Revenge, Inc. Part Fourteen

Hey Out There In Cyberspace!

How are you guys? I had a tough week and am going to make this short.

I hope you all have an awesome weekend and that good things are on the horizon for you. That you are growing and making your life better. And that you are surrounded by people who are gentle and kind to you. Because you deserve it.

Hugs and love to you all,
Michelle


Fay put on her best contrite face. “I’m sorry, Peter. I didn’t want to disappoint you. Mitzi had a mortgage payment.”

“I’ll pay her damn mortgage payment. How much do you owe her for the rest of the jobs you had planned?”

“Peter, I’m uncomfortable with your—”

“You’re going to be much more uncomfortable if you don’t obey me.”

“Point taken. I owe her about six grand.”

“Easy. Done.”

“I don’t like this. I pay my own way.”

“I have no issues with that. When you get respectable work—work that won’t put you at risk—you can pay whatever you want. Until then? You obey me and I pay for Mitzi and your expenses until you get work. Got it?” With that, he pulled away, swung his legs off the bed and walked into her bathroom.

She laid back on the bed and bit her lip. Guy took control way too fast. But damn it, he was the first decent man she’d dated in years. Such a dilemma! Fulfill her contractual obligations and get paddled and perhaps lose Peter. Or cancel them, return the money and look like an idiot to her clients. More importantly, two creeps wouldn’t get their comeuppance. The next two on the list were real slimebags.

Harold Stickler had launched a campaign of online harassment against his ex, posting naked pictures of her, which got her fired from her teaching job. Michael Bascomb was a serial cheater who’d slept with his ex wife’s sister, aunt and niece.

Problem was, Peter knew both of the creeps. He’d worked with Harold Stickler for ten years. Granted, Peter made it plain he didn’t care for the man, they still ran in the same circles. Same with Bascomb. Peter wasn’t close to him, but all three attended some of the same yearly functions. They were still in the same social group and belonged to the same men’s club.

Still, if she modified what she did to her targets and created good alibis, Peter wouldn’t find out. She just had to stay one step ahead of him. He’d given her the information that he was watching her, she’d be sure to be more careful.

When he emerged from the bathroom, the sight made her toes curl. The man had a body to die for. Those long powerful thighs, his massive shoulders, his jaw, his captivating blue gaze. Wow. She couldn’t believe he was hers.

He grinned at her reaction and joined her. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, he brushed some hair off her brow. “You’re listening to me from now on, right?”

“You bet.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t believe you for a minute.”

She opened her mouth to protest and he shut her up with a kiss. When he finished, he said, “That was to stop any more lies from leaking out of that beautiful mouth of yours. I understand you feel an obligation to your clients, but you still need to quit. You can explain to them what happened. You were found out and had to stop before someone hurt you. You’ve been taking on some pretty powerful men, you know.”

“I know.”

He pursed his lips. “I don’t think you do. I gave Larry Hines my word I’d get you to stop. He was going to sue you into oblivion.”

“For what?”

“For slander, libel and damages to his house. He’s one of the best lawyers in the country. He could get you convicted whether you’d committed a crime or not. You have no idea how much trouble you’ve gotten yourself into here. I know your reasoning, the men have it coming to them. Listen to me. Let their own bad judgment come back on them. You don’t have to quicken the pace. They’ll be their own undoing, believe me. You’re right, they’re all… less than ethical. You don’t need to hasten their demise. They’ll screw up their lives all by themselves.”

“Okay.”

“Look, I want to take you away for a week to Hawaii or—”

Her pulse jumped, joy erupted from within her. “Really? I haven’t been to Hawaii for fifteen years! This is so exciting! Really?! Can we?”

He laughed and gave her a squeeze. “Yes, you cute little thing. God, you’re fun. Yeah, I want to screw you from one end of the islands to the other.”

She crushed him in a hug. “How cool!”

“What are you doing this weekend?”

Destroying Michael Bascomb and Harold Stickler. “I have to go see my parents,” she responded quickly. “How about next weekend?”

“Your parents? Where do they live? I’d love to meet them.”

Damn it! “Nebraska.”

“You’re flying to Nebraska?”

“Yeah.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. You want to see the ticket? Oh, wait. It’s an eticket. You want to see my receipt?” She sat up and made a move towards her computer. “I’ll go get my—“ Just as she’d hoped, Peter grabbed her and brought her close to him. “No, I believe you. When will you be back? You want some company?”

“I’d love it if you went, but I have to talk to them about some important stuff. Their retirement plans and some concerns about their health. Conversations they won’t be happy about.”

“Reluctant to admit they’re aging, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Peter nodded. “Had that problem. Basically, if they’re stubborn, you have to wait until a life event scares them into reason.”

“Yeah, well, I have to set the foundation so when the event happens, they’ll be more receptive to the idea of moving into a retirement home.”

“You’re a good daughter,” he said, hugging her tightly.

“I try,” she said, feeling rotten.

Her parents already were in a retirement home and very happy there. Oh, well. Once this weekend was over, her jobs would be done. Then she’d never have to lie to Peter again.

©2011, Michelle Carlyle