“Can you remind yourself you’re in public now? People are looking and my skin is too Irish to hide the blush.”
Before he could reply, our drinks arrived and I took a sip of my chai latte. Alfie’s flirtations weren’t without reason. It was all part of his plan to take my mind off my father. To make me feel wanted, cherished. I adored him for it. Just sitting here, I knew that I would get over my father’s betrayal, because I had him. A man who would never leave me, never stop loving me.
I leaned over and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. His phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking the moment.
I pulled away with a sigh. “You’re supposed to be all mine on Sundays.”
He gave me an apologetic smile as he pulled out his phone. “I’ll switch it off.” Instead he frowned at the screen.
“What is it?” I tried to look but he turned the phone away. Immediately, alarm bells started ringing. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer, just slid his phone into his pocket and waved down the waitress. He handed his card over and told her to settle the bill. I became hyper aware of eyes on us.
“Alfie…” I didn’t want to cause a scene but the look on his face made me feel sick. The waitress hurried back with his card. He picked up my shovel for me, took my hand and I followed him without a word out to the car. In silence, he deposited me in the passenger seat and threw my shovel in the boot.
“What is it?” I asked as he slid into the driver's seat. “You’re scaring me.” He had that look on his face, that I’m-about-to-demolish-someone look.
“Do you want me to lie to you? You were already dealt a blow yesterday and I can protect you from this but I don’t want secrets. You said I wasn’t allowed to decide for you anymore.”
I couldn’t choose ignorance with Alfie Tell. Not again. “Tell me.”
“Try not to panic.” He passed his phone to me. It took me a second to realise what I was looking at and when I did, I felt my wonderful day come crashing down.
Pictures. Pictures ofus. At the club. In the Onyx rooms.
My breath caught. My hands began to shake. I felt like I was going to vomit.
“Don’t panic,” he repeated.
“How can I not panic? What is this? Is thisonline?” The last word came out as a half-screech.
“Not yet. It’s an encrypted file an unknown person just sent to me.”
“Why?”
“Blackmail. It’s alright. I’ve planned for this.”
“Well, I haven’t!” I stared at him. “This has happened to you before? I thought you said the cameras were switched off?”
“They were. I’m not sure that this is from the club security feed.”
“Alfie—”
“Baby, I need you to be quiet while I make some calls. It’s going to be alright.”
“Then why do you look like you’re going to kill someone?”
“Because someone has frightened you. Let me handle it.”
I sat, chewing my lip and trying not to puke as he called Damien first. As the somewhat manager of the Never Tell Club, Damien was shocked, appalled and outraged but worst of all, he was confused. In all the years the club had operated, no one had ever managed to bypass security to get dirt like this on any of the members.
I closed my eyes but all I could see was those pictures of me, naked on the table, completely exposed.
How could they know? How could they have figured out which room we were going to be in?
I listened to Damien say he was shutting down the club and ordering a full sweep. I didn’t understand half of what else they said. Alfie ended the call. Damien was going to see those photos. Alfie’s security team, the team at the club. It didn’t matter thatAlfie had promised to blur them before he sent them. They were out there. People would know. I hugged myself tight. I was going to need to dig another hole.
“I should never have let you take me there. I’m so stupid.”
