by Hayes, S. I.
“My lights and equipment. You did say you wanted to do it right. Well it’s a little more than just point and shoot… Here, let me make the bed and move the canvas out from the window space so you can move around if you want to.” The eagerness in his voice was palatable, and beginning to spread to her as she watched him set up the room for her. He made up the bed with deep purple silk sheets, and a black sateen duvet cover. With large pillows in all sizes and shapes. Some purple, some black, others were silver and gold.
She’d seen the new set before, he had just never used it. She assumed it was just there until the weather change. She moved around the room staying out of his way as he set up the lights, using his step ladder to place them high in the ceiling so she wouldn’t run into them, only have to watch the wires at her feet. The lamps were covered by screens that filtered color, and set the mood.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it all set.” He smiled proudly, his breathing hard as he wiped sweat off of his brow. “Phew.”
“So where, how do you want me?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Anywhere, everywhere. Always.” He smirked. “But why don’t we start out on the bed? You can keep my shirt on at first, if it makes you more comfortable with the camera.”
“Okay, and pointers?”
“A few, anything you do, do it half speed, and remember one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re beautiful.”
She smiled, walking slowly to the bed. She pulled her knee up onto its firm cushion and he began to shoot. She laughed.
“What?”
“It’s so quiet. I can hear my racing heart, and your breathing.” She continued to crawl across the bed. He backed up from the edge, hitting the stereo. Her favorite band playing out from the surround sound speakers. “Better?” He smirked as she stopped, listening a moment, sticking out her tongue.
“So, much.” She lifted her arms above her head, stretching, arching her back, the T-shirt lifting off her knees, just hinting at the patch of fiery red curls beneath.
“That’s perfect, lean back just a hair more…”
***
She listened as he talked her through each twist and bend. Eventually taking off the T-shirt. She hid playfully behind the pillows, throwing them at him. Until only a single large square remained. She twisted her hair up clipping it into place, then ran a hand across her breasts, covering the nipples as she kneeled up, her body slightly turned on the bed, the sheet wrapped around her legs like ribbon. She slowly removed the final pillow, her other hand instantly moving to cover her scar.
“No, don’t.” Matthew ordered gently. “Don’t cover it up.”
“I’m just…”
Matthew let his camera drop against his chest, walking over to her. Taking her hands away from her front, he kissed her softly, then took the camera off from around his neck. She smiled thinking he was going to join her on the bed and pulled her legs out from under her. “Let’s try it like this…” He took the strap off of the camera, and pulled her hands behind her back. She gasped as he tied them together above her head, behind her neck. “I’m not hurting you am I?” He kissed her shoulder, turning her back to him. The position instantly arched her back, pushing her chest forward.
“No, this is okay.” She wiggled her fingers at him. With a nervous laugh. “I’m gonna have a hard time moving gracefully though.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to move you.” He kissed her nipples.
“Hmm. Does each readjustment come with a fondle?”
“Perhaps, if I like the position...”
***
“You know I can’t stay the night. Eventually they are going to come banging on the door.”
“I know.” Matthew heaved a heavy sigh. “How long until things go back to normal?”
“For you or for me?” She laughed. “Let’s face it, nothing about us has been any sort of real normal.”
“You’ve got a point there. But you know what I mean. When does he leave?”
“I told you I don’t know. It’s a double edge sword. He’s my dad. I want him here, so badly, and at the same time, he’s got these bad habits so I can’t have him around.”
“I get it.” Matthew sat up.
“I don’t know that you do. I mean what you and your mom have it’s very different.”
“I do have a father…”
She eyed him inquisitively, as he sat up some in the bed with a sigh.
“There’s something I didn’t think I needed to tell you. But the night you ended up in the hospital, Harold mentioned Gerald Mcloughlin.”
Now it was her turn to sit up. Damn it Harold. She spat in her mind. How much had he told them? “That’s the deal that I’ve been trying to close for the last year.”
“Yeah, I know that now. Thing is. Matthew was originally my middle name.”
She squinted trying to reason what she was being told. “What are you saying?”
“What I’m saying is my original birth certificate read Gerald Matthew Mcloughlin.” He ran his hands through his hair as she slid down the end of the bed.
“No… We did a thorough background check. We’d have found that out.”
“My father paid a lot of money to make sure we were left alone. My mother and him got swept up before he married Constance. I just sort of happened. They got married so I wouldn’t be a bastard. But his family had it annulled, and it broke my mother’s heart.”
“So she changed your name?”
He shook his head. “No, I wanted that, when I was twelve. See he used to come around, when Constance would be out of town. Sniffing around my mom. I didn’t get it at first. But when I came to understand how badly he was misusing her… I didn’t want to be his son anymore. I gave up the name and we cut ties. He still tries to make contact, but I’ve shut that door. All he and that company do is use and abuse people, but he’s got the name so he gets away with it. I wish he’d just disappear but he holds on to some shred of hope that I’ll come around and take over.”
She looked at him with sad eyes. Fighting with herself. Should she tell him how deep she was in with his family business? How Donavan Kelly had so used and abused her that night?
“Why don’t you? I mean you could have everything you want at your fingertips.”
“Sure, without working for it. I’ve busted my ass to get this far. I won’t take the easy road now. I don’t want this bloodied money any more than you want your father’s. So you see I do know where you’re coming from.”
She bit her lip, she couldn’t tell him. It would enrage him, or disappoint him. She didn’t want to see either in his soulful blue eyes which looked at her so tenderly at just that moment. Kissing him she reached for his T-shirt, wanting, needing its protective covering.
“I’m going back to work in the morning.” She stated matter of factly. “I feel better. It’s time. Besides you’re working so hard, it’s about time we finish the space for your show, don’t you think?”
“Are you cross with me? For not telling you about who I’m related to sooner?”
“No.” Donnella turned to him. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. If you want to leave something in the past. The last thing you do is bring it up… Right?”
“Right… When can I see you again?”
“Since I’m staying right upstairs I’d say rather soon. Oh and I’m keeping the T-shirt. It smells like you.” She smirked.
17
“Welcome back, Miss Stone. I see the circus is still in town.” Harold smiled holding out a large carrot muffin with cream cheese frosting on top. “Peace offering?”
“You are lucky I don’t fire you.” She smirked taking the Espressino he had gone across town for and the muffin from his outstretched hands.
“I think the suspension was punishment enough.” He gingerly laughed. “I hated not working. Look at me I gained twelve pounds!” He gripped his stomach, there was a little pooch of skin in his delicate hands.
“Serves you right calling
my father.”
“I panicked, you were in surgery. If something had happened and nobody had called him…” He closed her office doors, behind them.
“Okay, I get your point, but now how do we get him to go?”
“Beats me... But he’s been holding up space in the boardroom for two days.”
“Now that I’m back in the office that shit’s gonna stop.” She stood up, straightening her black calf length pencil skirt and wide necked purple silk blouse. She’d chosen the outfit because it kept her mind on more pleasant memories from the previous night, it looked good for the office but made her feel sexy at the same time. She unclipped her hair, letting it fall down in bouncy thick curls. “I’ve got to get him out of here… Today.”
***
Using the secondary walk-in closet as a dark room was the best idea Janet had about the use of the some of the extra space in the apartment. When Matthew awoke, he made a large breakfast, and was happy to look downstairs to find that the camera crew seemed to be gone. After a four mile run with Pepper, he took to developing the film from the night before. He also pulled out the camera from Christmas, wanting to see how the seashore photographs came along. When they had been separated he avoided developing them, not wanting the reminder kicking around the apartment. As it was he never touched any of her things. They had boundaries, and he kept to them. It was why he never tried to see her or bother her while she worked. Her world and his were different in that regard. What he did was open and honest, what you saw, was reasonably the fantasy of what you had. Her sorcery, it made people rich, in cash, his made them rich in life. Or at least that was the way he saw it. He hated the corporations, the politics. He just wanted to make people happy, and none he realized as her cinnamon freckled face came into view, more than Donnella Stone. “I’m in love with you.” He whispered to the air as a knock came to the door. Carefully he hung the photo to dry and answered the door. There was no one there only a package at his feet. He picked it up going inside. It was rather weighty, and addressed to him. Tearing it open some papers fell to the ground unnoticed as he found a camera, it was turned on and appeared to have something recorded on it. Curious he hit play.
***
“This is going to stop. Today.” Donnella demanded as she stormed into the boardroom Harmon Stone had taken as his personal office in her absence. He was sitting stoically at the head of the large desk with three of the shareholders who seemed frightened as she slammed the door shut behind her. “You come in here with your armed security. Push my people around like you still own the place. The fact is Father, you have not had a say in the goings on here for a decade! Do you realize that’s three years over my being able to have you declared legally dead? Which I would have done, had you not already given me the company upon what was to be your permanent sabbatical!”
Harmon strummed his fingers along the table with a grave look upon his face. Not saying a word. The three men sitting down from him shifted in their spaces uneasily.
“And you three. How could you be in cahoots with him? Haven’t I made you a dizzying amount of money? Don’t we stand to make even more now that I’m going to be acquiring Mcloughlin Financial?”
“That’s just the thing my child.” Harmon spoke up finally. “Seems Mcloughlin doesn’t want any part of you now that this has surfaced.” He slid a package across the table.
She picked it up, opening it, it was addressed to her father. Inside was a camcorder and a bunch of photographs which she ignored, she stared at the post it that read Play with me? She pressed the play button. The scene which played out in front of her she didn’t have to watch for long, it was the Surry Hotel, the penthouse suite. Donavan Kelly, Samuel Sinclair and her. Although the angle was just right as to hide their faces, her’s was in perfect view as Samuel bent her over the couch and tore off her skirt, the camera focused in on her tattoo. She realized someone else must have been there, someone else had been filming. Disgusted she smashed the camera across the room. Holding her arms around herself tightly. Looking down she saw the photographs. They were yellowed, showing signs of wear and age, at the corners but she remembered them. She remembered every humiliating pose her body had been twisted and forced into. The gag in her mouth, the hood over her head. The tightness of the corsets and the tail they shoved in her, to make her look like a good little pony as they rode her hard that night. She’d heard the camera shutters, felt the flashes of light even as she couldn’t see them. It was why she had hated the camera. Why she hesitated for so long when Matthew had asked. Now it was all coming back to haunt her. But why? Why would Donavan be so cruel? She knew it was him. He was the only one left who would do such an ugly thing to her. She should never have begged her father to spare him. Now he was practically untouchable. And since he never spoke on camera and his face was never in the shot she couldn’t even nail him for what he’d done on the tape. As watching it all the way through would have shown her struggle, her trying to get out of their grip. It proved compulsory rape. That is if the tape went to the end it did. But she’d destroyed it. Now she wouldn’t know. She held back the bile that rose up in her mouth. “Di- Did you watch the entire thing?” She managed without throwing up.
“We couldn’t stomach it.”
“We?” Now she was certain she was going to lose it. Her hands shook and she had to pace to keep from screaming. “You showed them?”
“No, my child. They were all sent a copy. Every one of the shareholders has seen this…”
“So I assume you are here to enforce your take back clause. To oust me then?” She was in tears. She couldn’t hold them back any longer.
Harmon stood up taking his daughter in his arms. “I would never think to do such a thing. We are right here for you. We are going to help you get in front of this. How we don’t know just yet. But-”
“But? But if you’ve watched it all then you would know that half way through I wanted it to stop, that they forced themselves on me. Daddy, it was college all over again. That was the night I ended up in the emergency room. That was New Year’s Eve!” She pointed at the smashed camera.
He kissed her head gently. “Shh it’s alright. I’ll figure out a way to take care of this. No one is untouchable. I’ll get to that son of a bitch Donavan. I promise you. As for Mcloughlin, I’ll iron him out too if I have too.”
“No, Daddy. I’ve got to deal with this, myself. I don’t know what Donavan wants. Or why he’s doing this, but I will find out.”
“Why don’t you go home for now, sweetie? This is all so unpleasant. We can hold down the fort today.”
“No, I think I’m going to go down to the gallery. I wanted to see about the space for Mathew’s show. It’s coming up soon and I want to be sure that it’s going to be perfect. Besides it will help settle me down. Seeing his work calms me for some reason.”
“If that’s what you want to do. Just take Anthony with you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
***
“You may not want to go anywhere right now.” Harold poked his head into Donnella’s office as she was collecting her things.
“Why’s that?” She turned looking exhausted. She’d managed to fix her makeup from the crying but only just, and Harold could tell there was something very wrong.
“Well I just got word that we should turn on the T.V.”
She picked up the remote control fumbling with it her hands shaking. “No, no, no.” She pleaded as the channels flicked. “What channel? She stopped on the nightly news as she heard the name.
‘Stone… Apparently our very own blue blood was quite the wild cat in her heyday folks. Photos have surfaced showing the Fortune 500 mogul in shiny leather and get this, a tail!” The reported made the sound of a horse braying. “We have reports also that just as recently as this past New Year’s Eve she recorded a very raunchy sex tape with not one but two high society men. Oh... it’s too spicy for television but we understand it may be available online.”
“Wonder what that adorabl
e painter boyfriend has to say about it.”
“Oh yes, he has his debut show coming up in just a few weeks…”
Donnella dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as Harold turned off the television. He walked over to her and sat down on the floor.
“Donavan?”
She nodded.
“Has he made contact? Asked for anything?”
“No… I don’t’ think he plans to either. I think he did this as punishment.”
“For what? You haven’t seen him in what ten years?”
“I don’t think he ever got over my giving up the baby…”
***
Donnella had to use the service entrance to get into The Stone Tower, from there she took the elevator to Matthew’s floor. She stood in front of his door, relief washing over her, soon she would be in his arms and everything would feel perfect. She would have to tell him everything, but on her own terms. He would understand. He had to, if her father could, certainly Matthew would. She reasoned as she slipped her key into the dead bolt unlocking the door.
***
Matthew was sitting on the floor when she came in, the stereo was blaring and he was staring down at his hands. Pepper laid down at his feet. It took Donnella a moment to realize what he was holding but when she did, her heart sank. In his hands was the very same type of camcorder as the one her father had handed her and around him were what she assumed to be copies of the very same photographs. He would know it was her. He would recognise the lines of her body, the tattoo on her lower back. The curve of her breast. She turned off the stereo and he looked up, tears in his eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I…”
“That night in the hospital, you could have told me, what really happened. They… They brutalized you. And you just took it?”
She turned away from him, slightly. “Matthew you don’t understand, I was trying to…”
“Trying to what? Seal a deal with my father by fucking his lawyer? Yeah, I know who this guy is, now that I’m seeing him. I’d seen him with Gerald a few times. A real scumbag.” His voice was venomous. “Is this how you like your men to treat you?” He got up, walking briskly to her, grabbing her by the wrists tightly.