence and arrogance, one that had heads turning. Once inside the Polo Lounge, I spotted Victor immediately. Dressed in one of his classic three-piece gray suits, he was seated at his favorite green leather corner booth in the dimly lit front room. A tumbler was in his hand. His afternoon bourbon. When I strode up to his table, he rose, his lecherous eyes leering at my body from head to toe.

“Why, darling, I must say you are holding up quite well given what you must be going through.” He grasped my hand and put it to his lips.

I so wanted one of those antiseptic wipes to wash off his slimy kiss. I mentally sneered at him as I sidled into the booth until I was seated in the middle. I acted cool, calm, and collected. Like the Forbes power woman I was.

“Thank you, Victor. I’m confident that the stock crisis is just a little glitch, and we’ll be back on track shortly. The prototype for the vibrator came in, and I must say it exceeded my expectations.” My sex twinged. Oh, Jaime!

“That’s good to hear.” A smug smile curled his lips. “So, Gloria, have you reconsidered my offer?”

I flinched. Under the table, his free hand ran up and down my thigh. Pig! Crossing my legs and squeezing them tight together, I kept a poker face. And kept him at bay.

“Victor, the only thing I’ve focused on is the stock crisis.” That and the affair your slut for a daughter is having with Jaime Zander. Inwardly shuddering, I wondered if he knew about it—or was even aware of Vivien’s deviant history with her stepbrother.

His steely eyes narrowed. “Are you still seeing Jaime Zander?”

The mention of his name unhinged me, but I acted calm. “No, I’m not seeing your stepson.”

At the word “stepson,” Victor flinched. He was taken aback and for sure knew I was aware of his abusive past. Like a snake, it was time to strike. I took a deep breath before showing my fangs and asking, “Victor, why were you the first to sell off so many shares of stock when you knew business was solid, in fact, poised for growth?”

My question caught him off guard. He twitched and gulped his bourbon.

“Answer me,” I demanded.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He drained his drink and then slammed the tumbler onto the table. His eyes darted to the left. “Now, Gloria, shut your fucking mouth or I’ll shut it for you because here comes our meeting.”

My gaze followed his. Lumbering toward us was a stocky man wearing a long black trench coat, the collar curled up, and a wide brimmed hat that obscured his face. There was something déjà-vu about him. Where had I seen him before? I racked my brain. Think, Gloria, think. And then it hit me—in the lobby of The InterContinental Hotel in Paris just after checking in.

The man stopped at our table and removed his hat. I almost shit my panties. I knew this man! It was a face I’d never forget! The face of a monster!

“Gloria, I’d like you to meet…”

Boris Borofsky!I wasn’t sure if I even heard Victor say his name. For a brief second, my heart stopped beating. Everything inside me died. Then my heart beat into a frenzy.

Victor continued. “He owns a chain of very successful international sex clubs. We met in Paris and thought there might be a natural synergy between his enterprise and Gloria’s Secret. An opportunity to get our products into his many clubs around the world. Perhaps set up Gloria’s Secret boutiques inside them and create an exclusive BDSM line.”

Still standing, Boris’s eyes, the color of pink quartz, clashed with mine. I felt myself turning white as a ghost. If only I were a ghost and could make myself invisible. I tried hard to steady my right hand as I offered it to him to shake. His stubby, calloused fingers entwined mine, his grip so hard I almost winced. My bandaged finger throbbed with pain as the horrific memory of these fingers wrapped around my neck threatened to undo me.

“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Long,” he said in his husky, unforgettable, thickly accented voice. Still squeezing my hand, he gazed into my duo-colored eyes, slicing right through me. “You have fascinating eyes, Ms. Long. It is rare to meet somevun who has vun blue eye and vun brown vun.”

Oh, God! Did he recognize me? It was hard to tell because he was maintaining his cool. I twitched a smile and thanked him.

“I never forget a beautiful face. Have we met before?”

Every hair on my body bristled. “No, I’m sure we’ve never met,” I stammered. Stay calm, Gloria! Don’t let him hear your heart thundering.

“Are you sure we never met several years back in New York?” His voice was growing more ominous by the second.

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