by Alexa Davis
"No, you're right about that. It's because of something much more simple: money. You've got it and she wants it. Half a billion dollars. She figures that's her fare share of the wealth you accumulated during your marriage. Give it to her or she goes public with her accusation, and even though she can't prove it, you'll be ruined."
"There's no way I'm giving that fucking bitch five hundred million dollars." I was fuming with rage, and my heart was pounding in my chest so fucking hard, I wondered if I would have a heart attack. "Besides, it would be impossible. Most of that money is tied up in assets, property, and investments."
"Don't worry. I think I can talk her down to two-hundred-and-fifty million. That would be nothing to a billionaire like you, but it should be enough to shut Janice up and get her out of your life. You won't even have to see her. In fact, she's asked for a restraining order to keep you away. Just deposit the funds into an escrow account through my law firm and I'll dispense it to her for you, minus my fee, of course."
"You can't think you'll get away with this." My fists were aching to punch him in the fucking face, but I couldn't make that kind of scene out on a public sidewalk.
"Oh, we already did. Give Janice her money or she'll take away everything you have. It's an easy choice: give up a simple quarter of a billion dollars or Olivia will leave you forever. I'll get in touch with you next week. See ya, buddy."
Aaron Fitch turned on his heel and strolled down the sidewalk, fucking whistling as he walked. I wanted to charge after him, but I couldn't. I got in the backseat of the limo and Adam turned to me and said lightly, "To Olivia's office?"
"No, not anymore. There's been a change of plans. Drive me to Janice's; she and I need to have little talk."
Chapter Five: Olivia
It wasn't like Tristan to fail to meet me for dinner. Even on the nights when he got stuck in a meeting, he always called to let me know he would be late. I was just about to ask the waiter to bring me the check when suddenly Tristan came rushing into the restaurant. Part of me was happy to see him, but the bigger part of me was pissed off.
"Where have you been and why didn't you call me? I've been sitting here for two hours," I started to yell at him, but the moment he sat in the chair across the table from me and I looked into his eyes, all my anger vanished. I'd never seen him looking distraught. His gray eyes were usually so vibrant, like a swirling ocean; now they were dead and flat. His skin was a strange and sickly color, and I knew that something horrible must have happened. Reaching across the table, I gripped his hands in mine and asked softly, "What's wrong? What happened to you today?"
"I got a visit from Aaron Fitch today. He told me Janice was pissed off about the press conference and wanted two-hundred-and-fifty million dollars from me or she was going to tell the world I was a pedophile and a child-rapist."
"Oh my God!" My hands flew up to cover my face, and I had to remind myself to breathe, I was in such shock. "How can she accuse you of something so horrible? That's blackmail, and she'll never get away with it."
"Fitch said it didn't have to be true. Just the accusation would cause me to lose our new business. He threatened that I would lose you, too, and that I may even be sent to prison."
"You'll never lose me. I know what kind of man you really are, and I know you would never do anything like that. If we lose the business, we'll still be fine. I can live on scraps if I have to. And, you'll never go to prison. Eddie would make sure of that."
"That's what I thought, too. So, I had Adam drive me to Janice's house, so I could tell that bitch face to face that her plans to blackmail me would never work."
Tristan's voice was thick with emotion and he grew even more sickly looking in color. A sense of dread welled up inside me. Clasping his hands again, I swallowed hard and asked the question I was afraid to hear the answer to. "What happened at Janice's? Did something go wrong?"
"Just as one would expect, she denied the whole fucking thing. She starting ranting and raving at me that she didn't want or need another dime from me since she got the fucking money in the divorce settlement. I got really pissed off and started throwing shit in her living room. I yelled at her what about the fucking money she extorted out of me with her lies and threats. I expected her to give me more bullshit lies, but the bitch just sat down on the floor, looking fucking shocked as hell. She said she never extorted any money from me and she hasn't spoken to Aaron Fitch since the divorce settlement months ago."
"Did you believe her?" I asked, astounded by the story.
"Yeah, I fucking did," Tristan said quietly, in a voice so low it was a whisper. "When you've been married to someone as long as I was to her, you know when they're lying and when they're telling the truth. Janice wasn't the one extorting money from me all this time."
"Then who was?"
"Isn't it obvious? It was fucking Aaron Fitch. He used confidential information he'd obtained from her during the divorce and then used it to blackmail me, and the fucking coward set Janice up for the blame. Then, he got greedy and wanted more, only now he's been caught."
"I can't believe it. No wonder you look so upset."
"Oh, that's not the upsetting part." Tristan laughed without humor. "Janice told me that she's been giving Eddie money to keep me from blackmailing her. He's in on it, too: both our lawyers have been scamming us together and making us think it was our ex-spouses."
"Eddie? You said he's been your lawyer for years and that you trusted him more than anyone, except me."
"Well, now you're the only one I know I can trust," Tristan said. I got up from my chair so I could take him into my arms. I hugged him tightly, kissing him with my lips to try and soothe away his pain at being betrayed. I felt his muscles relax and a sigh escaped his lungs. Then, he suddenly broke away from me and the look on his face was like a completely different man. Gone was the shattered and wounded man who had first come into the restaurant. Tristan was restored to his confident and capable self once more. Standing up, he threw a pile of hundred dollar bills on the table to cover my bill and said, "Let's get out of here. We have to prepare for tomorrow. I'm having a special meeting with Aaron Fitch and I want Eddie to be there."
"Are you sure you should do this?" I was scared. I didn't want Tristan to get hurt or in trouble, but I knew from the determination burning in his eyes that I couldn't stop him.
Tristan just looked at me and said "Fuck yeah, I'm sure. Nobody threatens to tear us apart from one another – fucking nobody."
WHATEVER HE WANTS #8
Chapter One: Tristan
My palms were fucking sweating as I rode the elevator up the countless flights. Finally, the doors opened and I stepped out onto the office floor for Eddie's office.
"Hello, Mr. Porter. I didn't recall seeing you on the appointment calendar this morning," his secretary Rachel greeted me with her sexy smile. Her auburn red hair was piled on her head today in a sloppy bun, and her tight-fitting dress and plunging neckline left little to the imagination. There was little doubt that Eddie had hired her just for her typing skills. She stood up from her desk with an apologetic frown, and said, "I'm sorry, but he's meeting with someone right now. You'll have to wait. I'll let him you're here, and I'm sure he'll make it a priority to see you."
"It's okay, Rachel. I called Eddie from home late last night and he told me join him for this meeting today. They're both expecting me."
Rachel's frown turned into a sexy smile once more and she teetered on six-inch high heels to open the office door for me. There, I saw Eddie and Aaron Fitch sitting on overstuffed leather chairs, sipping glasses of fucking scotch.
"Tristan. Please come in," Eddie greeted me with a hearty handshake. It was all I could do to mask my disgust with a smile and shake his greasy hand in return.
"Thank you for agreeing to this last minute meeting," I said to the man whom I thought was my friend, but who I now knew to be fucking snake. Janice had been crying when she told me how he had threatened her, and the horrible lies he had told to ex
tort money from her. Then he had the fucking nerve to pretend to defend me against Fitch, when all the while the assholes were working as a fucking team to rip both me and Janice off. All this time I'd thought she was a fucking bitch, when really she was victim just like me. Worst of all, Eddie was now trying to fuck up things between Olivia and me, and that's where I really drew the line. I could always find a way to make more money in this life, but Olivia was irreplaceable.
I gritted my teeth and hoped it looked like a smile as Eddie slapped me on the shoulder and said to me, "Of course. Anything for my best client. I just got off the phone with your accountant, and he said he shuffled around some of your assets to create an account valued at two-hundred-and-fifty million dollars. I created the documents you asked me for last night, providing that the account be entrusted to Aaron Fitch, giving him control of the account as trustee to Janice Porter. All it needs is your signature and the deal is done; but, Tristan, I have to ask are you sure you want to do this? We've worked together for years, and it doesn't sound like you to just give your ex-wife a quarter of a billion dollars."
It was the same heartfelt concern for my wellbeing that had made Eddie such a trusted friend and terrific attorney all these years. I had confided all my darkest secrets to him, and I realized now that he was probably the one who had sold those secrets to Fitch. It was the worst kind of betrayal, and I clenched my fist, wanting to punch the motherfucker right in the dick.
"Eddie's right," I said to Fitch. "I'm going to need his help to cover this mess up. Don't worry, he won't violate my client confidentiality. He never has and never will; I trust him completely."
"Okay, go ahead and tell him," Fitch said begrudgingly, in what would have been a convincing act if I didn't already know the truth that these two assholes were conspiring together.
Hanging my head, I confessed the whole false story to Eddie about how my bitch ex-wife was extorting money from me and that the money was a pay-off for the blackmail. Eddie faked looking shocked, but recovered quickly. Then he handed me a pen and said, "If you're sure this is what you want to do, it sounds like paying her off is the best thing to do for now. I can protect you in a court of law, but I can't protect you from public opinion, and if Janice spreads this vicious lie and Olivia believes her, it's not worth the risk of losing her forever."
I took the pen and signed my name on to the document Eddie had drafted and then I handed it to Fitch. The son-of-a-bitch took it in his hand and said, "Thank you, Tristan. I'll see to it that your business and love-life are now safe. You made the right choice."
That was it! The motherfucker had taken the bait. A team of police officers in full gear came streaming into the office, followed by Police Commissioner Harris himself.
"What the hell is this?" Fitch cried out as the officers handcuffed him and Eddie and began to pat them both down.
Commissioner Harris said with a grin, "You two assholes are under arrest for extortion, blackmail, slander, money laundering, and fraud."
"This is bullshit. I didn't do anything!" Eddie cried out in objection. "I'm Mr. Porter's attorney. Ask him, he'll tell you I'm innocent."
"Then how do you explain the meeting you had with Janice Porter thirty minutes ago, where we recorded you and Mr. Fitch pulling this same blackmail scam on her for twenty million bucks? You two shitheads are both going to need attorneys of your own, and by the way, you can expect to be notified that you've been disbarred for illegal practices and violating client confidentiality."
I watched as the two loathsome shitheads were taken outside where two squad cars waited for them. Janice and Olivia were both standing on the sidewalk watching and waved for me to join them, but I had something I needed to do first.
"Thanks so much, Commissioner. I really appreciate all you've done for me." I shook Harris' hand gratefully.
"Of course, Mr. Porter. And, we thank you for your generous donation to the Police Widows Fund. You're going to help a lot of families."
"I've come to realize there's nothing more important," I said. Then I saw Eddie and Fitch were about to be loaded into the back of the squad cars and I said, "May I have just a final word with both of them."
"It's against protocol, but I believe all my officers are busy with paperwork and won’t see a thing." Harris nodded with a grin.
I strode up to Fitch first and looked the piece of shit up and down. "You may have gotten away with it if you'd just been threatening to destroy my business and reputation, but nobody threatens to tear me apart from Olivia."
Then I cocked back my fist and punched the son-of-a-bitch as hard as I could right in the fucking face. It felt good – damn good – and I smiled as his left eye immediately started turning purple and swelling shut.
Eddie was already wincing as I approached him with my shoulders squared, expecting me to do the same to him, but instead I put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Why the fuck did you do this?" I had to know.
"I've been working for you for years, and as good as the money was, I'll never be close to having the billions of dollars you have. I worked my ass off taking care of you and your wife, cleaning up your messes, and covering up your secrets. When you two divorced, she got millions for doing nothing, and I got a mere fraction of what I deserved. It wasn't fucking fair. I was sitting in a bar one night, complaining about how messed up it was that I could barely afford my car payment and my mortgage, and you were out riding in limos and purchasing your own sex slaves. Another lawyer came up to me and said he totally knew how I felt; it was Fitch. So, we cooked up this plan. We decided to use the secrets you and Janice had given us to get what we deserved. None of this shit would have happened if you had just given me what I was worth."
"If that had been the case, you would have gotten a steaming pile of dog shit," I said. I punched Eddie right in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and bringing him to his knees. It felt really fucking good. Olivia covered her face, but I could see she was smiling through her hands, and Janice actually applauded and squealed with joy. As I walked towards them, I looked back over my shoulder at Eddie and said, "And in case you can't figure it out, you’re fucking fired."
"Thanks for doing that." Janice smiled at me gratefully. "I forgot that you really can be a prince when you want to be."
"I'd still do anything for you," I said to her, and I knew she understood the spirit of deep friendship and solidarity I felt for her was devoid of any romantic feelings.
"I know you would," she said. She was avoiding my eyes and I knew there was something she wasn't telling me.
"What is it? Is there something else I need to know?"
I thought I was prepared for anything she would have said, but I was fucking wrong. My jaw hit the fucking floor with what she said to me. "I just thought you should know that I've met someone and this time, it's serious. We're getting married, and I'll be moving with him to France."
"Holy shit. I'm really happy for you," I said, and I was surprised to realize that I fucking meant it. Sure, we'd only been divorced a few months, but our marriage had been over for years and I had fallen more deeply in love with Olivia than I'd ever been with Janice. It was nice to know that she had found love, too, and we could both move forward with our lives without feeling guilty. Hugging her as I would a friend, I said, "Congratulations, Janice. I hope this guy treats you the way I should have all those years and that you're truly happy together."
"Thanks." She smiled. "I think he will. We're already talking about adopting a baby together and starting a family."
"That's great. There's nothing more important than family." We finished hugging goodbye and I watched as she climbed into her car and drove away, out of my life forever. There was a stinging in my eyes and I blinked it away, unwilling to consider the possibility that I was about to fucking cry.
Finally, I turned to Olivia and pulled her into my arms. It had been one hell of a day and I was grateful to get to hold the woman I loved at long last.
"Are you alright?"
she asked me in that beautifully sweet voice of hers.
I flexed my hand, testing my bruised knuckles which were tender after punching Fitch and Eddie. "Yeah, I'm okay."
Olivia kissed the back of my hand tenderly and then smiled at me as if trying not to laugh. "I didn't mean your hand. I meant about everything that just happened with Janice. You were married to her for a long time, and now you just find out she's marrying again so soon after your divorce. I can't imagine what you must be feeling."
We walked hand in hand down the sidewalk to where Adam had our car waiting, and I shrugged casually. "I'm fine. Things had been over between us emotionally for a long time. I really am happy for her. Now that this bullshit is over with Eddie and Fitch and she's moving to France, I can focus on what's really important: building my life with you."
I kissed Olivia on the lips, soft and slow and deep. It was the kind of kiss that usually had her melting in my arms, but this time her body remained tense and I knew something was still bothering her. As we pulled apart, she looked up at me and asked, "Did you mean what you said to her?"
I couldn't figure out what the fuck was on her mind, so I just asked her. "What do you mean?"
"You know, what you said about family being the most important thing."
"Why? You don't want a baby do you?" It had never occurred to me that Olivia might want kids. I was fucking forty years old, which wasn't too old yet, but I had thought I was past that age of my life. Still, I would do it for Olivia if that's what she really wanted. After all, she was only twenty-two and plenty young and energetic enough to want kids. Luckily, she shook her head no and I sighed with relief.
"No, I wasn't thinking about her adopting a baby. I don't want kids right now. I'm really excited about starting this business of ours and Kink On is going to take up too much of time for kids."