Chapter Seven

"This is a celebration of Barkley and Harlem, played by Albert and Mickey here, making you all rich shareholders and investors, so keep it casual and classy." Ash explained to the group of extras that had been found by one of his contacts, "You have two main jobs tonight: tell the mark wonderful success stories, and keep him away from those two until one of us give you the go to. Oh and make sure, where ever the mark is, he can see Rosalind and Sean, alright?"

"Emma! I changed my mind – I can't wear this out in public!" Rosalind's voice carried from the next room, the distress clear.

Emma rolled her eyes, smirking with amusement. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You look fine Rosie."

"I feel like an expensive escort."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, but it's true, and I was taught not to lie to my friends."

Emma stood up and casually approached the bedroom door. "Then as your friend, I'm telling you to come out."

"You can't make me!"

"Wanna bet?" She raised an eyebrow at the challenge, before opening the door and stepping into the room. The people in the main room pretended to turn their attention away from the girlish squeals and obvious sounds of a struggle. The door swung open again to reveal a persistent Emma tugging an equally as stubborn Rosalind out the door. She was holding onto something within the room.

"Come on Rosie…you look fine…" the eldest Kennedy tried to coax the younger woman, as you would a terrified cat.

"Expensive escort!" She shouted back firmly.

"Just…come on…" Emma gave one more, rough tug and Rosalind tumbled from within the confinements of her room, a surprised look on her face. 'How could someone so small, be so strong?' She shook slightly on the silver Jimmy Choo's Emma had brought for her and had to hold her arms out at her side in an attempt to regain stability. She tilted her head up slightly, just enough so she could see the eyes on her, and instantly tensed up; her cheeks flushed a pale pink.

Emma beamed breathlessly. "See. You look great – definitely not an escort."

The dress was a satin silk in a dark navy colour. It was like a wrap dress, tied with a black ribbon just under her bust. Towards her feet, it flared outwards. Diamond jewellery donned her ears, neck and wrist.

"Perfect choice Emma." Mickey congratulated, making the woman smiled proudly at him.

"You look stunning my dear." Albert assured, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Rosalind shifted uncomfortably. "…Still feel like an escort…"

Ash elbowed Sean in the stomach sharply. He gapped, winded. "Keep your eyes up, and hands to your self." He warned.

Sean nodded, rubbing the point of impact in an attempt to easy the pain.

"Now that we've established that Rosie does not look like an escort, we have 35 minutes." Emma pointed out, "We need to get changed and sort of the last minute details, like the deal."

Mickey and Albert shared a knowing look, eyes sparkling. "Leave that to us."


"He's here: positions people."

James Cern stood near the doorway of the Penthouse suite, watching the talkative and happy crowd for a familiar face. He strolled forward, one hand in his trouser pocket, and snagged a champagne glass from the snack's table. In all honesty, he had always preferred wine to champagne – he sipped the drink anyway.

At the back of the room, he could see the faces of Barkley and Harlem, deep in conversation with another suit clad man. Not far from them was another man, dressed in black, standing stiff and silent. It was unnervingly obvious in the friendly atmosphere.

"James!"

Cern turned on his heel at the sound of his name and instantly smiled when his hungry gaze landed on Elizabeth, looking so sweet and innocent as she smiled up at him warmly.

"I'm so glad you made it!" she gushed.

"Are you really?"

"Of course," Rosalind tilted her head to the side, "Harlem and Barkley are a bit busy at the moment. That's my Dad over there – they're discussing the new product that Global Intec is investing in. It's meant to be amazing…I just came over to get some drinks…"

"I can speak to them later then. Care to keep me company until then?" he flirted.

"Lizzie!" a voice called from within the crowd. No one reacted to the unexpected shout.

Her eyes lit up. "I would but it seems I'm being called. Mingle…make new friends; I'll talk to you later James."

Before Cern could say anything more, the young woman had grabbed three glasses of champagne and carefully made her way across the room. He stared after her. She handed the drinks over to the three suited men, smiling widely, before moving the side of the strange man. His eyes narrowed when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the underside of his jaw.

'So this must be Harry Lister…'


"Are you sure this is going to work Mick?" Ash questioned.

"We have to proposition him quickly – give him no chance to think over the huge gamble he's making." Mickey explained and sipped his drink, "It has to be direct and obvious."

"Yes, but are you sure this is going to work?" Ash repeated.

Mickey paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "…We can't afford to believe it won't."

"Well, that's comforting." The fixer mumbled, feeling slightly uneasy, and gulped the alcohol heavily.

"Relax," Albert advised, "Don't let the mark, or more importantly Rosalind, know you're nervous. Confidence is key."


"This dress is so swishy…" Rosalind complained, as she grasped Sean's hands and swung them at her side. To Cern, it would look as if they were flirting.

"Swishy? Is 'swishy' even a word?" he wondered amused.

"Of course it is. I said it, didn't I? If you can say it, it's a word." Rosalind stated firmly.

"Of course, whatever you say Rosie." Sean rolled his eyes, "So you don't like 'swishy' dresses?"

"I don't really like dresses." She admitted, "I prefer shorts, or jeans. Some dresses are okay but most of them…" she shook her head, "…not for me."

"I think you look good in a dress." Sean assured.

"Thank you, I guess…I think you look good in black?" Rosalind offered.

"Rosie, I look good in anything." He pointed out cockily, smirking.

Rosalind rolled her eyes in amusement. "You're also very modest. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Not that I remember…"

"Hmm…I can't imagine why." Rosalind laughed behind her hand.

Sean grinned in return. He raised his gaze away from the younger woman and glanced around the room. In discussion, they had decided that Harry Lister would be very paranoid – always looking for trouble, as it were. It also meant he could keep an eye on the mark from where ever he was. He could see Cern having a conversation with Emily Carter (aka Emma) near the settee. The mark's eyes darted over to where they were standing. First they watched Mickey, Albert and Ash; then they trailed off to Rosalind.

"He's watching." Sean mumbled out as a warning before instantly grabbing low on Rosalind's hips, pulling her tight against his chest. She flinched, as if in pain. It was only for a moment, before her face relaxed, but the expression had been clear on her face. He peered down at her worriedly. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She smiled weakly. "No, you didn't. I'm fine."

Sean rose an eyebrow disbelieving.

Rosalind watched him for a moment, almost debating, before she sighed in defeat. "I…don't like being touched…well; I don't like being touched without any warning. It's got nothing to do with you; I just wasn't prepared…"

"Bad experience?"

She hummed in response, dropping her gaze and raising her hand to play with one of the buttons on his shirt. Sean dipped his head, so his lips were at her ear, and whispered, "You don't have to say what happened. Just let me know if you feel uncomfortable and I'll, uh…"

She smiled sweetly at him. "…I'll let you know."


"James!" Rosalind rushed off, grasping his hand, "Barkley and Harlem want to speak to you know. They said to hurry."

Cern straightened up at the command and allowed the young woman to pull him in the direction of the three men. He only had a moment to think how good it would feel to have her hands on him properly, before he was face to face with the owners of Global Intec and the investor who was almost certainly Elizabeth's father. He smiled professionally at them in greeting.

"Mr. Cern, it's good to see you again. We're glad you could make it." Mickey stood to shake the man's hand firmly, "You already know George Barkley, of course. This is one of our main investors, Mr. Peters."

"Call me Darren please. After all, aren't we all friends here?" Ash grinned as he shook the mark's hand in greeting, "You are Elizabeth's employer, are you not?"

"Yes that would be me. She is an asset to the department." Cern complimented.

Rosalind flushed. "…I'm just a secretary…"

"Don't be so modest, Elizabeth." Albert reprimanded in a teasing way. He then tensed his back and turned his attention back to Cern, "I do believe Mr. Cern that you are here for business, not pleasantries. Please sit."

He complied, sitting beside Darren. He leant forward and clasped his hands together, looking between the two business men in anticipation.

"As you know, Global Intec has become famous for bring new products into the market before any other company." Mickey began, "The main marketing frenzy of this year is handheld technology, according to our surveyors. Handheld technology being anything from mobile phones to children's toys, you understand."

"If the market is already as wide as you say it is, how you going to bring something new into it? Wouldn't it be near impossible?" Ash questioned.

"Nothing is impossible – you should know that by now, Darren." Albert grinned, "This new product has come to our attention. It's claimed to be one of the greatest revolutions in the world of technology. It's already a hit in Japan."

"It will be one of the most important and successful devices that Global Intec has ever invested in. Our researchers believe we will sell up to 80 million of these things." Mickey added with a slight laugh.

Cern leant forward in his seat, excited. "What is this amazing device you speak of?"

"We're not allowed to divulge the actually name of the device – some laws and contracts that need to be dealt with before the release." Albert explained briefly, "This is a product that we need our investors to be greatly involved in."

"How much?"

"At a minimum we're expecting an investment of 190,000."

Cern choked. "190,000 pounds sterling? Jesus, that's a lot of money…"

"Completely worth it when the investment makes you both very, very rich men." Mickey assured, "We'll need the money to be a one off payment, of course, but it does not have to be straight away. We understand it can seem like a lot of money but I've been assured that your investment will be doubled, even tripled, by the sale of this product."

Ash grinned. "You know me. Always up for a risk. Give me a couple of days for the cheque to clear and I can have the cash ready for you." His eyes darkened suddenly with annoyance and his smile became strained, "You will have to excuse me. It seems I have some…personal issues to deal with."

Ash stood up sharply and quickly made his way through the crowd. Cern watched him curiously as he moved to a darkened corner of the room, where he could clearly see a familiar couple embracing each other, romantically and heavily. He gritted his teeth to stave off the annoyance and turned his attention back to the company owners.

"It seems this meeting has been cut short." Mickey laughed humourlessly, "We do not want to rush you, Mr. Cern, but you will have to make a decision soon. We need the investments before the products release in four days."

Cern nodded and stood up. "I'll think about it and let you know."

Albert nodded. "Perfectly acceptable; a sensible man. We'll look forward to hearing from you Mr. Cern."