AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dealing with Dumas was no different.
I’d found him to be cordial, intelligent, and cunning, but I’d always known that he kept a part of his life in secrecy, which was fine by me. He’d checked all the boxes during the discovery phase when discussing the possibility of working together. That’s all that had mattered.
At least on paper.
What I hadn’t expressed to my partners was my continued concern about his family background. The reports of their ties with the mafia shouldn’t matter since given his status within the family, but it continued to nag at me. Lachlan would find it laughable given his father’s connection to the Scottish crime syndicate, something he almost never talked about.
“What exactly is this meeting about? You just mentioned some issue with the club itself,” Alexandra asked as I pulled into the parking lot of the location Dumas had selected for a meeting. He’d suggested what would be the true opposing BDSM club when Carnal Sins opened later in the year. Perhaps I should sayifit opened.
“My partners and I sold a franchise almost a year ago to a powerful Parisian businessman. As with any land development in most countries, there are county or city requirements, the approvals obtained before the contracts were signed. Now, we’re within a couple months of opening and there’s been some accusations made regarding his handling of the applications.”
“Accusations? Like blackmail?”
“And extortion.”
“Fantastic,” she said. “Which will sully the reputation of the entire corporation.”
“Absolutely.”
She looked at me as I pulled into a space, the overhead lighting adding a shimmer to the cab of the Maserati. “What do you think you can do?”
“First, I’m going to find out if it’s true or not. I’ll know that by talking with him.”
“If it is?”
I yanked the keys from the ignition. “There is a clause in the contract that will immediately be acted upon if he’s found guilty of any crimes. It will be terminated, the money he’s put into the project forfeited.”
“But you’ll lose millions as well because you’ll have an unfinished building and a tarnished rep.”
Laughing, I scrubbed my hand across my jaw. “You have a complete understanding of what I’m facing.”
“I took the opportunity of looking up Mr. Dumas on the plane.”
“Oh, you did? And what did you find?”
“His family is highly respected in the wine industry, but it would appear his grandfather was involved with some very bad people.”
“That is correct,” I told her. There was no reason to keep it from her. “It was made clear that his family business in no way could be connected to the club.”
“Why do I have a feeling you think there’s an outside influence that has little to do with Mr. Dumas and more to do with your corporation itself?”
I opened my door, easing onto the pavement. I’d been at the club once before at Dumas’ suggestion. While it was a gorgeous location, they didn’t have the strict rules set in place as we’d established early on.
She climbed out, smoothing down the dress I’d selected for her myself. I took long strides around the back of the vehicle until I was in front of her. “Tonight you observe. I will be eager to see your reaction. And the answer is that you’re right. There are too many interesting coincidences going on and I don’t believe in them.”
“Santiago? Could he have connections this far?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
I thought about her question. “I might need to pull out my little black book.”
“You are full of surprises.”
“You have no idea.” Dumas had already secured our entrance. However, after finding out where we were going once inside, I was surprised at his choice. The club’s design allowed for a loft overlooking several of the specialty rooms, available only to very special members. It was also in the center of the club, the acrylic walls surrounding the three sides allowing anyone to view who was meeting whom.
There was very little difference in Paris versus what were considered the power cities in the US. The rich and influential made up the membership. Dumas was sending a message, attempting to draw out who was responsible for putting his life and his career on the line.
