Dirty Game

‘He saw my face,’ moaned the man.

Max gave him a little shake.

‘So? I hear Scotland’s nice this time of year. Take yourself off up there. Go tonight. And keep it buttoned, my friend, or I might get upset with you.’

‘But what if he identifies me?’

‘You’ve got no record. No wife. No kids. He’d have to be fucking clever to do that, wouldn’t he? But take no chances. Clear off out of it.’

‘My cut! What about my cut?’

‘Send a postcard in three months’ time to Eric at The Grapes. I’ll see you right. So long as you remember you say nothing to nobody about this. You get careless, I get upset. Remember that. I hear anything about you mouthing off, I’ll find you. And you’ll be sorry.’

The man nodded. Max started piling the cash into the bags. A good night’s work, all in all. And on Delaney turf, too – that made it twice as sweet.

52

 ‘So how was Cliveden this weekend?’ asked Annie absently as she thumbed through one of the copies of The Times newspaper she bought in for the clients. Not much to see, really. The odd scandal. The odd robbery, too. A massive thirty thousand quid had gone walkabout from a department store on the Delaney manor. Ronnie and Reggie Kray had been remanded in custody, charged with demanding money with menaces. Adam Faith had cancelled concerts in Johannesburg after refusing to play to all-white audiences.

Mira, Jennifer and Thelma were in an ecstatic pre-party huddle on one of the big Chesterfields. Mira, beaming with happiness, tossing her blonde mane, looked up at Annie who was standing over them with an indulgent smile.

‘I was just telling Jen and Thelma about it. It was so wonderful. We had one of the suites overlooking the Thames. The view was stunning. I met Joe Louis.’

‘Who’s Joe Louis?’

‘The boxer, silly. And I was introduced to Lord and Lady Astor. And I met Harold Macmillan. And Tony Bennett the singer, he was lovely. William was very attentive. It was fabulous.’

Annie didn’t doubt that William had been attentive. William was Sir William Farquarson. Unfortunately his wife, Lady Fenella, was horse-faced and not keen on sex. Fortunately, she was often at their country house with her dogs, which left Billy free to entertain more glamorous companions up in town whenever he chose.

‘What’s he like then, Sir William?’ asked Thelma, who was sleek and red-haired with a haughty manner that certain men found appealing.

‘In bed?’ Mira wrinkled her exquisite nose. ‘He likes kinky boots. Nothing else. You have to be naked. No suspenders, no bra, no pants. Just the high-heeled boots – with dress spurs.’

‘What, during sex?’ laughed Jennifer, an elegant toffee-brown girl with an open, approachable demeanour.

‘Oh God yes,’ said Mira. ‘First he likes to be ridden around the bedroom on all fours, then when he gets down to it he likes you to dig the spurs into his back so that he yelps with pain.’

‘Men are very strange,’ sighed Jennifer. ‘My bank manager likes me to wear five bras and do a strip for him. He likes to shout out: “First bra off!” and so on, until I remove the last one. Then he tosses himself off. Pretty odd, wouldn’t you say?’

‘I can go one better,’ said Thelma. ‘One of my older clients doesn’t want sex, he just wants to lick me all over. And he has to take his teeth out first or they rattle all over the place. I tell you, I was getting serious bite marks. So I told him. No teeth out, no licky. So he takes them out. Last time he was here he got so overexcited he picked up his hankie from the side table and flushed it down the toilet with his dentures wrapped inside. Good job he’s widowed. How the hell would you explain that to your wife, I wonder?’

Annie smiled. ‘Thank God men are weird, or we’d all be out of work. Come on, girls. Ten minutes to party time.’

Annie was pleased with her little operation now. It had taken a while, but with Redmond’s cash input and some lively suggestions from her Limehouse colleagues she had come up with a very comprehensive programme of fun for her clients.

A seventy-five-pound charge on the door ensured that every client was entitled to as much food and drink as he liked, a floor show from the lady of his choice, a sexy film from a small selection, plenty of fine music and laughter and cigars, the day’s best papers to read, and – of course – as many fucks as he felt able to accomplish. Ten or none, it didn’t matter. So long as he went away happy and came back in a hurry.

It seemed to work well. She had a barman called Joshua – a Delaney man through and through – who was as smooth as silk. Joshua knew how to mix all the latest cocktails, he was non-judgemental and very discreet. He served food on silver platters to their elite clients with all the cool charm of a Savoy veteran.

No doorman, though. Annie hadn’t considered that, in such a select area. She took the money at the door and Joshua stood there with her and gave every guest a welcoming glass of the best champagne. By half past midday she had ten gentlemen happily ensconced in the apartment and busy with her lovely girls. Then Kieron showed up and Annie wished she did have a doorman, after all.

‘Kieron,’ she said, ‘what are you doing here?’

‘I’ve come to talk to you,’ said Kieron, all floppy blond hair and pleading eyes.

‘It’s not convenient,’ said Annie. ‘As you can see, this is a private party.’

‘Oh sure. I can see people are paying you money to come in. Hardly a party, is it? More an orgy, really.’

God, she was getting fed up with this.

Joshua was looking nervous. He wasn’t up to any rough stuff. Joshua was gay, skinny and unaccustomed to dealing with trouble. Annie gave him a reassuring glance.

‘It’s okay, Josh, I’ll deal with this. You carry on here, take the cash, dole out the champagne, I’ll be back in two ticks.’

Annie gave Kieron an angry look and led the way into her own bedroom, the only place unoccupied at present. She closed the doors behind them.

‘All right,’ she said. ‘You want to talk, so talk. I’m listening.’

‘Don’t talk to me as if I’m a naughty schoolboy,’ snapped Kieron.

‘Then why are you behaving like one?’ Annie hissed back. ‘Why won’t you take in what I’ve told you? I’m not interested in any sort of relationship with you.’

‘But you are with Max Carter.’

‘Look, what fucking business is that of yours? Anyway – that’s over.’

‘Sure it is. That’s why you left my exhibition to which you came as my guest, with that bastard.’

‘When are you going to let that drop?’ Annie asked. ‘I was protecting you from yourself, Kieron. Believe me, you do not want to upset Max.’

‘I don’t care whether I upset him or not,’ said Kieron passionately. ‘It’s you I want.’

‘Kieron, don’t be fucking stupid,’ sighed Annie.

‘What’s stupid about this?’ asked Kieron, grabbing her and kissing her hard.

‘For God’s sake,’ muttered Annie, pushing him away and wiping irritably at her mouth.

‘You know you want me too,’ said Kieron, storming in again and slipping his hand inside her dress to squeeze her breast.

Annie recoiled, amazed and outraged at the same time.

‘For fuck’s sake, Kieron!’

‘I know I was stupid and I didn’t make a play for you when I should have,’ said Kieron in a rush, trying to get his hand back in there. ‘But I want you, Annie. I want you now.’