“But not on the phone. I need to see you in person.”
Fuck. I closed my eyes and tried not to voice the panic rising in my chest.
“Well, I just said I’d come and get you, but I only have an hour. I have a flight to catch at four thirty. I won’t be back until Monday.”
“Well, I’ll just wait and see you Monday then.”
Monday? Monday was forever away.
“I’d really like to see you now, Kitten.” I spun in the chair back away from my brother, who was still rubbing his forehead where the stapler had hit him. Serves the wanker right.
“Monday’s a long way off, and I want to show you how sorry I am for being such a prick last night.”
“Fuck Me!” my brother whisper shouted. “I’m gonna take a piss, I can’t listen to any more of this.” He got up and went into my bathroom.
“I can’t, Cam. You don’t have to keep apologising. You shouldn’t have behaved like a prick, and I shouldn’t have stormed off like a diva. Go catch your flight and give me a call on Monday once you’re home.”
Fuck my luck and fuck those Russians. I raked my hand through my hair and let out a long sigh.
“If I could get out of it, George, I would, but something’s come up with some business I have going on in Amsterdam, and I need to fly over and sort it out. I only just found out myself I had to go.”
“It’s okay, you go and sort out your business and we’ll talk on Monday.”
Tell her you love her, tell her how you feel …
“I miss you, Kitten. Have a good weekend.”
Tell her for fuck’s sake!
“You too, Cam. Bye.”
Fucking tell her. My own voice roared in my head.
“George, I …” The door to my bathroom swung open and my brother stepped back into my office.
“Nothing, I’ll see you Monday.”
I flew to Amsterdam rearranged the meeting with Kadnikov and saw him Friday night. I was thoroughly fucked off with the situation and the inconvenience it had caused me. I took my fucked offness out on his face and made him see the error of his ways. It was NOT okay to hit women, and it was NOT okay to burn down buildings we owned. We would NOT be paying him for protection. He would NOT mess with us again. He got my point, along with a broken nose.
I got a flight home Saturday lunch time.
Before we took off, I called Georgia, she’d slept in and I’d woken her up. Her voice was all croaky and as sexy as fuck. I turned my back to the airport crowds and tried to readjust my hard-on as I spoke to her on the phone.
She was even less talkative than she’d been when she called me Friday morning. All I learned was that she’d gone out to an Indian restaurant with Jimmie Friday night, but she didn’t drink much because she was saving herself for Ashley’s party. In that split second, I decided not to tell her I was coming home and just to turn up at her place to surprise her later.
Once we landed, I went home to shower before going over to Georgia’s and found a message waiting from the estate agent on my answerphone. The offer on the house I’d spent the last two weeks trying to buy had finally been accepted.
I didn’t call Georgia or go to her place that afternoon, deciding to turn up at Ashley’s birthday party that night and surprise her instead.
She was fucking surprised all right.
The first thing I noticed when I pulled into my reserved spot was the extra security in place, even at the back of the building. I walked around to the front, where there were not only more of my staff than usual but also faces I didn’t recognise.
“What’s going on?” I asked Steve, one of my head doorman.
“Private party, boss. Frank’s boy, the one that’s in the band? He’s up there with another bloke from the band.”
I looked around at the queue as he spoke and spotted a few photographers hanging about. Oh well, it’d be good publicity for the club and would most definitely raise our profile having them here.
“Who’s paying for all the extra security?” I asked him.
“Nothing to do with us, boss. They came with the band. Bailey’s inside, have a chat with him.”
I nodded my head but I was only half listening. Georgia was inside, and after two lonely nights without her in my bed, I planned to drag her out of there just as soon as she’d let me.
I had a key with me. It wasn’t the actual key to the house I’d bought, but she wouldn’t know that. I was gonna put it into a glass of champagne and pass it to her.
The club was packed to capacity, and the bars were four deep with people waiting to be served. I made my way through the crowds and up the stairs to the VIP area.
Bailey stepped in front of me, blocking my path from the bar to the dance floor in the sectioned off area.