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‘You speak languages?’ he asked her.
Erin nodded. ‘Russian, French, and a bit of Italian.’
‘Are you organized?’
Erin barked out a laugh and spread her hands to indicate the party. ‘After this week, I should hope so!’
‘Listen, Erin, I need a PA. Mine came over from New York with me but she’s missing her family and wants to go home. Goddamn lightweight,’ he grumbled.
Erin nodded in sympathy, which she immediately decided was a mistake.
‘So are you interested?’
‘But you don’t even know me,’ said Erin, totally gobsmacked.
‘How do you think I made the Forbes four hundred?’ he said bluntly.
‘Um, property?’ guessed Erin, wincing.
‘By trusting my instincts,’ he replied flatly.
‘So you’re offering me a job?’ she said, unable to stifle a small, incredulous laugh.
‘You’ve impressed me,’ he said, the eyes crinkling again.
‘I can’t type.’
‘I got that covered. You just have to do whatever I say,’ he said with a small smile. ‘Seriously, it’s running my diary, making travel arrangements, fielding calls. All sorts of shit I could be here all night describing. It’s long hours and hard work, but I pay well and you might see a little of the world.’
‘Pay?’ ventured Erin. She was the worst money negotiator ever, her boyfriend Richard always teased her about it.
‘How does seventy sound?’
‘A day?’ squeaked Erin weakly. It wasn’t that much more than she’d got behind the bar at the local pub in Exeter.
‘A year, Erin,’ said Adam. ‘Seventy thousand a year, plus my PAs usually get a car.’
Erin stood looking at him for a moment, feeling as if she was going to burst out singing.
‘When do I start?’
6 (#ulink_e1d3c1f9-031c-5d93-9533-dfc9a2278cc1)
‘Oh God, oh God, you’re too sexy! I’m not sure I can make it to the bedroom,’ panted Harry Levin, his tongue licking Molly’s neck like a hungry wolf. They had only just burst in through the front door and already Harry’s hand had plunged down Molly’s halterneck to grab at her hard brown nipples. His free hand was undoing the belt of his trousers and he had slipped off his shoes, rendering him at least three inches shorter. Insoles, sighed Molly, trying not to flinch as his teeth bit the tips of her breasts like a randy teenager.
She had picked up her latest paramour – cosmetic surgeon to the stars, no less – at the end of the Stop Global Warming benefit, when it was so late that the waiters had begun stacking up tables. To Molly’s great annoyance, Adam Gold had left halfway through the jazz band’s set, before she had even had time to introduce herself. There hadn’t been a great number of other single men at the party, although she had counted four ex-lovers, all married, all with their wives and all who had chosen to ignore her. She didn’t want to waste the night, not when she looked so hot. Her Cavalli dress was cut so low at the back you could see the dark tip where her spine met her ass. So when Harry Levin was pointed out to her as Harley Street’s premier tit man, she knew that she’d go home with him.
‘Spank me,’ growled Harry, when they had made their way up his sweeping staircase, tearing at each other’s clothes as they reached his bedroom. Welcoming the opportunity to inspect his five-storey Hampstead home further, she let him bend over the mahogany sleigh bed, slapping his skinny white arse while she looked around the room.
‘You’ve been a very bad boy,’ she purred theatrically, noting the walnut-panelled walls and fifty-inch plasma television over the exquisite marble fireplace.
‘Harder!’ groaned Harry, clutching his dove-grey duvet in pleasure. Mmm, that bed linen was definitely Pratesi, noted Molly as she smacked him harder, observing the tell-tale scalloped edges of the pillowcase. She also spotted a Picasso sketch on the wall above the bed and the many silver-framed photographs of Harry: Harry skiing, Harry on a yacht, Harry looking tanned, happy and rich. This one was definitely promising.
He rolled over to face Molly, his dextrous fingers pulling down Molly’s tiny chiffon thong in one movement. His eyes widened when he saw her totally bald bush; Molly had waxed it off earlier that day after discovering some tufts of grey.
‘I fucking love that,’ he mumbled, sinking his face between her thighs. She got onto the bed, long hair splayed across the pillow, one leg artfully bent at the knee, her arms thrown back over her head as if she was posing for a Playboy spread. His hands were all over her, and after a couple of minutes of licking her nipples, leaving her breasts cold and wet, he fumbled around with a condom as he prepared to enter her. His cock was small, but he thrust himself in so hard it was like a bullet. She ran her long fingers down his back, but Harry was beyond subtleties: his ass was bobbing up and down like a cork at sea.
She shut her eyes and thought of Adam Gold, but not even that could make this sexual encounter more enjoyable. Christ, let’s get this over with, she thought, making a few half-hearted groans and digging her nails into his thrusting arse as she prepared to fake orgasm.
‘Now! Now!’ he shouted before collapsing onto her, his head on Molly’s chest.
‘Incredible,’ he whispered, ‘just fucking incredible.’
Molly lay motionless, her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she tried to work out whether it was a Lalique or a Murano light-fixture above the bed.
She stroked her hand across the top of his head, wondering if she could get Harry Levin to cough up for that five hundred acres of Mozambique rainforest she’d won at the auction and not yet paid for. At the very least, she was sure he would give her a good price for that tummy tuck she’d been meaning to get.
7 (#ulink_9530f956-5a5c-59e9-8cef-873e94112fce)
Erin had only had been at the Midas Corporation a matter of hours but already she felt lost. As Adam’s PA, she needed to know every aspect of his business, and she was quickly finding that the scale of his empire was vast. She knew that he was a property developer, and while real estate did appear the core of the business, that was only the beginning. The property portfolio alone was mind-boggling – from luxury residential developments in Manhattan and Macao to prestige office blocks in nearly all of the world’s financial centres – but on top of that, Midas owned a dozen hotels, a copper mine in Kazakhstan, a ski resort in Maine, two huge retail villages in Connecticut and Florida and a private jet company leasing out executive aircraft to the super-rich. And that was all she’d managed to find since she’d arrived at 7.30 a.m. It was now dark outside and she was still finding new files and reports. The intercom buzzed suddenly.
‘Erin. Can you come in please?’
As it was her first day at work, Erin had tried her damnedest from the moment she had got into the luxurious office block behind Piccadilly, but she still felt as if she was groping about in the dark. Adam already had an executive assistant, Eleanor Bradley, a fiercely efficient New Yorker who had worked with him for seven years and sat outside his door like a Rottweiler. Erin’s position seemed to be more like a social secretary: taking calls, making appointments, accepting or declining party invitations and arranging for errands that Eleanor was too busy and important to carry out. She had hardly seen Adam all day and had no idea if she had performed her duties to his satisfaction. Padding into his office from her desk as fast as her brand new three-inch heels would carry her, she smoothed down her long-sleeved cotton dress from Debenhams, feeling even more nervous than she had when she’d met Hector Fox at the benefit dinner. Adam’s large corner office was an overwhelming space. With its masculine grey walls, stark architectural photography and dark antique furniture, it reeked of power, money and testosterone.
‘Ah, take a seat, I have a question to ask you.’
She perched on the edge of a padded velvet and mahogany chair, clasping her clammy hands together and hoping she looked efficient.
‘Erin, why are you still here?’ Adam looked up at her from behind his wide wraparound mahogany desk with a straight expression.
Erin’s eyes lowered to the floor with embarrassment. She’d been told she had to be in work for 7.30 a.m., ready for Adam’s arrival at 8 a.m., but she had no idea how late she was expected to stay. For a £70,000 salary, she suspected it was probably a twenty-four-hour job, but when was she supposed to sleep?
‘I wasn’t aware that I should be somewhere else, Mr Gold,’ she stammered. ‘There doesn’t seem to be anything in the diary for tonight.’
‘Precisely,’ he smiled, ‘which is exactly why you should go home.’
Erin felt her eyes linger a little too long on his strong tanned hands. She also noticed that his eyes were a rich, intoxicating brown. She wished she could think of something to say, but she found her brain fog and her throat clam up.
Adam let his smile linger, as if he was aware of his young PA watching him and was enjoying the moment. ‘So how was it?’ he asked. ‘I hope it wasn’t too painful a first day.’
Erin smiled. ‘I loved it. Everyone seems really nice.’ You seem really nice, she wanted to add. ‘Is there anything else you need me to do before I go?’ Please say yes.
Adam leant back in his black leather chair and folded his arms behind his head. ‘I don’t suppose you could dig me out Karin Cavendish’s phone number, could you?’
She thought she saw a flicker of pleasure stretch across his face as he noted her disappointment.
Erin nodded. ‘I’ll bring it through straight away,’ she said, rising.
What did you expect? she thought, scolding herself. Men like Adam Gold would only consider women like Karin Cavendish. He was hardly going to be interested in her, was he?
‘How was your first day, then?’
Richard Pendleton was already home by the time she got back to the flat, standing in the little kitchen cooking chilli con carne. Not for the first time she wondered why he was back so early. In the four weeks she’d been staying at his flat, Richard had never once worked late, let alone clocking up the two-in-the-morning marathon sessions he’d constantly complained about when she’d been down in Cornwall. Still, she shouldn’t grumble; this week he’d been the most attentive he’d ever been since they first got together eighteen months ago. Not that Richard had ever really been particularly devoted, especially since he had moved to London the previous autumn. He was always taking about ‘his own space’, even though they lived two hundred miles apart and he had almost blown a gasket when she had asked him if she could stay for a few weeks while she was working for Karin. Now those weeks had become a month, she had been expecting him to start making noises about how his Earl’s Court apartment was too small for two but, ever since she had landed the job at Midas, his mood seemed to have softened. Maybe he was getting used to her. The kitchen was a small gallery kitchen with smart wooden units and a little window that looked out onto a tiny manicured patch of lawn that the estate agents had dared to call a ‘delightful’ and ‘mature’ garden. She went to stand next to him by the oven and he spooned some sauce into her mouth.
‘Mmm, that’s actually edible!’ she teased. ‘Not bad for a pillar of the establishment.’
Richard was still in his pinstriped suit trousers and a white shirt, looking considerably older than his twenty-five years. Erin had noticed that, since he had begun work, he had adopted a rather superior expression, and the arrogant, offhand mannerisms of a man who believes himself to be a cut above. Leave him alone Erin, she thought, you’re just stressed and tired.
‘So come on,’ urged Richard, ‘what was Gold like?’
‘Oh Richard, I’m knackered,’ she replied, sinking onto a bar stool and kicking her heels off. ‘These early starts are going to kill me.’
‘Well, that’s international business, darling. The man works across several time zones. I bet he was still in the office when you left him, wasn’t he?’
‘How did you guess?’ she said flatly, pouring herself a glass of wine from the open bottle next to the cooker.
Richard ladled the chilli onto two plates and led the way into the main living area that had a couple of sofas at one end and a table and four chairs at the other. Erin had started eating when she looked up to see Richard was clearly still waiting for answers.
‘Why are you so interested, anyway?’ asked Erin, tearing off some pitta bread and dipping it in the sauce. ‘You’ve never shown this much interest in my writing.’
‘I’m hardly going to be interested in those silly fantasies, am I?’
She raised her eyebrows and Richard backtracked furiously. ‘Sorry, sorry. Out of order. I’m just excited for you now, that’s all. I mean, to be so close to such an important businessman. I bet you’re going to hear all sorts. Hey, maybe you could get us a few share tips,’ he winked.
‘That sounds illegal, Richard,’ she scolded. ‘I’m sure your senior partner won’t like you saying things like that.’ Richard’s cheeks flushed.
‘Actually, speaking of our senior partner, I was telling him today about your new job and he was very impressed indeed. He called Gold a genius. I mean how much do you know about the company?’ But, before Erin could reply, Richard ploughed on, keen to show his recently acquired knowledge.
‘Well, apparently the Midas Corporation isn’t just a property development company at all,’ he gushed, clearly pleased with his research. ‘In fact it’s a pyramid of companies.’
‘How do you mean?’ asked Erin.
‘One small company at the top of the pyramid owns or has controlling stakes in a massive number of other companies, and whoever controls the parent company effectively controls everything beneath it. In this case, Adam Gold owns a hundred per cent of Midas Investment Group, the parent company, which makes him very rich and very, very powerful indeed.’
‘Well, I could have told you that without the economics lecture,’ said Erin.
‘Ah, but one of the guys at work was saying Gold’s got to be really, really fishy to be worth over a billion in such a short space of time …’
‘Maybe he just has the Midas touch,’ said Erin sarcastically, suddenly feeling a need to jump to Adam’s defence.
Richard shrugged. ‘Maybe. Anyway, the important thing is that Charles, our senior partner, was asking who does the Midas Corporation’s legals in London. I mean, White, Geary and Robinson offer a very comprehensive service across corporate, property, tax and litigation requirements, you know.’
‘Richard,’ said Erin crossly, putting down her fork. ‘You sound like a used-car salesman.’
Her boyfriend stiffened at the suggestion. ‘Come on, Erin, you know how much I want to be taken on in the CoCo department when I qualify. If I can bring in some of Adam’s Gold’s business, I’ll be home and dry.’
She looked at her boyfriend, really quite baby-faced underneath it all. A little boy dressed up as a City hotshot, wanting to please the big boys. She almost felt sorry for him. ‘Listen, Richard, I’ve only been there a day, but I’ll try and find out who the company uses and whether they’re happy with them. That’s all I can do.’
Richard pushed a kidney bean around his plate and looked a little sheepish. ‘Well … actually, there is one other thing you could do,’ he said, looking up at her with pleading eyes. ‘The firm are having an end-of-financial-year party in a few weeks and …’
‘What, Richard?’
‘Well, I told my boss that you’d bring Adam.’
8 (#ulink_6ca9197f-dff7-5b33-abc7-9c49781e4b8b)
‘Are you still in bed?’
Molly muttered a silent curse. She was indeed still in Harry’s emperor-sized bed and, lifting a corner of her black silk sleep mask, she saw it was 11 a.m. Reluctantly, she uncoiled herself and stretched. She knew the day was out there waiting, if only she could crawl from under this lovely cosy goose-down duvet. In fact, Molly had barely left Harry’s Hampstead home since the night of the benefit a week ago, only venturing into the outside world to pick up some essentials from her apartment – and for Harry to take her out to dinner every night. Naturally.
‘Oh darling, of course I’m not in bed,’ lied Molly, swinging out of the bed, her toes sinking into the thick double cream carpet. ‘Although I know you like to think of me in bed every minute of the day, don’t you lover?’
Harry gave a low chuckle down the phone. ‘Well, I was just calling to say that I’ve been invited to a very old friend’s party tonight,’ he said, ‘and I want you to come with me.’
‘How do you know I’ve got nothing better in my diary?’ teased Molly, standing in front of the full-length mirror and patting her pancake-flat stomach.
‘Well, how about I make it worth your while?’ he asked. ‘Why don’t you go shopping this morning and pick out something nice to wear for the party? We can meet in Bond Street at one-ish to go and collect it.’
‘Dress, bag and shoes?’ smiled Molly.
‘I didn’t think you’d be a cheap date,’ he said, his tone playful.
Molly grinned. ‘I’ll be in Gucci.’
She showered quickly to shake off her grogginess, throwing on some jeans, a white shirt and her cowboy boots and pulling her hair back in a ponytail. She inspected herself in the mirror: pretty hot, even if she did say so herself, but still she didn’t feel quite ready for the hustle and bustle of spending someone else’s money. I wonder … she thought, and walked over to Harry’s walnut chest of drawers. Harry was super-neat, with everything in its own place. She rummaged around among his neatly rolled-up silk socks until she found what she was looking for: a small plastic bag containing about an ounce of cocaine. Molly’s eyes lit up. She pulled the seal open and dipped a long fingernail inside. The powder was fine and translucent like ground pearls; it looked as expensive as the rest of Harry’s possessions. Expertly, Molly tipped a small amount on the bedside table, lined it up with her credit card and snorted, feeling the crackle of coke taking hold. Oh yes, that was good. She pulled on her leather biker jacket, her body twinkling. Now she was ready to go shopping.
‘So who is this mysterious friend we’re meeting?’ asked Molly as they flew down Park Lane in Harry’s forest-green Ferrari. ‘I like to know whose party I’m going to before I get there.’
‘Marcus Blackwell, vice president of Midas,’ said Harry, gunning the engine and changing lanes to dodge a Bentley.
‘Midas? Adam Gold’s company?’ said Molly in surprise.
‘That’s right,’ said Harry smugly, ‘we were at university together. I was a med student, he was doing maths, if I remember rightly.’ He glanced sideways to drink in Molly’s figure, barely concealed by the tiny gold lamé shift dress he’d bought her earlier that afternoon.
‘I haven’t seen Marcus properly for years though,’ he continued. ‘He’s British, but he went to work on Wall Street fairly soon after he graduated. He hooked up with Gold and has been his right-hand man ever since. He’s done very well for himself.’
‘Hey, you didn’t do too badly either,’ smiled Molly, expertly massaging both his ego and his cock, her right hand stretched over the gearstick into Harry’s lap.
‘I guess not,’ gasped Harry, trying to keep the Ferrari on the road.
The Midas Corporation drinks party was to celebrate the launch of their flagship London development ‘Knightsbridge Heights’. Molly had read about the luxury apartments in the Evening Standard. Apparently, everyone from celebrities to oil sheiks had been clamouring to buy into one of the capital’s most desirable slices of real estate, and the party was being held in the building’s stunning black marble lobby. By the time Harry and Molly walked in through the black and gold revolving doors, it was already throbbing with the cream of society.
‘So how much does one of these apartments go for?’ asked Molly, looking around enviously. It was really a spectacular place in which to live. The centrepiece of the lobby was a vast black marble fountain that spewed out water as from a whale’s blowhole. The atrium stretched all the way to the glass ceiling hundreds of feet above. Along the back of the building was a bank of sliding doors that opened out onto a lush garden, stocked with exotic plants and lit for the evening with guttering torches.
‘I think they start about three million pounds and then go skywards,’ said Harry knowingly. ‘And I hear ninety-five per cent of them have been sold already. That’s the beauty of Midas’s residential business. They target the very top of the market. It’s pretty much recession-proof up there.’
They eventually found Marcus Blackwell at the entrance of the Winter Garden. He wasn’t a particularly good-looking man, thought Molly, his closely cropped dark hair had receded and his eyes, although brown and twinkly, were too close together, giving his face a pinched expression like a vole’s. That said, he was considerably more attractive than Harry, thought Molly. Considerably.
