Page 16 of High Class

Corruption is everywhere, and we all know not to trust him with our lives, but so far, he’s proved to be a valuable asset and we haven’t even had to resort to blackmail to get him to work with us. We will use it if he ever tries to double cross us though.

When I pull up to the warehouse, I’ve called Skylar’s security twice to check on them and I can tell they’re getting irritated with me. Not that I blame them.

I park and walk inside the warehouse where Owen, Matteo, and Senator Pratchett are already waiting. Victor is still in Mexico trying to tame things with his family, but we’re hoping he’ll return soon.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I approach them.

“The good senator here has some information on the investigation into the Mayor’s death. When your family came up, he thought it might be a good idea to let us in on it.”

I flash an insincere smile the man’s way. “How good of you, Senator. What’s in it for you?”

The senator holds up his hands. “Honestly, nothing this time. You boys have been good to me the last few years. I figured I would do you a solid since I’m in the position to do so.”

I stare at him skeptically but nod for him to go ahead with the information.

“The word is that the NYPD is furious at the FBI for taking over. New York is convinced of Oliver’s guilt, and they’re fighting with a judge to let them keep him in state custody instead of transferring him to the feds. It’s causing a slowdown in the FBI’s investigation, which is causing chaos in the city. Luke, if you’re at all close to your family you’re going to want to warn them to lie low.”

Am I close with my family? I don’t like to think that I am, but I still don’t like the idea of them being taken down by the likes of the NYPD. At least we’re honest about our corruption. The police rarely are.

I pull out my phone and step away to call them. Pratchett may have something else to say, but I suspect his information is useless and I don’t need to be here for this.

Before I dial Jamie Bowden’s number, I call Zara’s security one more time.

Just to be safe.

At least that’s the lie I’m telling myself.

Chapter 6

Zara

SkylarandIfinishour shopping with two hours to spare. I suggest grabbing a late lunch, but she’s in a hurry to get back to Matteo. I’m pretty sure her eagerness stems from a dirty text he sent her while we were out, but I don’t press.

Instead, I let her drop me off at the Pink Sapphire and one of her security team escorts me up to the penthouse with my purchases.

The place is empty, and I’m almost disappointed over not seeing Luke. But we’re supposed to go to dinner and then the BDSM club together, so I’m sure he’ll be back soon. According to Skylar’s security, he’s been calling to check on me all day today, and I’m annoyed that I like that. Normally, a person keeping tabs on me that way would raise a lot of suspicion. And maybe it should with Luke, it’s not like I don’t have a reason to suspect him of not having my best interests at heart. But something about the way he scooped me up and pulled me out of that nightclub has me looking at him in a different light than I ought to be.

In my bedroom, I empty my shopping bags, and hang my new clothes in my closet. All except for the black dress I picked out for tonight. During our shopping trip, I asked Skylar questions about the club and what Luke was like. I knew from their brief interactions this morning that she didn’t like him, so I wasn’t able to get a ton of information out of her.

She did however guide me to the right dress for the evening, and I ended up with a sleek skintight dress with diamond cut-outs all down the front and a low neckline that would show off my cleavage well.

I also bought lingerie, six more dresses, some jeans, and a collection of tops along with all new makeup and toiletries since I only had the basics in my overnight bag.

When my clothes and other belongings are put away, I sit down to cancel dates with clients for the next two weeks. It means refunding deposits for some clients, but most are established and trust me to rebook as soon as I can.

In the instances where I was to attend a function with the client, I recommend someone else. In most cases, I’ll collect a referral fee for those recommendations. When I first started in this line of work, I had someone who booked and vetted clients for me, but I also paid them a hefty percentage of what I earned. At the point that my reputation spoke for itself, I started booking my own clients. Now I run the entire business for myself, and I rarely work with anyone I have to share profits with. It doesn’t make sense for me, when I have the skills to do it all on my own.

I even maintain my website after taking a few classes in web development. It irks me that I’m not considered a legitimate businesswoman just because I deal in pleasure and companionship. It doesn’t matter that I pay taxes and earn more than a full-time living. My savings account is bigger than the average American’s and I have no debt to my name. And yet, I’m still an outcast to anyone who finds out what I do for a living. Sometimes even to the people who pay me.

I’m hoping Luke only insists on me staying for two, but a week off after this experience seems like a good idea, so I’m canceling everything for three weeks just in case. The last name on my list makes me frown. I saved him for last, hoping I could come up with a way to not cancel on him.

Joe is a special client. One I hate canceling on. He’s scheduled for three appointments over the course of the next month. I’ll have to see if I can find a solution for him.

June, his sister and full-time caretaker, answers the phone when I call.

“Hey, June, how’s our boy this week?”

June chuckles. “About the same. Sarcastic as ever but a little quiet this week. Is everything alright? You don’t ordinarily call.”

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