by Anna Collins
“I get this feeling you are the woman behind the man. It stands to reason he would limit his exposure to the public because of some illness. From everything you have said, I believe you’ve been stringing him along, hoping to bleed him dry of the money in the coffers. It’s not my place to judge, but somehow I feel the one person we should be talking to is you,” Tristan said as she smiled seductively, crossing her legs and once again showing more than just a casual slip of a naked thigh.
Leslie wasn’t wearing any panties, nothing to hide the puffy lips of her sex and the way she enjoyed putting herself out there. This was a girl who had the world in the palm of her hands, and all she had to do was contend with the man’s money and his amorous ways. It appeared to be a small price to pay considering she was on the cusp of what could be a major breakthrough.
“Don’t ever let him hear you talking like that or the invitation to stay here might be limited to your life span. I have nothing but the deepest respect for the man who has given me everything. He was a brilliant scientist and still is, but not in the same way he used to. It’s not my place to say, and it’s going to be up to him if he decides to tell you everything. Spencer Madison has gone by many different names. He prefers Spencer over all others, but what you don’t see is what you have to worry about,” Leslie said as she got up and left the room with that faint scent of a woman following her in her wake.
Leslie had a raw sensuality which had most people eating out of her hand. I felt the point was probably moot and I knew she was using her body to get what she wanted from this life. I couldn’t blame her, because she must have known the power she had over men and how to wield it for her own purposes. I didn’t know what could possibly convince her to leave everything she loved behind for a man who was not entirely playing with all of his marbles.
“I don’t know about you, Willa, but this girl is dangerous in more ways than one. She reminds me of a certain black widow I had the misfortune of sleeping with one time. She has the same one track mind and will do anything to keep living in this kind of lifestyle. She’s essentially a prisoner, but in her mind, she doesn’t believe it because she thinks she has him where she wants him. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I guess, we won’t know until we finally meet the man face to face,” Tristan said as he finished his drink and placed the empty cup back onto the glass coffee table in front of us.
I was taking my time, enjoying the play on my memories and the feeling of family I had lost somewhere. I had been known to run wild, streaking across the football field in high school, but that was rebelling against the man I called father. I had finally caught a glimpse of who I really was, and now everything was falling apart. I was dying, but I was not going to go easy into the good night. I was going to thrash and fight. I was even going to use my teeth if necessary to beat back the hands of death.
Chapter 10
I could feel this tension in the air, and I turned to Tristan to see he was thinking hard about something. I wanted to ask him further about it, but the door opened, and finally our benefactor was here to greet us. He stared at us and then sat down with not even a word.
He was dressed in an immaculate white suit with only the splash of color being his blood red tie of confidence and power personified. He knew his worth to the world, but his mind was not as sharp as he wanted it to be. He looked like he had aged years. I didn’t know him from Adam to say that. I felt like there was some unseen force in the room not accounted for. His hair was pure white, slicked back, and I could tell he had a bit of a tremor in his right hand he was trying to hide.
“I apologize for being late, but I had some business that couldn’t wait. I would think by now you would know the reason why I brought you here to my private oasis away from the prying eyes of others. This is a place that has been passed down from generation to generation. I have turned it into a fortress. I’m sorry to say you may feel like a prisoner, but in reality, you are my guest. I brought you here because I thought I could help, but only if you were to agree to some terms,” Spencer said as he sat down and pulled out a box from out of nowhere which looked like a humidor.
He pulled out a cigar, and it was one of those Cuban varieties Fidel Castro would have been proud to call his own. He might have been suffering from some kind of ailment, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the little things including a fine cigar and a bottle of aged sherry which once again came out of nowhere.
“I just want to go on the record to say I wouldn’t be here unless I had no other option. You already know I have been poisoned. Somebody has taken exception to something I have done or haven’t done. I haven’t yet determined what this is, but for the time being, my main concern is living. Tristan has told me this poison is quite active in my system. I’m taking an injection he has devised himself, but it only slows down the effects,” I said deciding I was going to be my own spokesperson.
“I have seen your test results, and they are quite something. I have Leslie working on it, but she has yet to find anything conclusive. I want to take something wrong and make it right. If you think I want this for nefarious purposes, then you needn’t worry. Everything I do nowadays is for the sanctity of human life. I have made it my life’s mission to give people a fighting chance against whatever might be causing them to face their own mortality. I know about the injection. I know about it because I stole a sample and have made it even better. It hasn’t been tested in human trials,” he said as he was puffing wild arcs of smoke into the air that evaporated with whatever air system he had to purify the whole area.
“I’m starting to understand your motivation for bringing us here, Spencer. I have to say if I am correct you really have no interest in letting us go. This whole thing was a ruse to get us here so you could have Willa underneath your thumb. The whole reason for you giving this invitation was to make sure we really didn’t have a leg to stand on,” Tristan said as he leaned forward and looked directly into Spencer’s eyes like he was trying to see something that wasn’t there.
“It’s a pity and shame you had to come to those conclusions so quickly. You would think I would know better than to show all of my cards. I thought I was quite secretive, but maybe I have lost a step as some have reported. I like to think I still know what I’m doing, but there are times in the middle of the night I wake up and have no idea where I am. I panic, but Leslie is there to show me I haven’t lost it completely. My mind might not be as sharp as it once was, but I can assure you I’m still in my right mind. You’re not wrong, and the invitation was to get you here to make sure you couldn’t leave without my permission. I sympathize with your need to help Willa, but you can only do so much. I was interested in this case particularly because the poison itself is somewhat close to the ailment which has shortened my life,” Spencer said as he tried to make it appear as a good thing we were not allowed to leave.
“I might not have much time left, but I do have a life I would like to get back to. If your intention is to use me as some sort of lab experiment, then you will be doing it with me fighting you every step of the way. Don’t you think it would be a better idea to work with me rather than against me like this? I could be a cooperative subject, but only if you showed me some respect. I doubt you wanted Tristan to join me, but you saw no way around this. You say what we have is similar. I don’t see it myself. There might be some similarities we suffer from, but Tristan has already informed me this poison was mutated and engineered to my DNA. It affects nobody else. I’m not a carrier, and I cannot spread it to others,” I said defiant about my cause and not at all happy Spencer had taken it upon himself to be my jailer.
“I was on my way straight to the top when I found out I had a rare degenerative disorder. I decided to rise up to the challenge and not allow my mortality to hold me down. I don’t have any interest in being a prisoner of my own body and mind. I have looked into the abyss, and I’ve survived listening to the voices in my head. They are my conscience, and they get louder every day. I do want you to work with
me, and maybe we can step back and look at this from a different angle. You want your life back. I can’t promise you miracles, but Leslie is at the top of her field. I’ve done my due diligence on Tristan, and I know all about his problems with his colleagues. I also know he has made breakthroughs where others feared to tread,” Spencer said as he continued to blow rings of smoke into the air. He looked at us with the questioning eyes that made me feel as if I was being grilled by a parent trying to find out what my intentions were towards their son.
“You must know that by hiding from the world you prevent yourself from seeing the beauty all around you. You might have only a short time to live, but don’t you think you should enjoy it for as long as possible. I’m sure in some regard you think Leslie is the answer to all of your problems. She is an amazing woman. She’s definitely younger than you. There has to be a small part of you that thinks of this as robbing the cradle. My god, you could be her father. I would like to see a little bit of remorse for what you are doing to her,” Tristan said not taking into consideration Leslie had come here on her own free will and was now using it to parlay into a career of great discoveries.
“Leslie is a woman of immense character, but I’m not foolish to think she’s in love with me. Do I use my influence and my money to get her to satisfy my every whim? The answer to that question is yes. Any man given the least bit of time to spend with a woman like Leslie would do everything to hold onto her. I like to think of myself as a teacher with the experience to show her things she has never imagined. Sex is supposed to be enjoyed, experimented with and turned into a smorgasbord of pleasure,” Spencer said as if he wasn’t ashamed of his actions and was only enjoying the fruits of his labor.
“I have already told Leslie I’m not here to judge your relationship with one another. My opinion doesn’t matter and what you do in the privacy of your own life is nobody’s business but your own. I would be remiss if I didn’t say you are doing the girl a disservice. She may not see it that way, but as men, we both know sex doesn’t necessarily have to go hand in hand in a business relationship. She relies on your money to make her life complete, but what she genuinely desires is a family life. There has to be a reason why she has put all of this aside to work with you. A man who only has his interest in how many times he can make her cum in one night,” Tristan said as he looked at Spencer and held his gaze like they were dueling to see who was going to come out on top.
“She is a young piece of ass, and I have to say I couldn’t have done better even if I tried. She not only is looking for a cure for me, but she has this flexibility that is almost like a gymnast. Every night is another position. I know she’s only having sex with me to placate me. I might be sick, but I’m not stupid. I take advantage of her, and I do play on my illness for her sympathy. There are times I have to remind her I’m the money man. I also have to play on her sympathies mentioning my disease, and I only have a short time to live to experience everything. I tell her how grateful I am she’s here to let me indulge, and she might feel sick about it, but she goes through with it nonetheless. I have done things in the last few months with her which had only been a fantasy for me,” Spencer said as he put out the ash that was threatening to fall on the Persian carpet and leave a profound burn mark.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about when it comes to Leslie. She’s not here because she wants to have sex with you, but I don’t think she’s at all unhappy about the way you can make her squeal like never before. It’s obvious she likes it as much as you like having her around. She might tell you differently, but the way her leg shakes after you are finished with her should be a sure sign of appreciation and satisfaction. I’m sure you have seen that for yourself and didn’t know what to make of it. I hope you don’t fool yourself into thinking you have her best interest at heart. She knows why you have brought her here as a two-fold reason to help you prolong your life and also share your bed. It’s a price she’s willing to pay because the sex in her eyes is more than she can get from those who claim they want her heart,” I said not really understanding why I was telling him any of this, but feeling compelled to do it anyway. I had found looking into her eyes she was an open book to anyone with enough sense to see it.
“Willa, I do hope you are right about your assumptions when it comes to her reasoning for being here. I may enjoy having her twisting in the sheets, but it is nice to know she is there because she wants to be. I convinced myself I was holding her back. I have been thinking about letting her go. She has become vital to me. I want nothing but her happiness, but I feel I would wither and die without her supplying me with her youthful enthusiasm. I’m hoping Tristan can work hand in hand and maybe they can feed on one another’s need to find the cure,” Spencer said as he got up and teetered a little bit as if he was trying to find his sea legs.
He didn’t say anything and walked from the room only to glance over his shoulder to see if we were following. I saw no reason not to, and we had come here for more than just a tour of the facilities. If we had to give into his demands for a chance at a long and fruitful life, then I wasn’t going to back away from the sparring match we had going.
“I don’t mean to gush, but this place really has the trappings of luxury in every room. I feel I might be underdressed. I would like to see the lab. I’m sure Tristan has the giddy anticipation of a small child waiting for his father to come home to tell him a bedside story. Your fascination with death is only rivaled by Tristan’s, but both of you have differing reasons for why you have dedicated your lives to research,” I said as I tried to make idle chitchat, but finding it impossible not to talk about the elephant in the room.
“I’m hoping I’m going to come to my senses and realize you are not the answer we are seeking. For the time being, I do think we need to explore this and work to find a common interest. I’m more than happy to work with Leslie in whatever capacity you require of me. I can see where your motivation is, Spencer and I would probably be the very same if I were in your shoes. I can see myself bargaining for life. I would fight against the natural order of things to prolong the little time I had left. Some might see you as being selfish and that you have lived a full and beautiful life. That your time is up and you need to step aside and let the world keep turning after you’re gone,” Tristan said as we went from room to room where there was no expense spared. This man knew exactly how to live.
He had professed Leslie was not in love with him, but I wasn’t sure if I could say the same thing for him. He had a deep affection for her, and it was evident from the words he spoke so eloquently. There was definitely an education underneath his belt, and it was never more apparent than when we stepped into an office with several degrees from various teaching institutions above reproach, including Harvard medical school.
“I have to say I’m very impressed with what you have accomplished in your life. I’m a little jealous, but I have learned to go my own way. I have my own business. It’s just starting to show some profit, and I’m stuck here, but for a good reason. I’m assuming after we find a cure or not you’re going to let us walk out of here on our own steam. I have no interest going anywhere at the moment. This place gives me the idea I haven’t lived a day in my life. Money may not bring happiness, but I’m not opposed to trying to find out if that statement is true or not,” I said as we came to where we were going to dwell in the manor owned by a man who really was more than he appeared to be.
“As you can tell, there are no bars on your window, and you have the ability to walk the 60 acres consisting this property. I only ask that you don’t go out after dark. There are wild animals, and I don’t think I have to go into any more detail than that. Suffice to say, it’s not safe. I’ll let you both freshen up, and dinner will be served in about 2 hours. I have neglected to show you the best part of the place, but I want to give the honor to Leslie. There’s very little I can do to make her stay here more comfortable. I find myself wondering out loud sometimes she might be better off without me
,” Spencer said as I went to the double doors of the balcony and flung them open with the flourish of a princess about to address her people.
“I want you to know Leslie does feel very strongly about you. She couldn’t say those kind things and be lying through her teeth. It’s surprising, you have all this money, and you don’t have the courage to tell her how you feel. You may show it every night, but girls like to hear those words from time to time to make them believe they are not wasting their time. Do yourself a favor and tell her, before it’s too late. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, but I think you’ll be surprised by her answer. It may even surprise her,” I said looking over the area, seeing it wouldn’t be long until the day had come to an end.
“I don’t think it’s fair to give this old man hope for love. I have been married three times and all because of superficial reasons. I do have a healthy sex drive, and I need somebody who is going to be able to match my stamina in the bedroom. I may have slowed down because of this illness, but I take a revitalizing shot of adrenaline with a combination of Viagra mixed into one. It might be dangerous for my heart, but I have seen some amazing benefits,” Spencer said as he walked out of the room leaving myself and Tristan alone.