Julie Clark, known previously as Margaret Byrd, banged the door shut and rested her head against the frame. Her heart was still pumping loud and fast as she took in shaky breaths. She hadn’t been this scared or so pissed off since the day she’d discovered her husband with another woman. Since that night she’d victoriously escaped that disastrous orphanage on St. Joseph Island, she’d thought she had put the past behind her.
After all, she deserved to enjoy her life to the fullest. Of course, she’d been doing just that for the past eighteen years. But the sight of that distasteful girl, Sakura, now fully grown and too beautiful for her liking, made her past return to haunt her.
When her heart finally slowed down to its normal rhythm and her mind cleared, she gazed long and hard at the luxury that surrounded her. Her apartment was tastefully decorated with the latest fashions and designs, no expense spared. She was rich, with a prosperous business of her own. She was surrounded by men who adored her. Of course, most just wanted to have sex with her girls, but she didn’t mind that. Those girls were working for her, after all, and the men grew her business with their limitless money and unsatisfied lust.
With a deep sigh, she barged into her large bedroom that overlooked Central Park. She thrust the closet open and searched for the old box she had hidden way at the back. When she pulled it out, she eyed the thing with disgust. Why didn’t I throw the thing away? Why didn’t I?
She unlocked the small chest and flicked it open. There, she stared long and hard at the countless letters with beautiful, clean handwriting, signed with love with the name Haruka Tanaka. Amongst those were receipts of checks ranging between fifty grand to over a few hundred. Money Julie herself had deposited into her private account, which amounted to just over two million by the time she’d left St. Joseph Island to start a new life for herself.
“I looked after the little bitch for seven years,” she muttered under her breath. “I deserved that money.”
Angrily, she slammed the box shut and busied herself hiding it away in the back of the closet. “Tara,” she said, searching for her cell phone. With hands shaking, she dialed her daughter’s number and waited. After a few rings, Tara’s voice came through.
“What do you want, Mom? I told you not to ring me unless it’s an emergency!”
Julie gritted her teeth and snapped, “Tara, darling, this is an emergency.” Her voice was shaking, and she knew Tara could hear that.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Julie took a deep breath. “Meet me tonight at Madam Lounge.”
“What? Why can’t you tell me now?”
Julie snapped, “It’s not safe. Just meet me this evening in my office.”
“All right. I’ll be there.”
The beeping sound came through instantly, indicating Tara had hung up. Julie once again felt herself shaking with fright, her eyes on the closet where the ancient box was hidden.
***
“Get off me!” Tara muttered in annoyance, shoving a hand away.
Ray Woods lifted his head and raised a brow at her. “What is wrong with you?” he queried. He was quite annoyed that she’d interrupted him having his way with her.
Tara folded her arms against her bare breasts and said coldly, “It’s my mother.”
“Oh?” He sat up. “What does she want?”
“She wants to meet tonight,” Tara said, looking heavenward. “Thing is, she sounded like she’d just shit herself.”
Ray laughed. “That’s funny.” At Tara’s glare, he said, “Your mother’s a bitch, Tara. We both know that. I’ve worked for her, doing her dirty work, for five years now. I know that woman’s mental.”
Tara snorted. “If she’s mental, then why the hell are you working for her?”
Ray shrugged. “She pays good money. And I like the job.”
Tara saw him smile and knew what he meant. He loved living dangerously and doing illegal things. That was what drew her to him the moment they’d first met a year ago after James Princeton had kicked her out of his family.
She was so pissed that her plans in getting rid of Sakura had failed that she returned to New York and started drinking herself stupid. When she became broke and, of course, couldn’t ask Alaina for any more money to keep her going, she’d turned to her own mother—who supposedly died eighteen years ago—for help.
Of course, she’d found out when she’d turned sixteen nine years ago and received an anonymous letter that Margaret Byrd wasn’t dead. At first, she’d been so pissed with her own mother for pulling off such a selfish stunt, for burning down the orphanage and running off, leaving her to fend for herself. But then again, the circumstance had also given her the opportunity to be adopted by one of the wealthiest families in America, with Alaina’s help of course. She’d used her wits and tricks to get the gullible girl to become her best friend and made her do everything she’d ever wished for.
Tara sighed and got out of bed, naked. Ray admired her slender form and said, “Where are you going?”
Tara turned to look at him. “To see my mother.”
He laughed. “I guess I better go, too. She’s probably got a good job for me to do.”
Three hours later, Tara and Ray walked into the Madam Lounge, a private club for men to enjoy their drinking and sex. Tara snorted with disgust. She couldn’t believe her own mother owned such a despicable business establishment.
She glanced at the handsome man beside her. She couldn’t believe she was sleeping with her mother’s right-hand man, either. Yes, he was darkly handsome and he fit the bill where looks were concerned. He was a combination of Sebastian and Darcy—tall, with black hair like Darcy and bright blue eyes like Sebastian. He swam, too. That toned, muscular body was very similar to the much-desired Princeton brothers. But unlike Sebastian and Darcy, Ray wasn’t out of reach. Ray was attainable, and of course, bloody boring. Even now, she still ached for the Princeton brothers. Her Princeton brothers, especially Darcy and Sebastian.
“Hey, Sarah,” Ray said to the lovely blonde greeting them. She winked at him and gave him a good, long kiss on the lips.
“You haven’t been to see me for a while, Ray darling,” she said seductively, batting her long fake eyelashes.
He laughed. “I’ve been busy. How ’bout later?”
Sarah eyed Tara and said, “Okay, later, then. Hi, Tara.”
Tara sneered and told the woman with her eyes to piss off. She wasn’t going to mix with these lowlife bitches who sold their bodies for money.
With her head held high, she marched elegantly up the stairs to her mother’s office. Ray followed close behind her.
“What’s the emergency?” she asked the moment she stepped into the luxurious office.
Julie looked up from her laptop, her face marked with fright and exhaustion. Tara was very surprised because she’d only seen the woman last week, and she’d looked as happy and young as ever.
Julie indicated the two should sit before she began. Once they did, she said, “She saw me.”
Tara frowned. “What? Who saw you?”
Julie fisted her hands into balls and snapped, “Sakura saw me.”
Tara blinked. “Come again?”
“Sakura, that little bitch, saw me today. I was in the Princetons’ hotel and—”
“What?” Tara shrieked in outrage. “What the hell were you doing there? I told you not to go there. What if they recognized you? James and Brenda live there now.”
“It can’t be helped,” Julie defended. “One of my important clients was there. I was escorting one of my girls there for him.”
Tara looked heavenward and prayed for patience. “Screw your business and your girls!” she snapped. “So what? Sakura saw you. And what the hell was she doing there anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Julie muttered. “But I bumped into her.”
“Wait?” Tara turned to stare at her mother. “You bumped into her?” At Julie’s nod, she went on. “God, tell me she didn’t recognized you.”
Julie sighed and said, “I think she did.”
“What the hell!” Tara swore.
“I think she recognized me. She was looking at me strangely, and she reacted, like…”
“Like what?” Tara asked, her eyes large with fright.
“Like she’d just seen a ghost,” Julie explained.
At this point, Ray was interested in what was going on. Mother and daughter looked like they were freaked out by this girl named Sakura.
“Sounds like she recognized you all right,” he commented.
He received a frighteningly pissed-off glare from both mother and daughter. He brushed the anger aside and said, “But really, why’re you so afraid of her? She’s just a girl, right?”
“Yes,” Tara said. “But Mom is supposed to be dead. That girl Sakura was one of the girls Mom looked after back at the orphanage. What if she goes and tells the police? What if the police dig up what really happened that night?”
Ray laughed. “Okay, let me get this straight. So you’re saying, Julie, you were the one who burned down that orphanage?”
Julie sighed. There was no point in hiding it from Ray. He’d find out sooner or later.
When she nodded, he chuckled. “Classic. You got balls, Julie, and I like that.”
Tara said, “Assuming she’s going to the police, what then?”
“We can’t let her go to the police,” Julie said.
“Look,” Ray said. “You two look like you need some help.”
Tara folded her arms across her chest. “What do you mean?”
Ray said, “If she goes to the police, you two are screwed. The Princetons will find out eventually.”
Tara’s face flared with terror at that very thought. She couldn’t possibly let the Princeton brothers find out about her mother and her being involved in something like this. She couldn’t possibly let Sakura ruin her chance with the brothers. Not again. Not ever. She was going to get Sebastian or Darcy, one way or another.
She stood. “I have a fashion shoot in Hawaii this week.” She clutched her hands when once again she remembered only last week, Mr. Tachibana had called her and Alaina into his office, informing them of Sakura, a new model, the main one. And all along, Tara had thought she was the supermodel who got to wear Mr. Tachibana’s most expensive and desirable items, as well as Lady Haruka’s jewels. Of course, it didn’t dampen her anger, either, even though Mr. Tachibana had informed them the Princeton brothers were the rest of the male models.
She said, “Sakura is one of the female models for Mr. Tachibana’s summer collection.”
Julie glanced up and managed a tentative smile. “That’s good.”
Ray knew the two were up to no good, and he was actually looking forward to playing with them.