Page 82 of Mayfair Madame
“I didn’t say you were, but I think you know more than you’re letting on. Come on, Naomi. I’m not going to arrest you. I just want to help.”
She bit her top lip and took a deep breath as if she’d come to a decision.
“When I told Rupert what had happened the first night we met, and that I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously because of who I was and what I did, he suggested that there was another way we could, you know, make them pay.”
“Go on. Is it illegal?”
“It's a grey area, but I don’t think it’s strictly illegal. You know Rupert has money. Well, he also has friends in high places. He may or may not have persuaded the companies that Godfreyand Clement owned together to remove them.I’m sure it’s all legitimate. Rupert wouldn’t jeopardise his good standing.”
“Fucking hell, Naomi. What if it comes back to bite you in the arse?”
“Rupert wouldn’t let anything like that happen. He’ll have covered all his bases, so it wouldn’t look like anything other than a takeover by the other shareholders. Plus, he might have gifted me some shares in the companies.”
She whispered the last part, and I had to ask her to repeat herself.
“Let me get this straight. Both Clement and Godfrey have been removed from the companies they owned. Rupert has bought shares and given them to you. No wonder they’re gunning for you.”
“I don’t think it’s Clement. He has other companies he could fall back on, and he has money. Godfrey, on the other hand, has his home in the country up for sale,and his wife is divorcing him. His chickens have finally come home to roost.”
“Jesus, Naomi. Is there any wonder he’s threatening retribution? He’s losing everything and holds you responsible.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the first person he’d done that to, and if he wasn’t stopped somehow,I know I wouldn’t have been the last. The man is dangerous, Ellie.”
“I know, baby, but you should have let the police deal with it.” I sat next to heron the bed and rubbed her back. “Just don’t poke the bear. Let us do our job and take him down the right way.”
Her shoulders slumped, and she laid her head on my shoulder.
“I’m used to dealing with things on my own or with Rupert’s help. I’ve never trusted the police. Not until I met you.”
She looked into my eyes, and all the worry I’d felt earlier about her dissolved into nothing. Like me, she’d been alone to deal with all that life had thrown at her.
How could I go home now and leave her when she was like this? She was a strong woman. Fuck, she was stronger than anyone I knew, but no one should have to go through this alone.
Sure,she had Melinda, a friend she’d known for years, but didn’t I have a bond with her? I’d spent enough nights in her bed, wrapped in her arms, a confidante and a lover.
“Look,I’m going to go home and get some clothes. Then I’m coming back, and we’re going to see Josh. Tell him everything, not the parts you think are pertinent.He needs to have the full story if he’s going to investigate.”
I might still be signed off work, but I could make a difference. I’d convince Josh I could help in any way possible.
“Melinda will be here shortly. I’ll be okay until you return. Why the fuck does he affect me this way? I’ve dealt with bigger and scarier men than he. He’s nothing. Washed-up nobility with no money to his name.”
“Godfrey doesn’t like your standing up to him. He’s a misogynist and probably grew up with mommy issues. He sees you as a threat to his masculinity and everything he stands for. You’re an outlet for his insecurities. Why do you think he assaulted you in the first instance?”
“He’s the lowest of the low. I fucking hate men like him. I’ve seen my share, but he is vindictive and cruel. Can you imagine if I hadn’t whacked him over the head?Or I’d been a younger, more naive girl? I hate to think what he’d have done.That’s why he had to be stopped by any means possible.”
“He would have seen justice, Naomi.”
“No disrespect, but you have more faith in the justice system than I do. I’m black, I’m a woman, and I work in the sex industry. The odds were never in my favour.”
I sighed. She was probably right.
I placed a kiss on her temple and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“Will you be okay?” How would I feel if I received a death threat? To be fair, I’d probably do what Naomi wanted to do and hunt the fucker down, but there were right ways to go about this.
I couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep the police out of it and deal with it herself. At least I was here either to join her or to stop her.
“I’ll be fine. Let’s go out for lunch. Lorenzo makes the most wonderful pasta. Then we’ll pop into Sam’s and have a few glasses of wine. We deserve it after the week we’ve had. How does that sound?”
