COME INTO THE GARDEN

I finally decided that I had done enough for the day ... it had been a long one!

What with the exesses of last night's party, Cassie's revelations and the fact that I had no Tomas to help me plan the launch party I have to admit that I felt a little weary.

However, as I stood in my personal bathroom at Amanda, Oh! teasing my hair into place and sprucing myself up, I thought , 'pull youself together girl, you are Amanda Gonzalez for God's sake!

Born on the wrong side of the tracks with few hopes or prospects I got here by my love of live and by sheer determination ... 'weary'? Get lost, I've no time for that loser!

I jumped in a taxi and headed across town to Covent Garden.

Now, whilst I love, adore and delight in the fact that I have my London store on Bond Street (Bond Street for God's Sake!!!!!) I really am a Soho and Covent Garden girl at heart.

I love their unique styles, the fact that you see everyone and everything there, the fabulous mixes with the seedy, there is an element of danger all around.

The taxi pulled up to the Covent Garden hotel and I paid the driver and made my way inside.

'Late as usual!' Helen declared as I walked into the bar.

I smiled and shrugged as I made my way over to the girls.

OUT OF THE HAZE

Cassie stood and made her way back over to my desk before picking up a bottle of spring water and sipping from it.

'so you see Amanda there could be some answers here, the only problem being that they throw up a whole load of new questions.'

True, very true but at least we were starting to get some sort of picture emerging from the haze, before it had been way too random.

So you think that the answer to who, of what is being this could lie in this nightclub ... what did you call it?

'GOTHEX', replied Cassie.

'That's it Gothex ... when does it open?'

'Funny you should ask, but it's next week ... the night after your new line launch in fact ... I put out a few feelers ... looks like a lot of industry bigwigs are already on the list.'

'How about getting us on that list ... I mused.

'Helen's gonna sort this one out for us .... the thought of free promo in the pages of Chic has given them semis', Cassie took another sip.

Perhaps it's time for the four of us to meet and chat, how about tonight?

Cassie smiled, 'leave it with me Amanda and I'll leave you to your knickers and undies. I'll get Millie and Helen to meet us in Covent Garden for a drink ... around 7?'

Perfect, I replied.

Cassie left and I got back to work.

BAD AND BADDER

Justin Gonzalez in London eh?

'... and it get's better'. Cassie spoke and I listened.

'The pair of them where last seen together in New York ... Trudie Hewitt and Justin Gonzalez that is ... Trudie was giving a seminar to some high profile business people ... dirty publishing and porn Barons I believe.'

Trudie Hewitt and Justin Gonzalez? An interesting combination ... a combination that possibly could hold the key to some of the mysterious events of late.

Justin hates me, pure and simple, he hated his Father (loved his money however ...) with his Father dead that just leaves me. I know that he won't be happy until he has taken everything from me, I suppose I know that he won't be happy until I too am in my grave ....

Yet, I had never been aware of an alliance, a friendship, with Trudie Hewitt ...

'Another thing', Cassie continued , 'Animaotkool ... I've been puzzling over that one for a while. Is it an anigram, a name? I just didn't know ... however I was playing around with the letters and spelt it backwards, L O O K T O M I N A.'

'Looktomina ... what does that mean?' I replied.

'How about LOOK TO MINA?' Cassie smiled.

Mina? I didn't know any Minas I shrugged, unclear as to where this was leading.

'Mina ... Mina Harker ... ring any bells?'

I shrugged again.

'She's the heroine in Dracula ... the classic book by Bram Stoker.'

Again I shrugged and looked blank.

'Justin Gonzalez ... his new nightclub? It's called GOTHEX, themed around bondage and vampires!'

This was too much, too much to be just coincidence.

WHAT'S THE COLOUR OF MONEY?

Cassie lead me over to the settee against the wall in my office and sat me down, I was still struggling to get my breath back after choking on my sandwich.

How weird is that? Justin may well make my skin crawl, but apart from revulsion his name didn't normally elicit any other form of reaction from me.

It is strange isn't it how individuals like Justin exist and survive.

Born with diamond plated silver spoons in their mouths and a modicum of attractiveness and intelligence they stride around the world with an air of importance that they don't deserve and certainly haven't earned.

Money and glamour blind people, they make them naieve and pliable ... why should we like someone more because they have money ... if you know a lot of rich people you will also know that they are the tightest bastards around.

Do we think that some of it will 'rub off on us'? Do we think that we will get better luck, better fortune just by grovelling to them?

I really have no idea ... however, I do know that if Justin had no money then most people wouldn't give him the time of day.

If fact, I'm fairly certain that if Justin had no money he would probably be on death row by now!

HEIMLICH

I spent a few hours making my choices before spreading my final selection out in front of me.

These models weren't just gorgeous ... they were pure sex ... they were amanda, Oh!

Now i had that finalised I just had to get in touch with their agents and finalise the deals ... job done.

Lunchtime was almost upon me before I realised, my growling stomach alerting me to the fact that I hadn't eaten anything all day.

It was amplified by the fact that I had enjoyed copious amounts of lovemaking and booze at my party.

Love making burns those calories like nothing else .... booze makes your body scream out for carbs, protein ... anything that will help it repair itself!

I move the picture of one particular female model into pole position ... she was gorgeous ... she was the one who would open the show, flanked by two uber-hot male models.

I was just about to call one of the girls and get a take-out from Pret when my door opened and in came Cassie, clutching a couple of brown paper bags and bottles of mineral water.

'Doctor cassie at your service', she said as she plonked the food and beverages down on my desk.

'Thought you'd need a little sustinance after last night', she commented before proceeding to open the bags and lay the trays of sandwiches out in front of us.

'Great party by the way', she opened a BLT and took a bite.

I nodded and took a large mouthful of a brie and cranberry concoction ... very nice.

'Thought you might like to know who's arrived in town', Cassie asked between mouthbites.

I raised an eyebrow to question.

'only your stepson, good old Justin Gonzalez'.

Cassie whipped round the table to perform a quick heimlich as I choked.

HOTTEST OF THE HOT!

I sat at my desk and took a sip of my steaming cup of coffee.

It did feel a little as though a tribal dance was being performed inside my cranium, but what the hell, it was worth it ... what a night last night had turned out to be.

Various images flashed through my head .... exciting, crazy, sexy and stimulating ... I felt myself beaming like the Cheshire Cat.

As the coffee (and nurofen and dioralyte) worked their magic on my body I tried to focus on my work.

I was launching my first major male and female swimwear range and i had every intention of hitting those headlines as hard as possible.

Sex, near nudity and more sex ... more marketing strategy had worked so far and i had no intention of changing it.

I called Tomas ... I had a few questions that only he could answer ... I also wanted to check out how he was after the party ... he and ben Truman had certainly looked very intimate with each other!

His phone rang onto the answer machine and i left him a rather unsubtle message ... 'Hey, slut boy call me as soon as you can ...' I never said I possessed any degree of wit and i think that the message clearly demonstrated it!

I spread the photos of the models out on my desk ... it was important to pick the hottest of the hot ... male and female ... that should take my mind off my hangover for a while!

OVER THE HILLS

Trudie Hewitt stood and pulled down her skirt before slowly walking to her desk and helping herself to a cigarette from the onyx box.

Justin Gonzalez followed, she had been on top of him on the soft black corporate armchair, he too adjusted his clothing accordingly.

Trudie drew on her cigarette and watched the man walk towards her ... true he was good looking, true he was as rich as her ... true the darkness of his soul was similar to hers ... but in comparision ...? Well, there was no comparision.

Trudie offered him a cigarette which he accepted, without thanks.

'Well, that was a good start to the meeting', his voice always sounded like a sneer, if she wasn't 100% confident that she was in full control of him she may have considered meting out something rather unpleasant for him.

He exhaled a cloud of smoke before continuing.

'So, you want to talk to me about my slut of an ex-stepMom?'

She walked around to him and stood close, 'Amanda Gonzalez ... oh yes.'

She unzipped him

He took a sharp intake of breath, she was rough with him, bordering on the painful ... he liked it.

'I also want to talk about your nightclub, I would like to invest in it.'

His breath was coming in short sharp intakes.

'How do you feel about that?'

He dropped his cigarette and groaned.