"It's okay, Tess," Robin said soothingly, using her most reassuring tone of voice. Right now, she felt more like she was dealing with a frightened victim than the poised, confident Tess Daubney, rising political star. This side of Tess was completely alien.
Tess tried to gather what was left of her composure. "This woman wasn't just my lover. She was my Mistress... and at first, I paid for her company."
Robin was stunned. This time, she was the one whose words deserted her. All except for one: "What?"
"Christ, do I need to say it again?" Tess snapped, instantly growing defensive. When no response was forthcoming, she became even angrier. "You think I wanted any of this to happen? That I enjoy telling you this? I get it, Robin. No one wants to know that the perfect, angelic Senator's daughter they watched grow up on their TV screens spends her weekends off getting tied up, beaten, and fucked by another woman. I definitely never wanted to tell you. But I need your help, and if you want to hate me afterward, that's fine..."
"Whoa, slow down. Just – just give me a minute. This is a lot to digest." Tess seemed to regret her outburst, appearing contrite. "First thing's first, I could never hate you."
"How can you not hate me?" Tess asked, her voice much softer this time. She looked at Robin with haunted eyes. The fear showed through her icy façade, and there was no hiding it. "Sometimes..." her voice dropped an octave, barely louder than a whisper. "No, not just sometimes. Often... I hate myself."
For a moment, Robin panicked. She had no idea how to comfort Tess or assure her that she wasn't deserving of hate, especially self-hatred. She wasn't a psychologist by any stretch of the imagination. However, she was an FBI agent, so maybe she could help with the more urgent part of Tess's problem. "I promise not to tell my boss or anyone at the Bureau what you just told me. It isn't any of their business. But I'm glad you trusted me enough to let me know what was going on. Can you trust me one more time? I have a friend that I think might be able to help you."
Tess tried to smile, but it fell flat. Her eyes were still pained. That didn't mean she wasn't grateful, however. "If you think it will help me and you trust them, you can tell your friend. I'm not sure what else to do. Brian will want me to pay these people, but I'm not sure that will do any good. There's nothing stopping them from splashing my sordid sexual history all over the Internet after they cash out the money they're extorting from me."
"Exactly how sordid is it?" Robin asked hesitantly. She didn't want to upset Tess, but the more she knew, the easier it would be to find out who was trying to destroy her friend's campaign.
"I'd rather not describe it in detail..."
"I need to know what they know," Robin pressed. Briefly, she wondered if she was asking for professional reasons or personal ones, but she forced that thought out of her mind. The information might be important, but she couldn't deny that she was slightly curious.
Tess looked away again, sliding along the desk to put more distance between herself and her interrogator. "It was always just one woman at a time. A few were drunk and never knew my name. They were young, in their early twenties. The sex was... typical." She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "The most damning relationship I've had is... was... with a woman named Samantha McCaskill. She used to be a sex worker that moonlighted as a Dominatrix. When I first met her, she took clients of either gender, but during the last two years I paid her, she worked exclusively with women. She doesn't take payment at all now, at least not from me."
"When is the last time you were with her?" Robin asked.
"Sexually, or just in the same location as her?"
"Both."
Tess flinched. "She was at my house last night. After my near-death experience, I needed a shoulder." Robin couldn't bring herself to ask the question that burned in her throat, but Tess answered it anyway. "The last time she and I... it was the end of September, about two weeks ago. This year. But I didn't pay her," she repeated, wanting to make sure that Robin understood. "We're not involved sexually anymore. That was our goodbye. She's just my friend now. Probably my only friend in the world."
Robin pushed down her jealousy – she was mature enough to recognize her emotions as jealousy, even if it was unwarranted jealousy – and closed the distance between them again. "Not anymore." She relaxed her arms, holding them open slightly, and was extremely pleased when Tess cautiously stepped into them. Robin was shocked, but decided not to take the hug for granted. She slowly wrapped her arms around the politician, giving her time to pull away, and placed a large, warm hand on her back. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."
Chapter 18
Later that evening, Tess wondered why she had allowed Robin to comfort her during her time of crisis. It hadn't been the most prudent decision, but she was ill equipped to deal with blackmail and threats by herself, and there was no one else she trusted. If she went to the authorities and told them about the problem, the odds were good that she would see her own face staring out at her from the paper the next morning over her eggs and toast. She had invited Robin to drop by her apartment, and the FBI agent was due to arrive any minute. Although she was a little uncomfortable asking Robin to stop by, she realized her feelings were foolish. The woman already knew all of her secrets. Seeing her living room wouldn't do any more harm. Besides, there were some more details Robin needed to know.
Just as Tess was sorting through what those might be in her head, the bell rang. After making sure that it really was Robin downstairs and not Brian, Samantha, or the person who was trying to blackmail her, as improbable as that might be, she buzzed her guest up. To try and retain at least some of her dignity, Tess had decided to keep her work clothes on even though they were slightly uncomfortable. She even kept her shoes on to complete the look.
When the expected knock came at the front door, she was there to open it immediately. "Hi," she mumbled, greeting her guest awkwardly. Even though words were an important part of her career, she had no idea what else to say. Robin seemed equally uncomfortable, although not upset at seeing Tess.
"Hi. Can I come in?"
Tess tried not to blush as she stepped back and allowed Robin to enter the apartment. "Do you want to sit down in the living room? I guess we need to figure out where we should go from here."
Robin smiled slightly at Tess's use of the word 'we'. "All right. I know all of this probably seems overwhelming, but I want to help."
Part of Tess still wished that she hadn't told the agent about her past, two million dollars aside, but the more she thought about it, the more logical the choice seemed. If someone had to hear about it, better Robin than some stranger that might sell her out for the right price. Even though they had only known each other a short time, Tess felt like she could trust Robin.
"It's not a picnic, that's for sure," she said as she sat down on the couch, gesturing for Robin to join her. She did, sitting close enough to offer emotional support if Tess needed it, but giving her enough space to feel comfortable. She doubted that Tess would have another moment of weakness after her minor breakdown during the day. Tess didn't seem like the type that reached out to other people often, and Robin was flattered that she had done so earlier.
"So, who else knows about this so far?"
"Knows that I'm being blackmailed, that I'm a lesbian, or... the rest of it?"
Robin tried to behave as professionally as possible so that the conversation wouldn't be too awkward for Tess, but inside, she wasn't sure whether she was embarrassed, excited, or confused. The realization that Tess was a lesbian had shocked her, and she honestly had never really considered the BDSM lifestyle one way or another. In the past, she usually topped her sexual partners in bed, but never took it very seriously. She wasn't sure how she felt about the idea now, although thinking about Tess and certain... actions involved with it did make her heart pound faster and her face get slightly warm. Fortunately, she was able to hide those minor physical responses.
"Let's start with who knows you're a lesbian."
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"That's a difficult question to answer. Samantha knows, my brother knows, Brian knows, and I did have sex with my roommate in college, so she's got a pretty good idea." Tess couldn't keep the sarcasm from creeping in to her voice as she named the last person on the list.
Robin thought about making a college lesbian joke, but decided against it. Tess obviously wasn't in the mood for humor, even delivered with the intention of making her feel better.
"And you're sure Samantha isn't the one blackmailing you?"
Tess's face twitched for a moment. "I trust her completely. She's my friend, and she's kept my secrets before. Why would she change her mind now? It wouldn't benefit her."
"Two million dollars would benefit anybody," Robin argued, playing the devil's advocate.
"It's not her. I'm not sure what else I can say to make you believe me. Check her out if you have to, but you'll be wasting your time."
Even though it was slightly annoying, Robin couldn't help but admire the way Tess defended her friend. In fact, she admired a lot of things about the politician, but she kept those thoughts to herself. "What about the college roommate?"
"She's in a similar position to myself," Tess said. "If my secret gets out, so does hers. She's in business instead of politics, but she is the beneficiary of a very large trust fund, and her parents would have no qualms about revoking it if she lived openly. Her name is Janelle Munroe, and she lives in New York City. I'll get you her phone number before you go."
"Do you still talk?" Robin tried to quell the unreasonable response this information might cause.
"Not frequently. We keep in touch when it benefits us, but I wouldn't call us friends. It's easier to try and pretend we don't know each other that well."
"Anyone else?"
Tess sighed. "The other women I slept with didn't know who I was, and it happened years ago. I stuck to women who were only looking for one night and knew the game, but didn't want to remember faces. If they asked, and they usually didn't, I gave them a fake name. Also, I didn't pick up anyone in Washington or Cincinnati. Too risky."
"Do you think it's one of them?" Robin asked.
"Probably not, but it's possible. I can't give you their names, I didn't want to know."
Robin had never been with somebody without at least sharing last names and having a few dates, so she didn't have any personal experience picking up one-night stands. "We'll put that thought on the backburner for now. Asking for two million in hush money sounds like something a politician or lobbyist would do. No offense. A regular person you picked up at a bar or a club would be more likely to sell their story to the tabloids and make a profit that way if they figured it out."
"This feels more like business," Tess agreed. "I know they're asking for money, but it has something to do with the campaign. That's what prompted this person to make their demands."
"What about your family?"
Tess frowned. "My parents have no idea. I've always tried to live up to my father's expectations, and this would just get in the way. I'm not particularly close to my stepmother. We did all right until I was about thirteen, but we had a falling out. I think she expected me to turn out a little more domestic and a little less ambitious."
Robin couldn't help grinning when she heard that. "She obviously doesn't know you at all, then. I've only known you for about two weeks, and I can already tell you're not the homemaker type. Not that there's anything wrong with staying home and raising a family, but it would drive you up the wall."
"Pretty much. My brother knows, but we haven't spoken about it in years. He might have thought it was a phase, but he wasn't disapproving when he did find out. He's a lot more liberal about things like that than our parents."
"Your mother passed away when you were young, right?"
Instead of looking surprised or disturbed by Robin's intimate knowledge, Tess offered her a slight smile. "Right. When I say mother, I mean 'stepmother', but we were close once upon a time and she did help raise me, even though we have our differences now. Have you prepared a dossier on me, Agent Hart?"
"Maybe. But it was for personal reasons, not anything related to the job I'm doing. It will be useful now, though." Tess was surprised that the thought of Robin running a background check on her and putting together a file didn't upset her. If anyone else had done the same thing, it would have made her angry. "I have a half-brother," Robin confessed, hoping that by sharing something personal with Tess, the politician wouldn't feel so exposed. "His name's Charlie, and I named my fish after him."
"Your betta fish?" Tess remembered from previous conversations.
"Yep. My mother and I aren't close either, mostly because she tends to place alcohol higher on the priority list than I feel comfortable with. Charlie's dad, my stepdad, helped raise me. He's a decent guy."
Tess appreciated Robin's effort at making her feel at ease, and she had to admit that it did please her to learn more about the mysterious FBI agent that had entered her life so suddenly. Although she wasn't a particularly spiritual person, maybe it was fate that had brought them together. Perhaps Robin was meant to help her sort out this mess before someone got hurt... most likely her.
"If your parents did find out, though," Robin continued, "or your brother, I guess... would they do something like this?"
Tess shook her head. "No. Daddy wouldn't. He would have no reason to resort to things like that. I really don't think my stepmother knows, because I've taken pains to hide it from her. I doubt she would blackmail me anyway. She has plenty of her own money. If she wanted to out me, she would just tell my father."
Robin tried to think of any other possibilities, but came up blank. "From what I can tell as an outsider, no likely suspects are jumping out at me. I'll keep digging, but in the meantime, there are some things we can do to prepare for the next time the blackmailer contacts you."
"Like what?"
"Record your incoming phone calls, for one. Luckily, Ohio allows you to record your own phone conversations without the other party's consent. So does the District of Columbia, actually."
"You'll help me do that? Could you trace the phone number, too?"
"Yeah, we can try, but if the blackmailer's smart, he used a prepaid phone and bought it with cash. It wouldn't do much good."
Tess sighed. "I'd have to get the number for you. They called Brian last time, not me."
"We'll record his phone calls, too. We might still be able to track the location," Robin said. "You've got a smartphone, right? I'm sure I can figure out how to download a recording program onto it, but if I can't, I've got a friend who can help me. By the way, since we don't know how this blackmailer got their information yet, I'd like to bring my friend in to sweep your computer."
Tess looked alarmed by the thought of someone intruding on her privacy that way. "My work computer, or my laptop?"
"Both to be safe."
"If the blackmailer does have access to my computer, that means they probably have all my PIN numbers, my banking statements, my credit card numbers..."
"I'm sure your computers are fine." Robin couldn't help but compare Tess's panic over the possibility of her computer being infected with Louph's paranoia. "We'll set you up with some good antivirus software, get your phone ready to record conversations, and compile a list of suspects."
"And then?" Tess asked, trying not to sound afraid.
"Then, we wait. Once we've got him on tape making an explicit demand for money, that's an Ace in our hand. We need to figure out who this guy is. Since he's doing this anonymously, he knows what he's doing is illegal. His entire plan falls apart if we find out his identity, because while the information he has on you might ruin your career, the information you have on him will send him to prison. Once you know who he is, you have a stalemate."
Chapter 19
Cincinnati, Ohio: October 11th
Tess could not help staring at the stranger seated in the lone chair on the opposite side of her desk. More accurately, she could not help s
taring at his shoes. He was wearing a garish pair of crosstrainers in a size so large that the politician was sure they were custom-made for his gigantic feet, but the most distracting thing about them was their color. The left one was a bright fluorescent orange while the right was neon green.
"Your shoes don't match," she blurted out, completely forgetting her manners and throwing her etiquette out the window.
To her surprise, the tall, thin man smiled at her, not seeming the least bit offended. "No, they don't. It's so much more sensible that way, don't you think?"
"Of course," Tess said, even though she had no idea what he was talking about. Robin had called Tess last night a few hours after she left her apartment with the news that her friend and business associate was flying in from Washington, D.C. the next morning to update her security. With a quick phone call to Brian, she had convinced her campaign manager that hiring someone to update her computer security was a good idea. It hadn’t taken much. One reminder of the strange messages she had received was enough to make him agree.
Recovering slightly, Tess paused to adjust her glasses. "So, Robin says you're the best computer security consultant in the business."
"Security consultant, hacker, trouble-shooter, and emergency repairman."
"Well, Louph, I'm really grateful that Robin convinced you to come here and help me." Now that she was over the initial shock of Louph's strange appearance, she began skimming over a copy of his résumé. She knew from Robin's warning that is was a very 'cleaned up' version that eliminated all the confidential and borderline illegal jobs that he had done during his varied career. "Very impressive. You designed and assembled Harfax's entire intra-company computer system? I don't suppose they paid you in stock options?" she added, mostly to herself. "You would have made a mint over the past year. And contract work for the FBI."
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