Anything But Mine

by Justice, Barbara

  “Don’t you dare call me a whore!”

  “Well, that’s exactly what you are, Collette. You’re being paid a lot of money to have sex with Drew,” Vince said, causing Collette to recoil, as if she had been slapped. He continued in a menacing tone, pointing a finger at her, before turning to walk in the direction of the ballroom, “Don’t you dare threaten me again, or you will regret it.”

  This is a big fucking problem, Vince thought, his heart racing as he made his way back towards the ballroom. I’ve got to get Collette under control, before she ruins everything. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone, and typed out a text message to Frank Webb, his investigator in San Francisco. As he sent the text, he thought, that should do it.

  Returning to the table, Vince made small talk with Drew about the baseball season, and the prospects of his Yankees and Drew’s San Francisco Giants. While they were chatting, Collette returned to the table, and Vince asked Drew if he could have a dance with her. “You had a chance to spin Jennifer around the dance floor earlier, so let me take a turn with Collette now,” he said, as he grabbed Collette by the arm and pulled her away from Drew.

  Vince clamped his hand tightly around Collette’s waist as he began to lead her around the dance floor. Speaking into her ear, he said, “I was very disturbed by your attempt to blackmail me before.”

  Collette’s body stiffened, and she tried to escape Vince’s hold on her, but he was too strong. “It wasn’t blackmail,” she replied.

  “It most certainly was blackmail,” Vince growled back at her through his clenched teeth. “Now, you listen to me, and listen to me good,” he said. “I know your mother is sick, and that she has had trouble paying her rent,” Vince said.

  Collette’s jaw hung open, and she was barely able to breathe. “How do you know that?” she asked.

  “If you think I hired you without first looking into your background, you are more stupid than I thought you were,” Vince hissed. “As we speak, your mother is being served with an eviction notice. Now, I can prevent your mother from getting thrown out of her home and into the street with no place to live, but only if you cooperate with me.”

  “I still don’t understand. How do you know she is being evicted?”

  “Because I just ordered her eviction. I own the building she lives in,” Vince said, in a menacing tone. “I’m her landlord.”

  All color drained from Collette’s face, and her body began to shake, “No, Vince, no…please don’t hurt my mother.”

  “Then be a good girl,” he said, tightening his grip around her waist. “All you have to do is cooperate with me and keep our secret, and your mother can stay in her home. But if you don’t play by my rules, your mother is out on the street.”

  “You’d do that to a sick woman?”

  “I wouldn’t be doing it, Collette. You’d be doing it. You’d be the one putting your mother out on the street and making her homeless. It’s your choice: keep our secret, or cause your mother to be evicted. It’s up to you.”

  “But…but, Vince,” Collette’s voice trailed off.

  Before she could finish her thought, Vince interrupted her. “And don’t think I’m above including your mug shots and rap sheet detailing your prostitution convictions along with the eviction notice, Collette.”

  “Don’t. Please, Vince, don’t do that,” Collette begged. “It would kill my mother if she knew how I really earned a living. Please…I promise that I’ll keep the secret and never say a word to anyone, Vince. I promise.”

  Vince looked at Collette and saw the fear in the eyes. “Good. Now, let’s talk some business. I have a proposal for you.”

  “What kind of a proposal?”

  “Well, I’ve been doing some thinking. You’re my employee, and I’ve decided to treat you like anyone else who works for me, and create an incentive-based bonus system for you.”

  Intrigued, Collette asked, “What kind of an incentive, and what kind of a bonus, are we talking about?”

  “You continue to get paid your salary of $10,000 a month as long as you keep Drew away from Jennifer and maintain our secret,” Vince replied. “However, if you manage to get Drew to move in with you, you will earn a $50,000 bonus. And when Jennifer marries me, I will pay you a $100,000 bonus following our wedding. Deal?”

  “But you two have only been together a couple of months,” Collette countered. “It could be years before you get married.”

  “Trust me, Collette, it won’t be that long. I intend to make Jennifer my wife before the end of the year.” As the song came to an end, Vince once again asked, “So, do we have a deal?”

  “Yes,” Collette agreed with a sigh. “We have a deal.”

  Later that evening, when they arrived home, Vince poured a measure of cognac for himself, and some hazelnut liqueur for Jennifer. As they sat down together in the library, Vince asked, “Did you have a good time tonight?”

  “Yes, I did. I’m so happy for Catherine and Luke, and it was fun seeing friends.”

  Vince took a sip of his drink, and placed it on a nearby table. He patted his thighs, signaling for Jen to swing her feet up onto his lap. He removed her shoes, and began massaging her feet and toes. “I don’t know how you wear those heels all day.”

  “Occupational hazard of being a woman,” she replied.

  They relaxed quietly together for a few minutes, before Vince casually observed, “You seemed to enjoy catching up with Drew.”

  Jen flinched slightly when Vince mentioned Drew’s name. “Yes, it was nice seeing him.”

  “He and his girlfriend seem to make a happy couple.”

  Jen nodded her head, but chose not to reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to banish any thoughts of Drew and Collette as Vince continued rubbing her feet. “Ooohh, that feels good,” she said, as she tipped her head back against the sofa cushions and took another sip of her drink. “Truthfully, Vince, I can’t think of anyone other than you, especially when you’re massaging my feet.”

  “That’s my girl,” Vince whispered as he lifted one of Jen’s feet and leaned in to kiss it. He let his mouth wander up her foot, and began nibbling on her ankle while massaging her calf, causing her to purr with delight. “You’ve had a long day,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  In the weeks following Catherine and Luke’s wedding, Jen began to feel increasingly more restless and claustrophobic in the Fifth Avenue apartment. All my friends have nice, normal lives. None of them are captives, locked up in an ivory tower, she thought late one afternoon while staring out the living room window at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All I want is my freedom, to have my life back to the way it was before I was attacked.

  As she let her mind wander, Jen was startled when Vince slipped his arms around her waist.

  “A penny for your thoughts?”

  “Why don’t we go into the library, so we can talk,” Jen said, looking over her shoulder and nodding her head towards the dining room, where Mary was putting the crystal and china away after the previous night’s dinner party that she and Vince had thrown for some of his most important business associates.

  “Okay,” Vince said, puzzled, as he followed Jen into the library and closed the door. After sitting down, he asked, “What’s on your mind?”

  Jen took a deep breath, and summoned up her courage before speaking. “I can’t begin to thank you for everything you’ve done for me over these last couple of months, Vince. You’ve been incredibly generous.”

  Vince felt his heart pound in his chest and his mouth go dry. “What are you trying to say, Jennifer?” Don’t you dare break up with me, he thought, as he reached for his handkerchief to blot the beads of sweat that had begun to form on his brow. Women don’t break up with me, I break up with them. You can’t leave me. You can never leave me.

  “Umm…it’s just that, well, I wa
s thinking that maybe it’s time for me to move back home to Brooklyn,” she said, nervously. “I don’t think the police are ever going to catch the guy who broke in to my apartment, and I don’t want to overstay my welcome here.”

  “Jennifer,” Vince said, sternly, “you would be taking a huge risk if you moved back to Brooklyn now. You have to be patient, and let the police try to find your stalker.”

  “How do you know he’s a stalker? It’s not like he’s tried to attack me or contact me again,” Jen said. “If he really was a stalker, and not just a random burglar, wouldn’t he have tried to come after me again? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Goddamn it, she’s right. What a big fucking mistake I’ve made. The “stalker” should have been contacting her all along. Trying to hide the panic he felt, Vince countered, “But what if he is a stalker, Jennifer? What if he is watching you every time you go out, but hasn’t tried to abduct you or harm you because you have Pablo and your bodyguards?”

  “Well, yes, I guess that’s true,” she conceded. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “And you know that your co-op board will never go along with my having a bodyguard stand outside your apartment 24 hours a day.”

  “I know, but I just need some time alone. I feel so claustrophobic, like I’m in a fishbowl, being watched all the time,” Jen said, relieved that she was finally able to admit her true feelings to Vince.

  “I love you, Jennifer, and just want to protect you. I never intended to make you feel uncomfortable or claustrophobic,” Vince said, while desperately trying to search for a solution that would keep her under his roof. “Would it help if you went out to Southampton first thing tomorrow morning, and had the day to yourself? I’ll meet up with you out there later on,” he said.

  “Umm…okay,” Jen said, smiling for the first time all day. “It’s supposed to be warm tomorrow, and I had the pool company open the pool earlier this week. Maybe I’ll feel better if I get some sun and have the day to myself out there.”

  “That’s my girl,” Vince said, taking her into his arms. How am I going to convince her to stay? I’ve got to figure this out, before she leaves me, he thought. “I have to make a call before we head out to dinner. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  Vince strode into his office, closing the door behind him before sitting down at his desk and picking up the phone. “Brad,” he said, as his investigator answered the phone. “I have an important job for you.”

  Just what the doctor ordered, Jen thought the following afternoon as she turned her face towards the sun, smiling as she soaked up the warm rays before slathering sunscreen all over her bikini-clad body. I’m so glad I opened the pool early. She lay back on one of the double width lounge chairs next to the pool, slipped a pair of mirrored Ray-Bans over her eyes, and exhaled as she felt the tension seep out of her body.

  Jen was absentmindedly paging through the latest issue of a gossip magazine when a photo of her and Vince on the red carpet at the recent Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala caught her eye. The caption read, “Dressed in an ivory and gold flowing gown by Grant Glasso, model Jennifer LaBella looked like positively goddess-like. Can she be the trophy wife that bachelor billionaire businessman Vince Moscolo has been looking for?”

  “Unreal,” she said aloud, even though there was no one to hear her. “We’ve only been together for a few months. What makes them think we’re ready for marriage?” After staring at the photo for another moment, she placed the magazine to the side and untied the straps of her bikini top. I’m so glad I opted for privacy and living in the woods, she thought as she massaged sunscreen onto her bare breasts. I wouldn’t be able to sunbathe topless if I’d purchased a house in one of those awful Jim Flanagan developments. Those houses are one on top of the other. My only neighbors here are the deer, she thought, as she heard sounds of rustling and a twig snapping. Craning her neck, Jen looked towards the woods, but didn’t see any deer. They must be too far back in the woods for me to see them, she thought.

  Turning over onto her stomach, Jen caught another glimpse of the photo of her and Vince on the red carpet in the magazine. She closed her eyes, remembering the catty remark Vince’s former girlfriend, Daphne Warfield had made to her that night in the ladies room. “Don’t get too comfortable in that big apartment,” Daphne had said. “He’s never had a relationship last longer than six months, other than with me. I’m surprised he’s kept you around this long. You’re clearly not his type,” Daphne continued, walking away before Jennifer could respond.

  More rustling from the woods caused Jen’s head to snap up and stare in the direction of the deer trail. I wonder what’s back there, she thought, as she scanned the wooded area behind her back yard. Her heart began to race, realizing, no one would hear me if I screamed.

  She picked up her phone, and debated whether to call Vince. If I tell him I’m scared, then I’ll never hear the end of it, and he’ll never let me be alone again, she thought. No, I can’t admit that to him. I’ll just tell him I’m thinking of him and miss him, she said to herself as she dialed Vince’s cell phone.

  “I hope you’re having an enjoyable day alone,” Vince said, after answering on the first ring.

  “It’s great,” Jen said, as she nervously stared into the woods, listening for any further noises. “But I have to admit that I miss you, and wish you were here.”

  “I miss you too, my love. I’m actually on my way now,” Vince replied. “I should be there in about an hour, give or take.”

  “You’re driving?”

  “Yes. I’m bringing the Lamborghini out, and thought I’d leave it at your house for the summer, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sure,” Jen said. “Be careful driving, Vince.”

  “I’m always careful, my love. See you in a little bit.”

  Jen placed the phone down on the table next to the lounge chair. She listened carefully, but didn’t hear any further noises from the woods. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. It was probably just the deer, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep in the warm sunshine.

  The sound of the Lamborghini’s V12 engine roaring up the driveway woke Jen from her nap. As she stood up, Vince rounded the corner of her house, entered the back yard and jogged towards her. “Come here, my love,” he said, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you,” he said, just before placing his lips onto hers, kissing her deeply.

  “I’ve missed you too,” Jen said, breathless, as Vince’s hands roamed her body. “It was good to have some time to myself, but it also made me realize how much I love having you around.”

  “So, absence does make the heart grow fonder?”

  “Yes, it does,” she said, as she led him to the double-width lounge chair. They sat down next to each other, cuddling and kissing. “I made a 7:30 dinner reservation,” Jen said. “Hope that’s okay with you.”

  “Mmm…you know I love taking you out and showing you off,” Vince said. “But I love being alone with you more. We’ve either been out or had people in for dinner every night this week. Can we stay in tonight instead?”

  “Umm, sure,” Jen replied. “But I’ll have to run to the market, because we don’t have anything in for dinner. I’d better shower and get dressed.”

  “I don’t want you to go anywhere,” Vince said, holding her tightly. “You don’t have to cook. How about some take out? I’ll call The Clam Man, and order two steamed lobsters and some sides. We can eat right here by the pool, and then maybe take an after-dinner swim. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds perfect! I’ll call and cancel the reservation,” Jen said.

  Vince pulled the Lamborghini into the parking lot at The Clam Man, and a moment later Brad Wesley slid into the passenger seat.

  “Here’s everything,” Brad said, handing Vince a large manila envelope.

  Vince carefully opene
d the envelope, while asking, “You printed all the photos? And you gave me the SD card, too?”

  “It’s all there, boss,” Brad replied. “Anything else?”

  “No, that’s it. Have a good weekend,” Vince said, as he flipped through the photos.

  Once Brad exited his car, Vince removed another manila envelope from under his seat. He extracted some printed pages and another photo from his personal collection and arranged them in the correct order, along with some of the photos that Brad had shot earlier in the day. This had better work, he thought, as he stapled the pages together. You can’t leave me Jennifer. I won’t let you leave me.

  After their poolside dinner, Vince said, “I have a little surprise for you. I picked up some dessert when I was in the village.”

  “Ooh, did you get some chocolate chip cookies from Tate’s?”

  Chuckling, Vince nodded his head and replied, “Of course! I know what my girl likes. Let’s have dessert inside, though. It’s getting a little chilly out here.”