by DJ Wilson
Surprisingly, just in hearing his voice, I feel shades better. “D, where are you?”
“I’m still in Canada. Leaving this morning, heading south. Why?”
“I don’t know for sure, but there may be someone looking for you. I’ll do what I can to find out more. If it’s all on my end, I’ll deal with it from here. If it’s beyond my reach, just watch your back. Call me every day until you get home. Promise? Again, I’m sorry. No, it was not for the money. No, it was not to hurt you. I could go on and on. But I won’t. It’s enough for now. I’ll leave it at that. Give Major a hug for me when you get home. Bye, baby.”
I feel like I’ve aged ten years this morning. I’m emotionally raw. I’m mad. Joseph, that son of a bitch ‘Prove to me you’re sincere in getting back together. Make love to me, show me.’ I’m gonna be sick ... And I was ... repeatedly. Then, I got over throwing up and came up with a plan while my head rested on the porcelain throne. Paybacks are a bitch!
Chapter 39
Well, big boy, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into? That’s the question of the day. What happened? She cried … you caved. Sums it up. Call everyday. Really? Someone is looking for me — whoopee, take a number and get in line. I emerged from the truck to find Greg, smoking his pipe on the basement patio, looking somewhat out of sorts.
“Jon David, I’m going to meet a diamond broker tomorrow. You stayin’ another day?” asked Greg. “You want to take my hunters out for me?”
“I’d like to, but I can’t. I need to get Vic back to Sioux City and me back to fight the monsters waiting for me at home. I promise, I will come back soon enough and hang out. Just me and you. OK?
“Works. Victoria calls you, D. What ... should I call you ... now that you’re not ... you?”
“Call me anything you want,” I chuckled at his reasoning, then sobered quickly to the absurdity of it all. “At this point in my life it doesn’t matter anymore. I have no permanent identity to speak of. Recent circumstances have seen to that. I’m doing what I can one day at a time to survive amid the chaos.”
“You’re a survivor. You’ll come out on the top of all this, yet. Especially, if you keep changing peoples lives, like Missy’s, for the better. I almost forgot why I came out here looking for you. Debra said breakfast is ready whenever you and your lady friend are.”
“Her names Victoria, Greg, Victoria. Why can’t you remember it?”
Sheepishly Greg looked at the ground, before replying, “every time I think of her, all that comes to mind is smoking hot. Do you think it has something to do with her red hair or her...”
I laughed, “all the above, I’m sure. Damn you need a vacation with Debra in a bad way. Your bride is just as beautiful and smoking hot as she is. Go away, spoil her, pamper her, wine her, dine her and make love to her. Stop lusting over Vic.”
“I’m not ... uh ... lusting. I’m appreciating...”
“Whatever,” I relented, since trying to argue with his little brain was going nowhere. “I’ll go rouse smoking hot and we’ll be up shortly.”
Somewhere buried beneath the covers was my friend, my confidant, my attorney. “Vic, it’s time to get up. Debra has breakfast ready and we have a long ride in front of us. Today is Iron Butt II, 459 miles to Winnipeg.”
Rousing sleepily from my current dream, “what time is it, D?”
“It’s a little before seven, girlfriend,” I replied, rubbing her shoulders with my left hand and running my fingers through her hair with my right.
“Don’t stop, D. I could lay here all morning with you touching me.”
“I’m sure you could. But like you said, the quicker I get you home the better.”
“Don’t remind me. I only said that so you wouldn’t have to keep fending me off.”
“I know. Thank you,” I added, “it goes both ways, especially since you’re so smoking hot!” I was in the moment again before I caught myself, while continuing to stroke her hair. It wasn’t fair to continue, building on something we’d both agreed to suppress, for now. I can’t believe it. I’m the one saying for now. Who would have thought it a week ago? Surely not me.
I giggled. “Smoking hot, you think so? Where did that come from?”
“Greg, he thinks you’re smoking hot. Me, I know it,” I answered, rising from the bed before Vic had a chance to reply. “I’ll have your coffee poured. See you upstairs.”
Vic and I dined alone. With a new group of hunters on the way, Greg and Debra were busy preparing for their arrival. “Vic, I talked to Gio this morning.” No response. “And Candi.”
No shock there. It’s about time he reached out. “Really? How did that go?”
“It was emotional. I made her cry. From what I gathered the video was as much a surprise to her as it was to us.”
“You told her?” Of course he did. What happened to subtle?
“Not at first, but later on in our conversation. She asked me specifics which only you could answer, unfortunately. Like what did the room look like, what was she wearing, etc?”
“So… Candi knows I’m with you? I bet that rolled her.”
“Truthfully, if it did, it didn’t register. She was very apologetic from the get go and was dumbstruck that she had been filmed. Pleaded with me to have you erase it as well as Jim. It could wreak havoc on her professional career if it got out.”
“D, it’s on your email. Remember? You’ll have to do that. You think blackmail?”
“Possibly or some type of coercion. Whatever brought it about devastated her.”
“It would me, too. I could see her slimy Ex using it as leverage to make sure he got what he wanted. Poor Candi. So what’s next, D?”
“We go home. Two to three days hard riding. I hope you can handle it. I hope I can handle it. When we reach Winnipeg nine or ten hours from now, we may both need to sleep in tomorrow.”
“Whatever you decide, I’m good.” But I wasn’t. I didn’t want our trip to end, not like this, anyway. Why can’t we be friends and still be intimate … at least occasionally? I told him I wouldn’t press it and I won’t. However, if the opportunity presents itself again, like this morning, I’m going to encourage it. I will not take no for an answer, Candi be damned!
“Vic, do you mind clearing the dishes from the table while I pack the bike? We best get on the road.”
“I’ve got this, D. I’ll be down in a few.”
After strapping on our gear, I found Greg scurrying around in the shop. “Let me know if you have any problems selling the diamonds tomorrow. I’ll try to find you another buyer if I can.”
“I got this, D. You’ve done your part. Now it’s up to me to do mine. Candice Parker, right?”
“Yes, sir. Compliments of Candice Parker and her family. That takes you and me out of the loop … I hope.”
I found the boys playing with their toys. Walking up to Greg, I kissed him squarely on the lips. “Smoking hot, I like,” I purred in his ear. “Thank you for such a wonderful compliment.”
Greg’s cheeks blushed crimson, “Uh … you’re welcome. Take care of him.”
“I’m trying, but it’s not easy.”
“You’ve just made his day, Vic. Let’s get out of here before Greg gets any ideas.”
“Oh, I’ve got lots of ideas already,” Greg countered, just as Debra joined us in the shop.
“Debra, thanks for everything. You and Greg have made Vic feel welcome.”
Of course they have. “It was a pleasure meeting some of D’s friends. I hope we’ll see each other again,” giving Greg a wink that seemed to take him over the top.
Taking Vic by the hand, I led her out the door. “What was that about, girlfriend? You raised his blood pressure twenty points.”
“I like compliments, D. Haven’t heard any from you in a day or two. Besides, looking at that bulge in his pants, that’s not all I raised.” I grinned. D got my hint loud and clear. For that I am certain.
Chapter 40
Flustered and speechless
, I entered Winnipeg into the GPS, routing us east along Canada Hwy. 3 before turning south across the vast plains on the Saskota Flyway to Yorkton. I only got as far as 2nd Avenue, about three hundred feet to be exact, before I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Yes?”
All this excitement amongst the men, I damn near forgot. “Turn left, D. Take me to the hotel.”
“It’s far too early for alcohol, girlfriend. Care to tell me why?”
“I have a proposition for Will. … One that I hope he won’t refuse.”
“Seriously, Vic, I didn’t realize how much he turned you on.” The spontaneous sideways slap on my helmet said otherwise.
“Smart ass, a business proposition.” Men and sex — sex and men. Go figure. “Stay here, D. This won’t take long.” I climbed off the bike and ran into the bar / hotel, finding Will snoozing behind the counter. “Wake up, Will, it’s Victoria.”
“Victoria … good to see you again. I was just resting my eyes,” stammered Will, focusing his sleepy gaze on the red haired vixen standing before him clad in black leather.
“I’d like to invest in your establishment. You need to attract more women, which in turn attracts more men. If you’ll reduce your rooms by five and turn them into two full baths each, one for each of the remaining rooms that will help you with your occupancy. Plus, add flat screen TV's with pay per view options, new pillow top mattresses, sturdy, non squeaking beds and a couple of pieces of decent furniture.”
“That’s well and good Ma’am, but it takes money to do that. Money that I don’t have.”
“Will, that’s where I come in. I’m prepared to invest up to $200,000 to make this dream a reality, say ... for forty percent ownership.” I let him digest that for a moment before I continued. “Can you live with that?”
“Let me get this straight, you’re gonna put up $200,000 to help me attract more women?” asked Will, sporting a ‘who the hell do you think you are’ demeanor.
“Stop looking at my boobs. Read my lips. More women is more men, more alcohol sales, more rocking and rolling in your rooms, more everything. Got it?”
Scratching his chin, pondering the thought of a female for a partner, Will stood up and extended his hand. “I got it. Can we shake on it?”
“We can,” I replied, extending my right hand while handing him my card, Victoria R. Lawson, Attorney at Law. “Even better, I’ll draw up the documents when I get home. Meanwhile, you need to have a contractor you trust write us a proposal for ten tiled baths with tub and shower combinations. Then send me a list of the rest of the items you'll need. I'll shop those in the states, first. I’ve got to run. Call me when you have it.”
“Well, that was a quickie, Vic. Was it as good for Will as it was for you?”
“That’s yet to be determined. You’re now looking at the new minority owner of this fine establishment.”
I scowled.
“Seriously, after all your preaching about paying it forward, don’t give me that look. I had an epiphany the last time we were here. Private baths, new beds and new furniture, equate to more women, more men, more partying, more sales. I volunteered to help him do it with my, I mean your, I mean our money, of course.”
“Congratulations. You can be unselfish when you want to be.”
“I’m not that unselfish, D. I asked for forty percent.”
“In that case, you’d make a great Madame, if you decide to eventually turn this into a whore house,” I chided. “Can we ride now?”
“We can,” I beamed, thoroughly proud of myself, even if I did ask for a pittance in ownership. Giving comes hard for me, I mused. I’m a lawyer first, but I could be a Madame second, I betcha!
Finally, our last detour behind us, we were on the road rolling down Highway 3 to intersect the Saskota Flyway that takes us to Winnipeg. Reaching Yorkton, I announced, while pulling into a Canadian Shell for fuel, “Last pitstop for quite a while. How are you holding up, girlfriend?”
“My butt is tingling, along with my ... hoo-ha,” I laughed. “Otherwise, I’m good.”
“You’re a tingling troubadour. A rare find up here, your lady parts notwithstanding. Let’s hope that’s all you have to complain about two more stops from now.” Turning left onto Yellowhead Highway, driving southeast, we crossed into Manitoba just after eleven. There was not much to see for the next five hours, but an endless supply of rolling hills, sporadic farmhouses miles and miles of black asphalt. On the outskirts of Winnipeg, I squeezed Vic’s knee. “Your hoo-ha still tingling, girlfriend?”
“I forgot what eight hours on a bike felt like. My face is wind burned, my hoo-ha and ass are numb. And my legs are frozen stiff in their current position. But, other than that, I’m good.”
“That answers my next question. We need to get you a room with a big soaking tub.”
I squeezed him as tight as my thighs would allow. “That would be a Godsend.”
The iPhone found us a boutique hotel called Maria’s where I booked the red bricked road suite, featuring a two person tub with adjoining wet bar. Twenty minutes later we were driving into the parking lot as the rain began to fall. “I couldn’t have timed it better if I had tried. Go check us in please, Vic. Leave a key at the desk. I’ll be along in a while.”
“Gladly, D. My back thanks you. My ass thanks you and my hoo-ha adores you.”
“Hey, girlfriend, I didn’t tell you. They have a spa. Bet you’re ready for pampering, round two. It’s probably too late to book a massage tonight. See if you can schedule one for first thing in the morning.”
“You don’t mind?”
“I do not. One day, give or take, won’t make much of a difference. Will it?”
For a brief moment I processed his request ... I had clean clothes, what few there were, compliments of Debra, and another night with D … and a tub. “Ab–so-lutely not!”
Chapter 41
After I’d unstrapped our bags and carried them into the breezeway, I sat down on a weathered wooden bench and made my first call to Gio who answered on the second ring.
“Ciao, Giovanni. It’s D, can you talk now?”
“D, ciao. ... Yes, can talk. We good; Candi not so good. What you say? You hurt her?”
“No, sir, I don’t think so. It wasn’t me. Joseph, most likely.”
“Joseph, no like. She sad, D. You come, she better.”
“No promises, Gio. I will try.”
“You come, big party next Saturday. Mile, me bad bikers, Candice, Pretty Woman in red, then biker babe.”
“Bikers, a party, Candi in red and leathers? A costume party in Tampa?”
“Yes, Child’s Hospital ... mmmm ... I sure.”
“A benefit for a Children’s Hospital. How bizarre? Let me think about it. I’ll see if I can make it work. I’ll call you back in a couple of days and let you know. Ciao.”
My second call was to Candi. She answered on the umpteenth ring as I was pressing end.
“D, I’m here. I didn’t want you to hear me this way.”
“Candi, I’m letting you know I’ve made it to Winnipeg. You’re crying? Has something happened? Are you still upset from this morning?”
“What do you think? Of course I’m upset. It comes and goes. Joseph used me to get his point across. Me ... me of all people.”
“Yeah, well you’re probably right. There was a message that went with the video that I forgot to mention ... something like ‘her actions speak louder than your words.’ Sounds like a man scorned, because a woman screwed, huh? Candi, you’re going to have to deal with it. It’s a cluster F; I got it. Best you put on your big girl panties and face it. You recovered the ledgers. Surely, you can recover some clandestine video and destroy it. Speaking of the ledgers, did you collect on them?”
“I turned them in today and unlocked them to prove their authenticity. The money is being wired to an offshore account in my name. I promised Joseph half to make him leave Canada without you.”
“There’s your leverage, use it. Coupled with that woo-ho
o of yours, you can move mountains. I’m sorry ... Did you find out who may be looking for me?”
“Not yet. Again, that’s a Joseph issue. D, that was a terrible thing to say. You said Vic was with you?”
“I did. She is. Didn’t want me to ride back alone. Surprisingly, you’re both about the same size. She’s wearing your leathers, your boots, your helmet.”
“That’s convenient ... Uh ... are you sleeping with her?”
“What kind of question is that? She’s a friend. She’s my ... my lawyer.”
“You are sleeping with her! I knew it! How long did that take?”
“Candi, don’t go there. You left me standing on the tarmac with my heart in my throat. Remember? You screwed me, long before I did anything with her. If you had been honest with me, we could have worked our way through this, together. I’m hurting, too. Nothing happened between Vic and I … until the email arrived showing you bouncing off the bed on his balls.”
“I told you, I did what I had to do. You wouldn’t understand. You had to be there. It happened. OK?”
“Same here.”
“I need to go.”
“Me, too,” I pressed end.
Chapter 42
Tampa Bay
Damn him, damn him, damn him! There’s going to be hell to pay today. Joseph and his clandestine video is the reason D is screwing Vic and not me, not yet anyway. It’s one of the reasons, anyway ... No, it’s the most important reason, damn him! Conveniently, the money — the all-important money — rewarding me ... bite your tongue girl ... us ... for my year-long efforts transfers today. I got it. I AM SO PISSED! ... Let the games begin!
Over the next two hours I planned a memorable evening that was going to be even better than I originally imagined. My first call was to the Grand Hyatt where I booked two adjoining suites for tonight. My second call was to two actors who depending on what was up their nose at the time could go either way. My third call was to a friend from high school, Kyle, who owned a one of a kind, specialty store. My fourth call was to Joseph, making a date for this evening to celebrate our windfall, which by an emailed confirmation arrived in my Cayman Islands account, moments earlier.