London Dusk (A Dawn to Dusk Novella) (6 page)

Ten minutes later
, Annalise took a photo of me for my profile, I had my clients file loaded to my phone, and apparently I was ready to go. Jax was dropping me off. Saying I was nervous didn't even begin to cut it. Jax had even offered me something to relax, but I had a cigarette instead. Drugs, even prescription ones, had never really been my style. The most I ever took was paracetomol.

Smoking was something I never ever thought that I would take up again
, but I dragged on the cigarette as I looked over the client file. His name was Darren Kennedy, and apparently he was some sort of entrepreneur in the steel industry. He wasn't bad looking. Kind of weedy, but definitely not ugly. The photo showed him dressed in a suit, with cunning eyes and a secretive smile on his face. As I analysed it, I wondered what this chap had that was so secretive that he was smiling about.

Was it the fact that he was going to get laid?

I flicked the remainder of the cigarette out the window and turned to Jax. "How did you even do this?"

She smiled
, and grabbed my hand. "I just imagined someone else. That, and I was usually fairly intoxicated as well." She gave my hand a squeeze. "You'll be fine."

"
Intoxicated huh?" I paused. "Guess that's always an option."

She laughed
. "Look if you're worried about your performance in bed, don't be. There is no point. Just have a few drinks, and who knows – you might actually really like the guy. Think of it like a one night stand that you're getting paid for, and if you don't like him, just have a few more drinks until you do. It's as simple as that. Especially if you're not going to take anything to help you relax a bit."

I shook my head
. "Alcohol will do."

She smiled
. "Okay, well if you change your mind, I might just have something that will get you through." She opened up the car's centre console, and rifled around it there with her hand while keep her eyes firmly on the road ahead. She pulled out a small brown bottle with a rubber end and handed it to me. "It's rescue remedy – homeopathic. No bad stuff in it. If you think you need to calm your nerves, take a few drops and it should help settle you down a little."

I turned the bottle over in my hand
. "I can't overdose on it, right?"

"
Nope, that's the beauty of that stuff." She chuckled. "I mean – everything in moderation, right? But no – you can't knock yourself out. So take some now, and then keep it in your handbag and just have a few drops every time you go to the bathroom or something."

I lifted the dropper to my mouth and squeezed. It tasted kind of yuck
, but it wasn't unbearable. Did I feel the immediate effects of calmness wash over me? No, but as we drove closer to our destination, I did actually start to relax just a little. If anything, the rescue remedy had taken the edge off. Now I just needed a glass of wine or something to really help relax me. I hadn't thought I would be drinking so soon again after my night with Jax last night, but I was actually craving a little alcoholic relief.

The sight of the Thames greeted me
, and my stomach rolled. We weren't far from the Savoy now, and I desperately wanted to lock the car doors and instruct Jax to drive me home. But my pleas were stuck in my throat. It wasn't going to happen. I just had to think about the fact that this was the quickest way for me to make the money I needed, not just for me, but for Elsie too. She'd done so much for me, it was time to return the favour. "It's just a one night stand," I muttered under my breath. I drew in a big lungful of air, and let it out slowly.

Jax pulled up to the brightly lit Savoy in the dusky London light.
"Now, you're meeting at the American Bar inside. You know what he looks like, and he should have been sent a photo of you too. They have great cocktails." She winked. "Good luck."

I was about to say something along the lines of ‘I don
't want to do this' but someone opened my door and reached for my hand to assist me, and before I knew it, I was getting out of the car. Even though I desperately wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to wipe my sweaty palms on this white dress. Jax passed me my matching handbag, and gave me a small wave before she drove off.

"
How may we assist you," the man who'd opened my door asked. He was suave looking in his full hotel uniform and glasses.

"
I'm meeting someone," I said, trying to sound confident under his stare. "At the American Bar?"

He nodded
. "Ah yes, right this way." He smiled politely, but his eyes didn't – causing me to instinctively tense. I never would have set foot in this place in my normal life. I knew from Luke and his constant work trips of how hotel staff could sometimes treat guests if they weren't dressed in the right way. He never took me away with him – I guess I never looked the part. I had to wonder how many other women he may have slept with at all those hotels, or if it was only Nicole. I followed the man inside. "Have you ever been here before?" he asked.

"
No, not here," I responded. "It's lovely though."

He snickered
. "Yes. The American bar is a very nice place to meet with people. It has a huge selection of cocktails to choose from, and they always have a pianist." Leading me down a wide corridor, he opened a door for me, and ushered me through. "And, here we are."

The melodic sound of the piano met my ears
, as well as quiet chatter of the patrons currently enjoying the bars atmosphere. It was busy, but not rowdy. In fact, as I took in the beautiful black and white photographs of 1930s New York set in framed mirrors, I longed to have enough money to travel there.

I saw the sign for the bathrooms
, and glancing at my watch, I noted that I was a few minutes early. I crossed the room, and found myself standing in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. I was almost unrecognisable. I looked so completely different. I gripped the edge of the hand basin, and took a deep breath, my hair falling around my face.

"
You can do this, Mack," I said with determination. It was in that moment, when I met my eyes in the reflection, that I wished I had taken one of Jax's magical pills. Instead I pulled out the rescue remedy, and squirted a decent amount on my tongue and swallowed. Then I took another hit of it for good measure.

Before I could start talking myself out of this
, I straightened my dress, rearranged my jacket, brushed my hair, and reapplied my lipstick. My hair shone in the bathroom lighting, making me smile. It never ever did that at home, no matter how much I tried to get it to look good. I spritzed some Ralph Lauren perfume on my collarbone and at my wrists, and took another deep breath.

Now I was ready to face the world. Well… as ready as I was ever going to be anyway
.

Before I knew it
, I found myself standing at the bar. As I waited for the bartender to notice me, I took in my surrounding with more detail. The place was decked out in shiny chrome, plush seating, lots of wood, and in all honesty, it did actually remind me of New York a bit ... well what I had seen in the movies, anyway. Low lighting lit intimate areas, giving the bar the feeling of warmth. Combined with the man seated behind the white Steinway grand piano, playing soulful jazzy tunes that sounded as though they were from the 1930s period, I was starting to relax.

"
Good evening, what can I get you?"

I turned to the young
, surfer-looking American bartender and ordered a martini. I wasn't one for cocktails generally, and even though they had a selection of wines, I didn't really know what my ‘date' had planned for us this evening. So a martini was made, and placed in front of me on a fabric napkin. I handed him my credit card, and winced at the price.

I shook the thought from my head. It didn
't matter. What mattered was that my accounts would soon be flush with money and I could afford to splurge just a little for the sake of the greater good. I made myself comfortable at the bar and had a few sips of my drink, feeling the icy liquid slide through my insides, with the alcohol instantly hitting my nerves and relaxing me even more. Jax was right. Drinking helped.

A hand brushed my shoulder
, and I looked up to see my client, Darren, standing there. "Oh, hello," I said shyly, letting him shake my hand as he leaned in and lightly brushed his lips across my cheek. He smelt good. Very good. And for some reason, it surprised me.

He smiled confidently back
, his eyes sweeping appreciatively over me, and eventually resting on my face. "You look gorgeous," he said, his voice laced with an aristocratic edge. "Simply divine."

I smiled
, and took a sip of my drink, my eye sliding towards the bartender who was watching the exchange with great interest.
It's a date…. Just a date…
I reminded myself. Darren was most definitely not the sort of man I would ever go out with. For one, he was short. Well, shorter than most men I met with anyway. A lot shorter than me. He was dressed in a smart steel-grey, silky shirt, expensive jeans, and casual shoes. Even though he wasn't my ‘type', he wasn't bad looking, and I couldn't imagine why he would hire sex and entertainment, when I was sure there would be plenty of women attracted to his money and status.

I watched him assertively order himself a drink
, and another for me. "Shall we go and sit where we don't have an audience?" he murmured to me once the bartender was busy.

I chuckled
. "Of course," I agreed. We moved over to a seat, and settled in. For someone who I didn't know, it was peculiar that he sat right beside me, but I guess it was also appropriate since he was paying for my services. It was a very odd space to be in.

"
So, McKenna, what is it that you do for a living… other than this?" He added with a wink.

I laughed
. "Where do I start?"

He shrugged
. "At the beginning, I suppose."

"
I'm a historian, by trade. I deal mostly in cultural artefacts, dabble a bit in art history, but I'm also particularly interested in human migration and war motivation."

He looked taken aback
. "You're serious aren't you?" He leaned back and looked me over, from head to toe, shaking his head. "Smart and beautiful… I would have thought you to be a runway model."

This time I really did laugh
. "Me? God no. I'm far more interested in burying my nose in books than being a glorified clothes hanger." I took a few little sips from my drink, and eventually drained my glass while he continued to analyse me. It wasn't a pleasant experience being so scrutinised, but the alcohol helped.

"
Amazing," he murmured. "Simply amazing. Where on earth did Annalise find you?"

I pursed my lips as I picked up my next drink waiting for me on our table
. "Mutual friend," I answered. I was not going to tell him about the reason why I now worked for Annalise, or even about Luke. That was far too much information. Jax said treat this like a first date, and I was going to do precisely that. "And what do you do, Darren?" I asked meeting his eyes.

He smiled
, and sat back comfortably. "I started a business in scrap metal when I was sixteen, much to my father's annoyance, and then it grew from there. Even though I am now extremely successful, and I enjoy my life and the best it can offer—" He winked. "My father still doesn't approve."

Daddy issues.
Great.
This
was what I had to deal with? "Well it's your life, not his," I said gently. "You need to live the life you love, and love the life you live. It's really as simple as that."

"
Do you love your life?"

I looked away from him
. "Not always. But I try my best." I don't know what compelled my honest answer, but he seemed satisfied by it.

"
I love my life. Most of it. I am never lonely, I meet beautiful women, and I travel the world acquisitioning more scrap-metal yards and turning them into money making ventures. Something I have discovered over the years is that money always talks. You can buy just about anything you like… even love."

His gaze met mine
, and I felt my mouth go dry. Oh boy. "But can you buy true love?"