Chapter 4
The day was the next Saturday, just seven days after JC and "Toby" had met. JC had called on Wednesday and the him and his sister to The Beach House, which was an exclusive club on the shore of the beach. Using his own invitation, JC had gotten the two on the list as his guests. It was "VIP & Company" night, and those who got in without invitation were few. It was a very hip and hot place to be.
"Ri, are you almost ready?" Bryce called from his room. Arianna was in the bathroom finalizing her look for the night.
"Just a minute or two, Bry," she shouted back. "You men just don't understand the essence behind a woman perfecting her appearance, and the amount of time it takes."
Arianna heard him mumble something, but she didn't dwell on it. JC was picking them up at the dump they called an apartment, and he would be there in a matter of minutes. The full-length mirror attached to the back of the door allowed her to get a full view of her finalized appearance. Her top choice was a black, lace sleeveless top that showed enough skin on her upper body to make a man melt. The tight fit made it even sexier, along with the fact that it cut above her slim belly. Her pants were also black; denim with patches missing along the sides. Underneath, she wore a black thong. The shoes on her feet were cheap, yet stylish black Wal-Mart platforms. Arianna wore her hair down and sporadically braided. The makeup was full of glitter, to hopefully catch JC's attention. But, judging by the looks he gave her last week, it wouldn't be hard for Arianna to get his eye.
Just thinking about last week gave her mixed emotions. Of course, it sent her chills when she though of JC. The pictures she saw of him showed no justice to his actual appearance. In person, he had this presence about him that made him so attractive. Plus, his voice (both singing and speaking) was incredibly sexy. Any woman who was lucky to hear him up live and up close like that was sure to get chills up her spine. A man's voice alone had never done that to Arianna. Her mind could only dream about what else he would do to her.
Yet, then again, there were the bad things about the other night. Bryce was supposed to made his "bump" with him about 2 hours before he actually did. Also, he wasn't actually supposed to get drunk. All that he should have done was drink one beer to get the smell of alcohol on his breath. The two could have had a much better conversation if Bryce hadn't of went and drank his ass off. But, he did, and there was nothing Arianna could change about that. Though as soon as they got home, he did get bitch slapped a couple of times. That night Arianna took her pissed off attitude off on her drunken brother, who definitely deserved it.
"Ri, he's outside! Let's go!" Bryce whined. Arianna rolled her eyes and tightened the buckle to her shoes. As she walked out, Bryce whistled at her appearance. "Every guy in that club is gonna want you tonight."
"Well, Toby," she put on a long denim jacket that matched her pants and followed her brother to the door. She made sure to put the emphasis on the Toby, because they would be using their false names in the company of JC. "The only guy I want to want me is JC, and I am so sealing this deal tonight. One way or another, it is done tonight."
"Great attitude, Harmony. Just make sure you give me some time to put in a few good words from me about you."
Grinning, Arianna followed Bryce down to the front of her building. Outside, a limo awaited them. Her jaw dropped in awe. She knew that the club they were going to was high profile, but she didn't know that he was bringing such a high quality vehicle. Arianna had been with some rich men before, but none with a limo. This ride was sure to be interesting, for both her and Bryce had never been in a limo before in their lives. There was no need to pretend at this point in the night, because they were for real.
JC stepped out of the back, and Arianna's heart sped up. It may sound cliche to some, but no man had ever had this kind of effect on her. She watched as he greeted Bryce with a handshake, the typical male greeting. Of course, his greeting to her wasn't so masculine. He pulled her slim body into his arms for a quick hug. "I'm glad you could make it."
Arianna just smiled before stepping into the limo. Bryce and JC followed, and so began their ride to the club. Of course, JC laughed quite a bit at the two of them. The way they playfully pressed the buttons and bounced on the seats. It was very cute to watch. Plus, he knew exactly why they were doing that. The first time he had been the same way. Of course he had been younger in age, but that didn't make a difference. It was still funny to watch.
"Yo, is this the kind of limo with like.... built in DVD players and shit like that?" Bryce asked, running his hand over the smooth leather seats.
"I'm afraid a white boy like me ain't got no bling-blinging stuff in here. I don't even own it, its just a rental."
Nodding, Bryce bounced up and down on the seat. As he laughed, Arianna joined in. They bounced as JC watched with much amusement. Yet, he didn't join in. JC wanted to keep the dinner he had eaten earlier inside of his body. Both of them stopped, and Arianna flashed JC an evil grin.
"Oh, JC," she called in a sing-song voice. "There wouldn't happen to be a sunroof on this baby, would there?"
In his head, JC questioned whether or not to tell the truth. The answer was yes, there was a sunroof in the vehicle. It was all up to his decision, though, for he knew that the truth would lead to those two sticking their heads out of it and yelling into the LA streets. He was about to lie, when the club came in sight.
"That doesn't matter now, because we have arrived. Harmony, I believe it would be proper for me to escort you inside." JC offered as the valet worker opened the door for them. Graciously, she stepped outside and linked arms with his. Bryce exited as well, and the three walked into the club.
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"What'll you have?" The bartender asked Arianna as she took a moment to calm down and get a drink. The man was giving her a look she did not like, and she hoped he wouldn't try to hit on her.
"Sex on the Beach, please," she yelled over the club mix on the speakers. All night she had been showing off her sexy dance moves to those around her, and now she was taking a breather. As the bartender stared at her cleavage, Arianna wondered if he had even heard her order. Clearing her throat, she caught his 30-something eyes and restated her order. "Sex on the Beach, please."
A nasty grin grew on his face. "Well, aren't you a bold one? How about I take you outside and show you some real sex on the beach? You look like you're a good one in that area, and I have break in a few minutes."
Oh, how original, the blond thought sarcastically. This guy was pissing her off immensely. She did open herself up to hear that when she ordered that specialty drink, but it was what she wanted and she wasn't going to leave until she got it. "Listen you prick, just get me my drink. I'm not up for any kind of shit from you."
"Oh, aren't we a feisty one? I bet you're even feistier in bed now, aren't we? How about we just go and you can prove that to me?"
Her eyes flared, and as she was about to speak up, two strong arms wrapped around her waist. Surprised, she looked up and saw JC gazing at her. Slyly he winked, and she knew what was going on. He was being her super-hero, which was apparent when he spoke. "Baby, is everything okay?"
"Well, sweetie," she used a lovey-dovey voice to play the role better. "I was just having a discussion about the bartender about my drink." Her eyes drifted to the bartender who now looked less confident than before. "Bartender, meet my boyfriend JC. He may look familiar to you, does he not? JC, I'd like you to meet the horny, pricky, asshole of a bartender who was trying to hit on me."
JC gave him a warning look, and the bartender smiled nervously. "That was a Sex on the Beach, correct? Two of 'em coming right up, and they're on the house."
As the now frightened bartender nervously went off to get the drink, Arianna chuckled. "You," she said, turning in his arms which were still wrapped around her. "Thank you so much for saving me from that."
"Harmony, you don't even have to thank me, he was being a total prick. Besides, now you owe me even more," JC grinned, seeing the bartender look up with a look of jealousy pasted on his face. A light went off in his head, and he flashed the sexy blond in his arms a devilish look. "What do you say, since you owe me so much now, we take it one step further?"
Yes! She cried in her head. This was absolutely perfect, and she couldn't have planned it any better. Of course, this wasn't quite how she had expected things to turn up. The con-woman had planned on seductively dancing with him and giving him a quick kiss at the end of the night. Yet, this was definitely better. Plus, JC was the one initiating it, which showed his interest.
Before she could answer, she saw the bartender making his way back with the drinks, which were to be free. Arianna grinned at JC before pulling him in for a kiss. It was very forward, but JC knew he didn't mind. For, as their tongues savagely explored each other's mouths, he enjoyed it. He really enjoyed it.
The bartender watched for a minute, knowing that they were only doing it so he would be pissed off. And, he was, but he knew not to let it show. There were plenty more single women in this club, and there was still an hour left until closing time. And, if he had no luck, there was always tomorrow night. So, clearing his throat, he set the drinks down with a cheeky smile and moved on to the brunette at the other side of the counter.
About a minute after the bartender left, Arianna pulled away from JC's lips and smiled. In her mind, she was screaming. That kiss was much better than expected. Way better. Her heart felt as if she had just run a marathon for it was beating so fast. Certainly, the question of whether or not that was considered moving too quickly came to mind. The answer, like always, was yes. But Arianna lived by the phrase "Always go for the wrong answer." And she planned on sticking to it. She was Arianna Anderson (or Harmony Higgins in this case) and moving too quickly was her job.
JC gazed at her with a dreamy look in his eyes, and his arms remained linked around his waist. "Looks like he got over you quickly," he said in reference to the bartender on the other side of the bar. "Are you heartbroken?"
Without saying a word, she took his hand and pulled him to the dance floor.
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In an upstairs room of the club, in the room that belonged to the big boss of 'The Beach House,' a man near 40 sat discussing things with another man around his age. As they talked about their business plan, his eyes looked down at his eyes. These past few days had been killer on him. And why the hell would this guy ask to meet here? Sure, he owned the place, but it was a little impersonal. A crowded club where there was never a moment of silence, and people were always barging in and talking to the man he was meeting with. At least they were out of the actual club area. There was a good part to this place, though. Nobody would expect them to be there. But it wasn't like they were doing anything illegal- yet.
"So, Mr. Hudson, can you explain to me again why you are hiring me?" The man, whom was only referred to as Cash, asked. He was not the type you expect to be running such a high profile club.... he was scrawny and wore thick rimmed black glasses. Of course, the other part of his job description was totally off of his appearance. Nobody would ever think he ran the best undercover private investigator agency in the nation.
Kenneth rolled his eyes. This man had heard the story over 4 times, so why did he want it again? He was having some serious doubts about this investigation. Sure, he came highly recommended (why else would Kenneth have traveled cross country to meet with him?), but he didn't like him. He seemed so inexperienced. Yet, there was no time to go and find a new one. This was an awful time for him, and he didn't want to waste another minute.
"My girlfriend, or fiancee I guess I could say," Kenneth began, talking as quietly as possible, but loud enough that Cash could hear him. "She left me a suicide note, telling me she was to kill herself. Yet, I find it extremely odd that she takes all her expensive belongings, a large amount of my valuables, part of my fortune and her car with her. I would like to find Danielle, possibly get back with her and retrieve what is rightfully mine."
"And, Mr. Hudson," Cash asked slyly. "What do you plan on doing if she is, oh say- with some other man?"
Kenneth let that thought linger as his eyes wandered through the large one way window to the bar of the club downstairs. There was a couple- a blond haired woman and a dark haired man- making out as they moved with the fast dance music. The woman had Danielle's body type and frame, except his Danielle would never dye her hair such a light shade. And never in her life would she wear such simple clothes. But, if that were her standing there in public with another man, Kenneth knew exactly what he would do. That little bitch would die, and he would kill her with his own hands.