Červenà

Chapter
Seven


I MANAGED to get five hours sleep before I dragged myself out of bed and into a hot shower. I found bread in the freezer and made toast to go with the strong coffee I brewed. Feeling more human, I put on my fleece-lined leather jacket and a pair of gloves. It took me ten minutes to find a taxi, and by the time I climbed into the back seat, the temperature had numbed my feet and made my face tingle. My leg ached and I rubbed it in an effort to relieve the pain.

The driver took me to Karel’s address, and I spent the journey steeling myself for the confrontation. Karel would usually deny anything he was accused of and try to blame somebody else, but there was no one he could pin this situation on. I wondered whether there was a chance Rosta might have called him to let him know what had happened, but I dismissed the idea. If he had, so be it, but somehow I didn’t think the kid would have thought of doing that.

I rang Karel’s doorbell, and after a minute or so had passed, I rang again. I doubted he’d be anywhere else on a Sunday morning. He rarely went back to other men’s homes, preferring to bring them to his own. It was late morning, and I imagined him to be in the throes of passion, or sleeping with one of the club’s new employees coiled around him.

Impatient, I punched the bell a third time and the door opened immediately. Karel was half-dressed in baggy pants and an unfastened shirt, his face stubbly and his hair standing on end as if he’d just hauled himself out of bed.

“Joel!” His eyes widened, and he took a step backward. “What are you…? Why didn’t you call?”

“I thought I’d surprise you. Did I interrupt something?”

“No. I’m alone.” He ran a hand through his hair and licked his lips. His eyes darted about and avoided mine. “When did you get back?”

“Early this morning.”

He looked marginally relieved as he stepped aside to let me in. “I suppose you must have, um, gone straight home. Coffee? I was going to make some.”

“No. And no.”

Karel’s brow wrinkled and he looked puzzled, as if he were trying to work out what I’d said no to.

“No, I didn’t go straight home,” I clarified. “I was pretty keen to check out ‘The Full Monty.’”

“I, uh, I thought it was time we tried something a bit raunchier. You know, the customers love it.”

“We’ve never made decisions without us both agreeing to it.” I ground my teeth together, trying to stay calm.

“You weren’t here. I didn’t want to bother you with work stuff when you were with your family. Family comes first, especially at a time like that. All of us were very sorry to hear about your mother.”

“Thanks. So what made you think it was okay to have Tomáš and whoever else dance naked and let the customers jerk them off? To have them perform more than just lap dances? And threaten them with being fired and losing their homes if they didn’t do it?”

“I didn’t threaten anybody. Those boys will make up any old shit. They were probably embarrassed when you walked in,” Karel muttered.

“Tomáš and Sasha don’t lie,” I gritted out.

“Well, you’ll believe anything that little Russian slut says, I’m sure. You know, he’s not as innocent as he seems. He does the same as any of them, but he’s a troublemaker. I’d have got rid of him if he wasn’t so damn popular.”

“You’re an asshole, Karel.” I couldn’t contain myself any longer. “What the fuck happened to you? I thought I could trust you, but the minute my back is turned, you’re threatening the boys, hiring minors as whores—”

“They’re not minors.”

“Rosta is seventeen. I don’t know about the other two yet. Clearly you didn’t bother to check.” I paused to get back on track after the interruption. “What the hell happened to the security guys? You think it’s okay to run a place like Červenà above capacity with no security? And no one watching the cameras in the private rooms?”

“We were spending a lot of money we didn’t need to.”

“You were spending a lot of money you didn’t need to!” I growled. “I didn’t check anything while I was away, until yesterday. I’ve always thought I could trust you, Karel. Up to now you’ve proved I could. So what went wrong? I got an e-mail from Pavel saying he’d quit and that he didn’t like the ‘changes’ you’d made. I looked at the website and there’s a picture of Tomáš naked, inviting all the sleazy guys in Europe to have a taste, and while they’re at it, go fuck some nameless rent boy upstairs? And then I checked the bank and what did I find? What the hell did you do with ten million korunas, Karel?” I stopped, breathless, aware that I’d been yelling. I unclenched my fists and winced at the sting in my palms where my nails had cut into my flesh. “On top of everything else, you stole from our business. From me. Why?”

Karel sighed heavily and indicated his sofa. “Sit down, Joel.”

“I’d rather stand.”

“Please.” He looked defeated, and as inclined as I was to resist, I moved to the sofa and sat. My leg ached and I stretched it out. Karel sidled to one of the armchairs opposite and sank into it.

“Go on. I can’t wait to hear your explanation.”

“Everything else was incidental,” he began.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the pros and the security leaving—”

“You mean your firing the security.”

“Yes. I….” He hung his head and twisted his hands together between his knees. “I’m in trouble, Joel. I didn’t want you to find out. I thought I could put it right before you noticed. I didn’t think you’d come back yet.”

“I’ve been gone two months. I think that was long enough to bury my mother,” I muttered bitterly.

“I’m sorry. Look, you’ve every right to hate me for this. I hate myself. I just… I got in trouble—”

“You said. What kind of trouble? Drugs?”

“No!” He looked at me at last. “Gambling.”

There was a long silence while he waited for me to respond, and I tried to understand how he could lose ten million gambling. I’d never bet on anything. No, that was a lie. When I’d lived in England, I’d always put a ten-pound bet on the Grand National. It had been a tradition in our household. Dad had put a few pounds on the horse of my choice and Rosalyn’s when we were kids, just for the fun of it. Occasionally one of us had won something, but more often than not we didn’t. I’d carried on doing it myself after he was gone.

“Gambling on what?” I managed eventually.

“Cards mainly.”

“You went to a casino?”

“At first. I met a few guys there who run their own card games.”

“And what? You thought it was okay to play with the club’s money? To lose the club’s money?”

“I didn’t at first. I used my own. I was on a winning streak.” His eyes lit up with excitement, and I frowned in disbelief. “I couldn’t seem to do anything wrong. And then things changed and I lost it all. I lost more than what I had.”

“How is that even possible?” I wasn’t stupid. I knew well enough how gamblers got into trouble, but I’d never imagined Karel would be one of them. I barely listened as he explained how he’d continued to make bets with money he didn’t have in the hopes that his luck would turn and he’d win it all back.

“…And suddenly I owed them two hundred thousand and I thought I’d just pay it back out of the club’s account and then stop. We make a hundred thousand or more a night on the weekends. I could just put it back out of my next salary.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did, but… what does it matter? I fucked up. I’ve been trying to put it right ever since you left.”

“You mean this was going on before I went away?”

“Yeah. But it was only October. It was easy to make the books add up. But then it got worse and I… I was relieved when you went away. I thought I’d have time to fix it.”

“So my mother dying was convenient?” I demanded incredulously.

“No! Damn it, Joel, I didn’t mean that. I meant… hell. When you turned up here, I knew from your face you’d found out. I was going to lie but—”

“Lie how? Try to make out I was seeing things when I looked at the bank balance? That I dreamed Tomáš was on the podium, coming all over a dozen different hands? That I imagined some red-haired slut about to get fucked in one of the private rooms?” My rage bubbled up to the surface again and I lurched off the sofa. “What the fuck is wrong with you? How do you think you’re going to replace ten million, Karel?”

“I thought I’d win it back. If we keep the club running as it is, the money will add up much quicker. I’ll make just a few more bets. My luck turned on Friday. I won four hundred thousand. I’ll—”

“No, you won’t. You’re fooling yourself.” I slumped onto the sofa again. My leg throbbed and it was difficult to think straight while balancing most of my weight on the other one. “Tomorrow the club goes back to normal. If I can’t get security in place by the time we open, the private rooms will stay closed. And I’ll man the entrance myself to keep the numbers to an acceptable level.”

“But people expect—”

“They can learn to expect things will be as they were before Christmas. This is my business, Karel. It was ours, but you’ve proved I can no longer trust you. We were friends; partners. You basically kicked me in the teeth. You never gave a shit about what would happen so long as you continued to enjoy your fun.”

“You would say that.” Suddenly his defeated attitude dispersed and his eyes flashed with anger. “You’re so fucking high and mighty with your ‘I’m better than everybody else’ attitude. You’d rather miss out on having fun than dare to do anything that’s not within the rules you’ve set for yourself and everybody else. When’s the last time you actually let go and enjoyed yourself? When’s the last time you even fucked someone, Joel? Or got drunk? Or laughed, for crying out loud!”

“We’re not all sluts and drunks, Karel,” I retorted icily. “Or gamblers. You’re the last person who should be judging me. If I hadn’t come back when I did, things would be a lot worse. What do you think would happen in the next month? Or two months? Would Červenà even exist six months from now? Or would you have sold the whole fucking thing? Whores and all?

“Listen to me. This is what’s going to happen. You’ll remember how much each of us contributed to the purchase of the building. Tomorrow morning I’ll be seeing my solicitor to have a contract of sale drawn up for your half. I’ll pay what you contributed to the original purchase and that’s all. Everything else you put into the alterations, you’ve forfeited by losing the club’s profits. By rights I shouldn’t pay you anything, but maybe I’m too soft. You’re always telling me that, so be thankful I am. You can do whatever the fuck you like with the money, but you’ll have nothing more to do with Červenà or me.”

“You can’t do that! We built the business together. The deeds, contracts, and everything are in both names. I have the right to half. It’s mine just as much as—”

“Not anymore. There is nothing you can say or do that will change my mind after what you’ve done already. Don’t forget you’ve committed fraud and theft. Not to mention employment of prostitutes, one at least of whom is a minor. That’s illegal, in case you need reminding. What do you think would happen if I reported you to the police? I’m sure some, if not all of the staff would be delighted to give statements and testify if necessary. Yes, the club would probably have to close for an investigation, and I’ve no doubt my reputation would suffer, even though I had nothing to do with this. But that’s exactly what will happen if you don’t agree to sell your half.”

Karel stared at me for a long moment, mouth hanging open. I could see his mind working and I wondered how he would respond. In a way I pitied him, but this was one occasion when my soft heart wouldn’t win out. I waited, listening to my heart thumping in my chest and the loud ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece.

“You have… you have that kind of money?” he asked eventually.

“Let me worry about that. It could be in your personal account by Tuesday morning. But you will sign an agreement of sale for your half of Červenà and you’ll walk away.”

“Is there no way we can get past this? I accept that I’ve been a dick. I don’t want to lose everything we’ve worked for, Joel. Or you.”

“Well, it’s too late. I might be a soft touch, Karel, but not when it comes to my business, or our—my employees. In part I blame myself for not keeping on top of things, but I thought you would keep everything in order. Obviously I was wrong.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll put it right.” Karel sighed heavily and dragged a hand through his hair, something he’d been doing at intervals throughout our conversation. “I need the money now; for my half, I mean. But I’ll pay you back. I’ll pay back what I took as soon as I can.”

“Of course you will.” I pushed myself to my feet again and made my way to the door without waiting for a response, but Karel had nothing further to say. I let myself out, and as soon as the cold air hit my face, the strength I’d summoned to get through the discussion dissolved. My stomach turned over and my legs trembled. I leaned heavily against the wall, taking deep breaths. My clothes stuck to my skin where they touched, and the cold sweat on my face made me shiver. I bent over as my meager breakfast made a sudden reappearance on the sidewalk.

It took me a few minutes to get myself together. I doubted I’d ever understand how Karel could have let things get into such a mess. Gambling was an addiction like any other, but to risk losing the club over it? I shook my head as I walked to the end of the street to look for another taxi. As I rode back to Červenà, I thought about what Karel had said to me. His idea of fun was very different from mine. Maybe I was boring in some respects, but running two successful businesses made me happy and proud. I didn’t need to drink and gamble and fuck around to enjoy myself. And now, just maybe, I would have the pleasure of Sasha in my life too.

I spent the next couple of hours in my office at the club and quickly discovered a number of bills had gone unpaid. I logged into the bank account I used for the condos, and paid all the bills. I made additional payments to the staff, including Pavel, Andĕl, and Fran, for their missed Christmas bonuses. When I was done, I picked up the phone.

First I called the bank and made an appointment to open a new account for the club in only my name. With that done, I called each and every one of the security guys—the eight who rotated in sets of four on a shift basis and the two who were employed solely for watching the monitors. Seven of the ten were still trying to find alternative work, and they agreed to attend my meeting that afternoon with a view to returning to work immediately. The remaining three had found other jobs, and I promised these men glowing references and a generous severance payment.

Next I contacted Pavel, mainly to apologize for the situation that had made him leave.

“You have nothing to say sorry for,” he insisted. “I feel like I should have warned you earlier. But no one wanted to make your time with your family harder, and we thought you were leaving everything for Karel to deal with. I wrote because it was only fair to tell you I was leaving.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I suppressed a sigh. “I’m dealing with it now. Things will return to normal. How are things going for you with your new job?”

“Very good, thank you. I manage the bar in the Bohemia Plaza.”

My eyebrows rose as Pavel named one of the best hotels in the city. “Wow, good for you! That’s a step up for you.”

“Not really.” Pavel laughed. “It’s very luxurious but there are more rules. I like it a lot, but I enjoyed working for you just as much.”

“Well, I’m happy for you, but I want you to know, should anything change for you at any time in the future, there’ll always be a position for you at Červenà.”

“Thanks, Joel. I won’t forget that.”

We chatted a little longer and Pavel promised to keep in touch. When I ended the call, I rang Andĕl and Fran’s cell phones and left messages to let them know I was back and that Karel was gone. I wished them well if they were happy in their new jobs, but told them if they ever wanted to return to Červenà, they’d be more than welcome.

I was eager to see Sasha, but I didn’t want to let myself be distracted from what had to be done. I remained in the office, going through piles of paperwork until the people I’d summoned for the meeting arrived. Then I left and went up to one of the seating areas on the balcony where there was more room for everyone to sit down. With seven security guards, four bar staff, and Ralph the DJ, they presented quite a crowd.

I sent Kris and one of the new bartenders down to the bar to collect enough beers to go around and then encouraged each person to speak in turn. Some had very little to say, other than to express their relief that I’d returned. Two of the security guards were ready for a fight, having been ousted without so much as an offer of redundancy pay, but they quickly backed down when I offered them full reinstatement along with bonuses to be paid immediately. A couple of the group raised their concerns about Karel’s future with the club and whether or not they should defer to me before listening to him.

“He won’t be here. I’m buying him out. I will be the sole owner of Červenà from now on. Any concerns you have or anything at all you need to discuss, you come to me. I will be on the premises every day as before, and I’ll make sure all of you have my cell phone number before you go home today. As of now it will be business as usual, and by that I mean as it was before I went away prior to Christmas. No overcrowding, no naked dancing, no touching in the private rooms. The other three—” I cleared my throat. “—employees probably won’t be back. I doubt Rosta will, anyway. I still have to speak to the other two.” I didn’t even know who the other boys were.

“They’ll probably be in tonight. I can point them out to you,” Kris told me, and I nodded.

“Okay, then. That’s all. Thank you all for coming in today. I’m seeing my solicitor tomorrow about the club, and I’ll have him draw up new employment contracts for you security guys. You two….” I gestured to the two new bar staff. “Were you given contracts?”

“No.” One of them shook his head.

“Then I’ll ensure you get them. You can read through the documents, make sure you’re happy with the terms and if so, sign them. If not, feel free to let me know what changes you would like to see.”

Both nodded, and the crowd made its way down the stairs and out of the club. I stayed where I was for a while, finishing the beer I didn’t really want and mentally crossing off items on my long list of things to do. The next few days would be the hardest, but I was confident I could turn things around. Running Červenà alone would be a huge undertaking, but after four years of doing it with Karel’s help, I wasn’t too concerned. I had good loyal staff, all of whom had expressed varying degrees of relief that I’d returned. Most of them I knew well and trusted, and one in particular would be at my side as I got back into the saddle. The hardest thing would be to return the club’s reputation to what it had been before. I had no doubt that although many patrons would have appreciated the nudity and more intimate private sessions, just as many likely thought the place had become as seedy as one or two others located on the outskirts of the city.

I took half an hour for myself before I made my way to Sasha’s studio. I was mentally exhausted, but having gotten over the shock of Karel’s revelations, I was ready for some less serious conversation and a light meal. Tapping on the door, I waited only a few seconds before Sasha opened it. He looked stunning in a pale gray sweater and skinny jeans. The items were casual, but he looked good in anything.

“Hey.” I smiled for the first time since I’d dragged myself out of bed.

“Hi, Joel. Are you okay?” He frowned as he met my eyes.

“Do I look that bad?”

“Only tired. And worried.”

“Tired, yes. Worried, not so much now I’ve spoken to everyone. I don’t want to talk about work much more, but as I said before, things will go back to normal around here now. The security guards have been rehired—seven of them anyway. I’ll find a couple more to make the numbers up. Everything else will be as it was. There’s one other thing I want to speak to you about, though, before we put it aside for now.” I hadn’t thought about this until I’d seen him a few hours ago, when I’d been shocked by how scared and ashamed he’d looked. And when he’d confirmed he still wanted to be with me it had made my mind up.

“I don’t want you to dance anymore.”

“What? Why? If it’s like it was before, I’ll be okay. I didn’t mind the podium that much.” His expression was one of confusion.

“But you didn’t like it that much either. I’d rather you do something else, both for you and for me. If we’re together, I don’t know if I could handle seeing you dancing for other men night after night. Especially when you’d prefer not to be doing it. I know you jumped at the chance initially because you had nothing. But things are different now. If you want to do something else… well, I thought maybe you could work the bar with the others.”

“You already have four bar staff,” Sasha reminded me.

“Yeah, and no manager. I thought I’d promote Kris. He’s young, but I think he can do it. He did a lot to help Pavel when he was still here. There’s room for another person to learn the ropes. I’ll look for a couple of new dancers to replace you and the others. The only thing is, bar staff don’t earn as much as the dancers, although the tips are good.”

“I don’t care about that. As long as I can earn enough to rent a room somewhere, that’s all that matters. I’d love to work on the bar.” His green eyes shone as he beamed at me.

“You don’t need to find a room. You can keep your studio as long as you don’t mind living here after everything that’s happened.”

“But the studios are for the dancers.”

“They’re for the staff,” I corrected. “Most of the dancers came to us because they were in a similar position to you. One or two came from proper homes, but mostly they’d been in care or whatever. That’s why they were offered the studios. Even if I take on two new boys, assuming Andĕl and Fran don’t come back, and give them a studio each, yours will still be free. So stay.”

“Thank you. In that case I’d be happy to stay. And learn to work the bar.”

“Good. So let’s forget about the club now and go to lunch. Or it’s going to be too late and we’ll be having dinner.”

“Will you let me do something?” Sasha picked up his wallet and a new cell phone, and tucked them into his pockets. “I need to give you my phone number.”

“Yes. What is it you want to do?”

“Take you out for lunch. My choice and my money. Don’t say no. It’s important to me.”

I nodded and smiled. “Anything you want, Sasha. Let’s go.”