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“The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end."
--The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
The gambling den was a shining thing of golden trimmings and lush fabrics. Michael wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with such places. Shelby Company Ltd. owned the Eden Club in London which was at least as rich as this, probably more so because it didn’t have prohibition to deal with. The problem was that the Eden Club didn’t exactly count as legitimate business which meant that Polly did her utmost to keep Michael as far away from it as humanly possible.
Still that was different than saying Michael hadn’t been there a time or two, especially after the family had been freed from prison when Polly and Tommy hadn’t been talking to each other. He’d never done any of the managing or had a chance at any of the tables, but the place had lost its shock value over the years, especially if you considered he’d only ever been there during the day.
This was the first time Michael had ever entered such a place with the express intention of partaking of the chaos himself. If his family had known it would never had been allowed. Polly because Michael was supposed to be the upstanding member of the family, untouched by the illegal depths of their world. Tommy because he’d couldn’t handle anyone in the family having a fucking life outside his direct gaze. But Michael was done with all that bullshit. He was in America by himself, and god damn it, he was going to enjoy himself.
If he was being completely honest with himself, Gina was a big driving force of this decision. She was beautiful, smart, classy and apparently uninterested in him. That was a new experience. Michael had never had trouble seducing girls back in Birmingham, but of course the family had practically been gods there. Shelby Company Ltd. was a much smaller game in America. It didn’t help that Michael knew next to nothing about any illegal business the company was conducting in the States. He was vaguely aware that they were importing contraband alcohol in the car parts that were their official business, but he was not allowed anywhere near that part of the business even when the rest of the family was all the way across the fucking ocean. It didn’t help that as far as he could tell Ada had been much more involved in that part of the business when she was stationed over here. He’d known Tommy didn’t fucking trust him and had only sent him over here to get rid of him, but that didn’t make being faced by that truth any easier.
Long story short, there was very little risqué air around him to attract Gina. If Michael wanted a chance with her he would have to try different methods, which was why he was at the club.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly going well. They’d been here for a couple hours and Gina had barely looked at him. Michael was beginning to get frustrated. What was the point of being a member of the most powerful crime family in Birmingham if you couldn’t even use it to get girls?
He was angrily nursing his third or fourth drink when one of Gina’s other friends threw himself to his feet. Michael expected him to say something about dancing which seemed to be all Gina’s friends were interested in, but instead the other man said, “I’m feeling lucky. Anyone fancy a round a poker?”
A couple others announced their agreement, while the rest made noises about watching. Michael glanced over at Gina. She wasn’t even looking at him. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He needed to do something to make her notice him. He refused to let this night be a waste.
“I’m game,” he said.
They all looked at him, like they’d forgotten he was there. Maybe they had. Gina had invited him but he didn’t know any of these people from Adam. They were an entirely different type of rich than the family was too. They were all old money, young and stupid, with no responsibilities save for having a good time. Most of them probably made a point of never interacting with the nouveau riche like Michael Gray.
“You play poker over on that island, do you?” One asked. He was the stupidest of the bunch and Michael had consciously forgotten his name.
If Michael had been a different person he might have shriveled up under the distain, but such things didn’t bother him, especially not now that Gina was looking at him for the first time that night, her dark eyes thoughtful. “Of course, we do,” he said. “I bet I can beat you all.” Never mind that he wasn’t that practiced at poker because while Arthur and John had tried to teach him once, Polly had caught them at it and put a stop to it.
“We’re all anxious to see it,” Gina’s stupid friend said, and they headed off towards the tables.
~~~~
Well, it turned out that he’d been too optimistic when he’d assumed he’d be able to figure it out. Poker was not that easy, especially since he appeared to have forgotten what little he’d picked up from Arthur and John too.
Suffice to say that he lost and lost badly, and every time he lost he lost money, Gina’s friends laughed and Gina laughed along with them. It was so humiliating that he just kept playing again and again and losing again and again until the club began closing down and they all went to settle up.
Michael had been so wrapped up in his own frustration that he hadn’t really been keeping track of how much money he was losing, but he’d still known the damage was going to be substantial. Still he couldn’t contain his shock when he heard the number.
“How much?” he asked. The steward repeated the number. It did not change.
Gina’s friends cackled. “I can lend you some money if you need it, Gray,” Stupid One snorted. “If you’re lucky my old man won’t even charge you much interest.”
Michael gritted his teeth. That was definitely not going to happen. He would rather die than owe these people a cent. The fact that they had apparently expected something like this to happen only made it worse. He would not debase himself by taking these people’s money and making himself indebted to them. He would find another way to pay it.
The more he thought about it the more he realized that there actually wasn’t any problem with money at all. He had access to Shelby Company Ltd.’s funds so he could invest in stocks. Of course, in the first phone conversation he’d had with Tommy after arriving in America (the same phone conversation that Tommy had apparently forgotten to tell him Arthur had basically returned from the dead) Tommy had instructed him that, “you are not to spend a cent without running it by me first. If you do, I will find out, and you will answer to me for it.” Michael had chafed under those instructions for years. After all, he’d been to accounting school, he’d been working on the company’s books for years, he knew how to spend money sensibly. It was ridiculous that Tommy expected him to wait to have his hand held through every decision. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Michael had access to all the accounts. After all, it wasn’t like it was safe for Tommy to tell him the numbers over the phone.
“Bill it to Shelby Company Limited,” he said in his coolest and most controlled voice, and Gina’s friends burst into wild noise.
~~~~
It turned out that billing something useless to the company account was all it took to gain the respect of Gina’s friends. By the time they left the club, they were all clapping him on the back and talking to him like he’d always been one of them. It was a bit bizarre and annoying; if Michael had known this was all he needed to do to fit in he would have done it weeks ago.
They split up on the curb, everyone stumbling off to waiting cars to go home and sleep until noon. Michael was about to head to his own car when someone slid their arm through his. “Give me a ride home?” Gina asked with a sly smile, her head cocked to the side. It was the first time she’d spoken to him all night.
“Of course,” Michael said, his heart jumping into his throat. “Right this way.”
He and Gina walked to the car arm in arm. They didn’t say anything until they were already inside, the motor running. Michael drew out his cigarette case and offered one to Gina and he lit it for her before lighting his own.
“So, you won them over,” Gina said. “I was waiting to see if you would.”
“That was a test,” Michael said. “That’s why you wouldn’t talk to me tonight.”
“I wouldn’t say a test,” Gina said, almost as inscrutable as Tommy. “But I’m not interested in you if you can’t hold your in the social circles here. None of us are.”
“And I passed?” Michael asked.
“Do you think I’d be in this car with you right now if you hadn’t?”
He laughed. “I suppose not.”
They smoked in companionable silence for a while. “That was fun,” he said.
“Even though you’re pathetic at poker?” she asked.
“Well in my defense,” he said, trying to sound smooth. “I’m fairly sure my cousins taught me the wrong rules as a joke.” That sounded more badass than “my mother wouldn’t let me learn to play.”
“Well then I’ll be happy to set you straight sometime,” Gina grinned at him. “Will you come out with us again tomorrow?”
“If you’ll have me,” he said. Deep down inside there was a voice screaming that he should probably focus on the company, especially since there was no way Tommy wouldn’t find out about the money he’d just spent, but he ignored it. He was an adult. If he wanted to go out with friends two nights in a row he definitely could. If Tommy had wanted to control Michael’s life, then he shouldn’t have sent Michael over to America all alone, shouldn’t he?
“Of course, we’ll have you,” Gina said swatted him playfully on the arm and they both laughed.
Michael pulled out into the street. He only had a vague idea where Gina lived, so he just drove, waiting for her to tell him where to turn.
“Do you like America, Michael?” Gina asked after a while.
“I suppose,” Michael said.
“You just suppose?”
“Well, the prohibition is annoying,” he smiled.
Gina smiled back. “I can imagine,” she said. “But other than that, you have no complaints?” Michael didn’t respond. “Or do you?”
“It’s just stupid that I got banished out here,” Michael snapped. “Like, maybe I did hide something from Tommy I shouldn’t have, but he already knew about it anyway. No harm done. He can pretend all he wants, but we all know he sent me here for no reason other than petty vengeance for me choosing my mum over him. The last person who had this job was my cousin, Ada, and that was because she didn’t want anything to do with the company. I was the only member of the family who stuck around through all that shit and he still sends me to waste away over here.” He paused and suddenly remembered Gina’s presence. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t unload my problems on you.”
“It’s fine, everyone needs to vent,” Gina said. “That sounds very frustrating.”
“It is,” Michael rattled one. “Tommy’s been running this family like a dictatorship for as long as I’ve known him. He operates under the delusion that he’s the only one who can do anything and comes up with capricious punishments for anyone who dares to have a thought of their own.”
“Your cousin’s a member of Parliament, isn’t he?” Gina asked. It was a little weird that she knew, because Michael wouldn’t have thought who was South Birmingham’s MP would have mattered to a girl like Gina.
“Yeah, Labour,” Michael snorted. “Which is ridiculous, if you know him. I don’t know how he fooled people into voting for him.”
“Maybe all the new power’s gone to his head,” Gina mused, though she didn’t sound like she particularly believed that, even though she had never met Tommy.
“No, he’s always been like this,” Michael said. “He has himself convinced the rest of us are stupid and that the company would fall apart without him. It’s fucking frustrating.”
“I can see that,” Gina said.
“It’s not even like what he does is that complicated,” Michael said. “Okay, maybe Arthur couldn’t do it, but Arthur’s an idiot so that doesn’t mean much. I could definitely do it.” He caught himself a second too late. No matter how much he’d privately thought—fantasized—about taking Tommy’s place he’d never been stupid enough to say it aloud before. Tommy had ears everywhere and his vengeance was swift and absolute.
Thankfully Gina didn’t seem to think twice. “I’m sure you could.”
This was America, Michael reassured himself. Tommy might have had the power to catch any whiff of sedition back in Birmingham, but Michael was far, far outside his sphere of influence here. He could say anything he wanted and there was no one to stop him. The feeling was intoxicating. “I could,” he said. “Too bad he’ll hold onto his power until he literally dies,” He gave Gina a wiry grin. “And even I’m not convinced he actually can die.”
Gina laughed. “And here I thought this was a serious conversation about your ambitions.”
“I can keep going if you want me to,” he said.
“No,” Gina frowned in mock thoughtfulness. “I can think of better things to do with our time. In fact, I can think of better things to do with our time than you driving me home too.”
Michael’s heart leaped. “What do you mean?”
A slow smile spread across Gina’s face. “I think you know what I mean.”
~~~~
Michael went out with Gina and her friends every night that week. He wasn’t getting much work done at the office, but that was fine. Tommy micromanaged everything from the Birmingham side so completely that things ran just fine if Michael wasn’t keeping an eye on things every second of the day. There was plenty of time to go out and have some fun.
And they had a lot of fun. The nights were full of alcohol and snow and music and dancing and games. When they left the clubs, he and Gina went back to his apartment and had more fun just the two of them. It was truly the most fun Michael had ever had in his whole life.
He was still caught up in the glow of his new fortunes one afternoon a week after the first night he had gone out with Gina and her friends. He was at the office handling a few things, though he was mostly distracted and thinking about meeting his new friends for another night of fun. He was just preparing to leave to meet Gina for supper when the phone rang. He thought about just letting it ring, but he already had a pile of phone calls he had to find the time to return and he didn’t want to have to make another one. He picked up the phone.
“Shelby Company Limited, American Branch,” he said. “This is Michael Gray speaking. How may I help you?”
“What. The. Fucking. Hell.” Tommy Shelby said from the other end of the line.
Michael winced. Exactly the last person he wanted to talk to. “Hello, Tommy,” he said easily. “What can I help you with?”
“What you can ‘help me with,’” Tommy snarled, “is an explanation of why this bill from a fucking club in New York City landed on my desk tonight.”
Michael glanced at the clock and did the math. It was late in England. Likely the bill had landed on Arthur’s desk earlier in the day (because of that ridiculous restructuring meant to protect Tommy’s reputation) and Tommy had only just finished up with Parliament business and gotten down to Shelby Company Ltd. business. Nastily, Michael hoped the man didn’t get any sleep tonight.
“Oh, you just got that,” he said mildly, which he figured was the best course of action. Truth be told, he’d sort of forgotten about the bill. He wasn’t stupid; he’d known that unlike Gina and her friends he’d have to answer for the spending of company funds. He really should have taken some time to plan how he was going to handle this, but he’d been too wrapped up in his new friends—especially too wrapped up in Gina—to bother.
“You want to explain what happened?” Tommy growled.
“Yeah, I used the company account to bail me out of some trouble,” Michael said matter-of-factly.
“I told you not spend any money without running it by me first,” Tommy said. There was a tightness to his voice Michael had never heard before. “I told you.”
“Yet you gave me the numbers for the accounts,” Michael said.
“And you used them to bail yourself out of debt!” Tommy said. “You can’t be honestly expecting me to-” he paused to blow air out between his teeth in an angry hiss. “Expecting me to accept that this was justified.”
Michael realized Tommy was so angry he could barely speak, and had to hold back a snort of laughter; this made the whole situation about a million times less scary. “Well, what’s done is done,” he said with more confidence than he’d had before. “It’s not like you can refuse to pay now.”
Tommy growled but didn’t say anything which meant he knew Michael was right and hated it.
“Well,” Michael said as cheerily as he could manage. “That means this is squared away, doesn’t it?”
“If you ever do something like this again,” Tommy ground out, “people will be finding pieces of you in fucking California.”
Michael forced himself to laugh. Unlike most of the family he was fairly sure Tommy was incapable of actually hurting one of them, but that didn’t mean his threats weren’t unsettling. “I love you too, Tom,” he said. “Do you have anything else you want to talk about?”
“Michael-” Tommy began, his voice rising.
“I’m sorry, Tommy, but I’m going to have to let you go,” he cut in. “Business to take care of, and all,” he paused for a moment, then grinned even wider. “Try to get some sleep, okay? I know its late over there.”
“Michael!” Tommy yelled, but Michael hung up before he could say anything else.
He leaned against his desk and smoked a cigarette while he waiting for Tommy to get fed up with calling him back. When the phone stopped ringing, he picked it up and spoke to the operator. He waited a moment for the call to be picked up.
“Hey, Gina,” he said. “I’m running a little late, but I’ll be there to pick you up in a couple minutes. I’m excited for tonight.”