Chapter 51

Colette’s
November 2009

THIS MIGHT BE the best Martini I ever tasted, Mitch thought as he sat at the bar in Colette’s. The rotund barman in the dove-grey jacket had mixed it for him in a few seconds and yet it was sublime. It’s got to be up there, anyway.

He looked around discreetly at the comfortable room behind him; the line of racing prints on the wall above the well-polished bar. He’d come here twice over the last year, visiting under his pseudonym, wearing unremarkable suits and dark glasses and keeping a low profile. It had taken a few pulled strings and favours called in, but he had managed to get a membership arranged, that meant he could scout out this, the glittering prize of London’s nightclubs, and he’d loved it immediately and passionately. He wanted it to be his, he hungered for it. He would have it, he’d promised himself that. And he would do anything it took to get it. I have a few tricks up my sleeve after all, he thought wryly. I just hope no one recognises me.

A beautiful girl came striding towards him, elegant in a black cocktail dress and towering heels. Her golden hair fell about her face in a long bob and she had striking dark blue eyes and red-glossed lips. A real looker, Mitch thought. You can see the breeding, I guess. I’ve not seen cheekbones like those for a while.

‘Mr Mitchell?’ Her voice was cool, in that clipped, drawling and very sexy British upper-class accent. ‘I’m Allegra. How do you do?’

‘Lady Allegra.’ He smiled at her, took her outstretched hand and bowed over it. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ When he looked up again, she was smiling with a touch of amusement at his old-fashioned courtesy.

‘Plain Allegra is fine, thanks.’ She noted his glass. ‘You have a drink, I see. Shall we sit here or would you like to go straight through for dinner?’

‘Let’s go through. And you can call me Ted, by the way.’

She inclined her head in a half nod, and then led him to the dining room. There was a mildly anxious moment as the maître d’ scrutinised him as they passed, and Mitch thought he caught the faintest flicker of a frown, but nothing was said.

When they’d settled at one of the tables, Allegra said, ‘You’re not at all what I expected.’

‘Oh?’ He gave her his most charming smile.

She raised an eyebrow at him. ‘I thought you’d be older. A man with your business portfolio.’

‘I guess I’m a bit of a prodigy,’ he drawled in his best corn-fed American Boy accent. ‘Let’s get our order out of the way, Allegra, and then we can talk.’

When the waiter had taken it, Mitch glanced around the room, admiring the cunning use of space which maximised the number of tables and the opulence of the decor which was luxurious without being gaudy or cluttered. ‘This is everything I’d hoped, I must say. The atmosphere here is something special. Why should that be?’

‘It’s thanks to my Uncle David,’ Allegra said with a smile that showed her perfect teeth and heightened her beauty. ‘His personality and taste are stamped everywhere. That’s why this nightclub has something nowhere else can match. They might attempt to define luxury but something will always let them down – there’ll always be something mediocre about the spirit of the place. Here, you can never be let down.’

Mitch nodded. She had put her finger on it. It sounded easy and yet he knew from experience how difficult it was to achieve and easy to lose. ‘I see that.’

‘Your wine, sir.’ The waiter produced the bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 1996 that Mitch had ordered.

‘Your list here is superb,’ he said in heartfelt appreciation when the wine had been tasted, approved and poured out. ‘Some of the best wines in the world are on that list.’

‘We’ve been collecting for forty years,’ Allegra explained. As their food arrived, she told him about the sommelier at Colette’s who was the son of the original sommelier David had hired back when the club first opened. ‘That tells you more about this place than I ever could. It’s a family concern. Even the staff pass their jobs down.’

‘Are you quietly telling me to get lost?’ Mitch said with a smile.

‘It depends.’ Allegra took a sip from her glass. ‘Are you asking me anything I need to say get lost to?’

He laughed. ‘You assume I’m about to tell you that I want to buy Colette’s, right?’

She raised an eyebrow. God, she’s a cool customer. He appreciated that self-possession and confidence, though. They made Allegra formidable despite her relative youth. I could use someone like her. I could harness that ambition. ‘What else am I supposed to think?’ she asked him. ‘You have a reputation for buying up the most exclusive places in London.’

‘Not just London,’ he said, with a shrug. He took another sip of the blackberry-rich wine. ‘Across the world. I’m investing heavily in Monte Carlo at the moment, and I’ve bought stakes in the most luxurious hotels in Dubai.’ He told her about the extraordinary amounts of money and the eye-widening glitz of the seven-star hotels there as they finished their starters and the main courses arrived.

Allegra listened with interest and then said, ‘But is it wise to invest in Dubai? I’ve heard things are going very flat there. The property market has ground to a halt and the luxury market is apparently suffering from its worst downturn in many years with the current financial climate.’

‘It doesn’t seem to be bothering you,’ Mitch said with a smile. ‘You’re expanding, aren’t you? I’ve heard great things about Oscar’s. Everyone is clamouring to join. You must be doing well.’

She nodded, her golden hair shimmering in the candlelight. ‘I believe our brand is solid enough to weather any recession. People will always want to come here. We don’t depend on silly money. Just real money.’

‘But you’ve borrowed a lot. You’re very exposed.’

‘We can easily keep up repayments on our loans. Our parent company is in good health and the assets remain strong. We’ve got a couple of million sitting in our wine cellar, as it happens. More on the walls of the clubs. David’s eye for art and furniture has always been superb and those markets will remain strong in the downturn because interest rates are so low. People are looking to invest in solid assets at the moment.’

‘You’re right. And I happen to believe that there will always be millionaires who want to show how big their dicks are by throwing their cash around.’ Mitch was impressed, both by her acumen and her positive approach. It was refreshing at a time when so many business people were full of gloom and negativity.

When their main courses arrived, Allegra said, ‘You’re a player, that’s for sure. I’ve seen some of your recent acquisitions. You’re spending money at a time when hardly anyone else is.’ She leant across the table and fixed her blue eyes on him. ‘Where does your cash come from?’

He burst out laughing, amused by her chutzpah. ‘Very few people dare to ask me that! They all wonder, but no one says it. OK … the truth is, I have a kind of godfather figure in America who is also my backer. He has great faith in me and likes the way I think, the way I operate. He also likes the percentage I return on his investments.’

‘A godfather?’ Allegra smiled. ‘I see. How handy.’

‘I started in Paris, but in the end decided I didn’t like it all that much. So I came to London, and realised that here were the places I found the most alluring. I love the old world heritage, the sense of privilege – and anyone can have that if it’s on offer in a restaurant. Anyone can be included, if they want to be and if they work hard enough. That appeals to me.’

Allegra nodded slowly and took another bite of her salad of monkfish tails and bacon. ‘I see.’

He tried his fillet steak. ‘This is good. Seriously.’

‘Why don’t you get to the point, Mr Mitchell?’

He coughed lightly. ‘Would you mind if we wait till coffee? Only, I’m really enjoying myself here, and I don’t want you to throw me out before dessert.’

‘That bad, is it?’ Allegra laughed.

‘I don’t think so. But you might.’

Over pudding, he said, ‘It won’t surprise you to learn that I want to buy Colette’s, along with Oscar’s and Astor House.’ He smiled winningly. ‘I love them all. They showcase great talent. You’ve clearly inherited whatever it is your uncle has. And I want them. It needn’t be the end of your association with them. You could come and work for me.’

‘I’m terribly sorry, Mr Mitchell, but you can’t have them – or me,’ Allegra said smoothly. ‘Now, we both knew I was going to say that, so it can’t have come as a surprise.’

He continued smiling good-humouredly. ‘You’re right. It hasn’t.’ He took a scoop of the dark chocolate and ginger ice cream and let it melt across his tongue. ‘Oh, wow. That’s great. An epic dessert. I heard it was famous in London, and I’m not surprised. Boy, I would love to own that ice cream!’

‘Consider the whole bowl a present,’ she retorted.

He laughed, tickled by her spirit. ‘Thanks, ma’am. I will. But what I really want to know is whether you can ever imagine selling your group in the future?’

‘No.’ Allegra remained emphatic. ‘It’s not only that I would never hear of it. My uncle would rather die than let anyone else own his beloved Colette’s. And he has the final say.’

‘Does he? I guess that’s blown my plans out of the water, huh?’

The girl pulled a helpless expression. ‘I’m afraid so.’

‘But no hard feelings, huh?’

‘Certainly. None on my part.’

‘I’ve had a wonderful dinner with a beautiful dining companion, so I have no complaints.’ Mitch raised his glass to her. ‘Your very good health, my lady.’

Allegra raised hers back. ‘Yours too, Mr Mitchell.’

He watched her as she drank, thinking, Unfortunately, my lady, this is one battle you are going to lose.