City Of Need

35 ❤️‍🔥 Exposure

London

I don't know how I manage to focus on the rest of the meeting. All I can think of Roxy. Her skin, her sweat, her mouth, her hair plastered to her forehead. Fuckkk.

Finally escaping the conference room I more or less run down the corridor, hoping to catch Roxy before she leaves. Maybe we could find a broom cupboard or something. Consummate this deeper level of meaning we just found in each other.

My phone vibrates in my back pocket and I pray it's her and that she's already found a cupboard. But it's not Roxy, it's Hennessy and he's even more succinct than ever.

Come to the club now. Urgent.

I type back, On my way, as I leave the building and hail a cab. Fifteen minutes later I'm walking through the back door of Hennesy's club to see absolute devastation. It's raining inside. Not just raining but fucking pouring.

Jameson and Hennessy are soaked and yelling at each other in the middle of the empty dance floor. The water is so loud I can't hear what they're saying.

'What's going on?' I yell as I get closer to them.

'Can't get the water to switch off. It's flooding from upstairs, I think it's to do with the sprinkler system but I can't work it out,' Hennessy shouts.

'What shall I do?' I yell back.

Jameson yells, 'You can't do shit. We're waiting for the plumber.'

Waiting for the plumber? Why'd they call me in to help if they already called a plumber?

Hennessy's eyes motion to someone over my shoulder and I turn to see Mac walking in.

'What's he doing here? Is he the plumber?' I yell to Hennessy.

'What? No, he's here for the meeting.'

'We're having a meeting?'

'Yeah, that's why I messaged you. It's an emergency meeting.'

'But why do you need me?'

'What?' Hennessy yells, 'I can't hear shit.' He pushes past me towards the bar and retrieves a bunch of towels from behind it. They're immediately soaked rendering them useless.

Why the fuck are we having a meeting about the flood when he's already called a plumber? And why call me? I know fuck all about DIY.

I turn again to the door and this time Roxy's sister Lilah walks in the door. Then behind her Roxy appears just as another leak springs to life right above their heads. The two of them are immediately soaked. The whole club is going to be wrecked at this rate, not one of us have a clue what to do and I'm having trouble tearing my eyes away from Roxy's t-shirt which is now transparent.

She flicks her eyes to me and rolls them when she clocks where mine have landed.

The back door opens again and a wall of a guy carrying a tool box and walking with the precision a ballerina through puddles of water walks in. Assessing the situation he sets down his tool box, takes out a wrench, motions to the back door and disappears back through it.

Me and Mac eye each other like prey and predator. We both know I could take him - I'm the predator. Lilah smiles at Jameson as if he's her long lost Father while Roxy gives him the side eye. Then she turns her attention to Mac. Studying his wet t-shirt a little too closely for my liking.

I move myself next to her wrapping my arm around her. Reminding her that I'm her boyfriend now - not him. Hang on - boyfriend? That sounds so vanilla - I'm way more than her boyfriend. I'm her Dom.

I hold her close and inhale deeply. 'You're wearing my scent Baby.' I say it loud enough for it to be overheard. Even with the sound of the water pouring through the ceiling, it has the desired effect. Her eyes are on me now. Her mascara sliding down her face as the water rains down on the both of us.

I flick my eyes around the room. Lilah's asking Mac what they're doing here. He's shrugging an 'I don't know,' then looking at Hennessy, who's looking at Jameson and I realise that whatever we've been called here for it will be nothing so mundane as fixing a leak. My girlfriend is a criminal. So is her sister, and so is her sister's boyfriend. Jameson is a mystery to me. I've never been quite clear on what it is he does, but with his life style, he's probably some kind of a criminal too. And Hennessy? Well apart from owning this club, who the fuck knows what Hennessy does?

The air crackles. Something is about to happen. I pull Roxy closer wanting to protect her from what ever shit is about to hit the fan. I pray it has nothing to do with her family. I know she's on a timeline to go back to them but I was hoping we could stretch it further, maybe snap it all together by doing some kind of deal. I want to keep her with me. I know that now.

Jameson is standing like a silver haired god in a puddle of water in the middle of the room. The rain pouring down his face gives him a Jesus effect. He doesn't need to call this meeting to order, all of us are already hanging on his silence, waiting for him to speak. I get the feeling that none of us are going to like what he's about to say.

Jameson takes his time. His eyes making contact with me, Roxy, Lilah, Mac and Hennessy one by one. While we wait in the pause he'd created. Is he trying to intimidate us, or trying to put his thoughts in order, or is he just waiting for the noise of the water pouring through the ceiling to stop?

It's Roxy that breaks the silence. Because - Of course it is... 'What's going on Jameson?' She snaps. 'Why are we here.'

The rain stops abruptly, as if he's ordered it. As if he can dominate even a disaster.
'We have a problem,' he says.

Water drips from the ceiling onto the dance floor. In the sudden quiet the energy of the room shifts. All of us are still. Even Roxy.

The back door opens. All seven of us swing towards it as the plumber steps gently through the door and crosses the room to his tool box. He smiles at us and says, 'We're going to need reinforcements.' Then taking in the situation- Jameson godlike in the middle of the room and all of us tilted towards him, he picks up his tool box and says, 'I'll be out the back making some calls.'

Once the back door bangs shut, all eyes swing back to Jameson.

'What is it?' Roxy says a little too loudly,  an edge of hysteria in her voice.

'A picture was posted on Pop Bitch an hour ago.' He looks at me. My heart drops. Pop Bitch is a rotten site, full of shitty gossip about musicians, artists and fake celebrities. No one wants to be seen on that and yet it's me that Jameson is looking at. Why's he so concerned about me? He's never made my business his business unless I've asked for help. 'The picture is of you,' he says. His face grim. 'And Roxy, leaving Hard Candy through the front door.'

'What?' Gasps Roxy, Lilah and Mac.

'Can you see her clearly?' Asks Mac as both Roxy and Lilah reach for their phones. I watch over Roxy's shoulder as she clicks on to the site.

'Shit,' says Lilah. 'That's not good.'

'It's just my side profile,' says Roxy. 'I'm not sure anyone would recognise me.'

'With that hair?' Snorts Lilah, looking at Roxy's massive red curls.

I look down at Roxy's phone. 'And that mouth,' I say.

Everyone turns to me frowning. 'What?' I throw up my hands. 'She has the most perfect mouth. I'd recognise it anywhere.'

Roxy smiles up at me and bumps her hip against my leg as Mac glares. 'This is not fucking cool man,' he hisses. 'What were you two thinking?'

Roxy's eyes flare as she looks at Mac and as slow smile creeps across her face. 'I didn't know you still cared Mac,' she purrs as Lilah sends her the death glare.

'I don't,' he snaps and Roxy's smile collapses as Lilah rolls her eyes at her. 'But if anyone comes looking for you, you'll lead them straight to my Lilah. You two idiots just put her in the line of fire. You had one fucking job to do Roxy. Lay low. That was it. You've just blown your little holiday from your family and fucked things up for us all. So tell me, what do you propose we do now?'