Gino whirled around to see Betty, his secretary of fifteen years who even though could be overbearing at times had never once caused him a moment’s embarrassment, standing in the doorway topless with her bra in one hand and blouse in the other. She appeared dazed and disoriented. Her face, neck and pendulous breasts glistened with sweat. She looked around the room as if she were seeing it for the first time.
The Osakis stepped back and furiously whispered to each other in their native language. Gino was so stunned he couldn’t move for a minute.
Betty dropped her bra and held up her blouse to her face as she intently studied the pattern and texture. She lost consciousness of everything but the blouse. She no longer noticed those in the room looking at her in astounded silence nor did she notice that her bladder released urine that traveled down her legs and formed a puddle on the carpet at her feet.
Gino finally moved and took off his suit jacket. He went over to Betty to cover her nakedness. As soon as Betty saw Gino come towards her, she dropped the blouse and attacked him with her fingernails, scratching his face.
“Get away from me! I’ll kill you! Don’t touch me!”
Gino got behind her and tried to hold her arms down but with almost superhuman strength she freed herself from his grasp, turned around pushed him so hard he was sent tumbling from the office to the hallway.
Desiree dashed to the phone and called down to the front desk.
“This is Gino Valente’s office. You’ve got to send security up here immediately!”
Betty walked over towards Desiree who dropped the phone and ran to huddle in the opposite corner where Olivia and Valerie were. Gino got up and made another attempt to subdue Betty. They wrestled with each other for a few moments before Betty broke away yet again and ran out of the room.
A minute later two security officers were at the doorway.
“Mr. Valente, we were told you have a situation up here,” said one of the officers.
“One of my employees,” he panted, out of breath from the tussle with Betty. “I saw her run down towards the conference room. She’s out of control–crazed. I’ve never seen her like this. I think you should call emergency and get medics over here.”
The two security officers went to the conference room. One called for medical backup on his radio. Everyone in the office was so overcome with curiosity they followed behind. All made sure to sidestep the wet spot of urine in the carpet.
Betty was found sitting cross-legged on the conference table, calmly eating by hand the salad meant for the clients’ lunch. The security officers approached her with great trepidation on either side of her. To the officer on the left of her, she held out a piece of lettuce in silent offering. The officer slowly removed the lettuce from her hand and placed it on the table. Betty was no longer aggressive and let them lead her off the table and handcuff her.
While everyone was engrossed in the scene with Betty, Olivia slipped away and back to the office. She went to Betty’s desk and emptied the small remainder of her coffee into a nearby potted plant. She opened Betty’s desk drawer and placed the contents of her pocket into Betty’s purse.
Chapter 26
The whole building was abuzz with the antics of Betty St. James that fateful day. Talk was so rampant a memo was sent out warning that gossip about the incident would no longer be tolerated. Of course that only stopped the chatter out in the open. Secretly, it was still the main topic of conversation for weeks over lunches and after work cocktails. The story, as most stories are, was blown out of proportion with more salacious, almost comical details added. Instead of Betty taking off her bra and blouse, scratching Gino Valente, urinating on herself and sitting on the conference table eating salad it became she was completely naked, tried to hump Mr. Valente, and defecated in a salad bowl.
When she was taken to the hospital, doctors surmised she showed all the classic symptoms of someone under influence of a hallucinogenic drug. Betty was never known to imbibe in anything but the occasional glass of champagne so this was surprising. The coup de grace to Betty’s reputation was when a small amount of cocaine and some uppers were found in her purse, hinting to a very well hidden drug problem. When the effects of the drug wore off, the police confronted Betty about the drugs. She emphatically denied knowing anything about it and swore she had no idea how they got in her purse. She was promptly placed under arrest and charged with possession.
With the bad publicity that resulted after the story made the local papers and losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential revenue when the Osakis walked, Gino had no choice but to let Betty go. It was doubtful she would even have the courage to face her co-workers again anyway. But since she was such a loyal employee who’d been with him for years, he supplied her with a generous severance package and had one of his attorneys assigned to her case and paid her legal expenses.
Olivia couldn’t have been more pleased with the way things turned out. She was a little worried that she might not get the desired effects from spiking Betty’s coffee. She didn’t tell JoJo’s friend Bobby who supplied the drugs what her intentions were. But she did ask him about the possible effects; if it could make a person act crazy. Thinking that’s what she was looking for and not wanting to lose her business, he told of course it would. However, when she asked JoJo the same question later he said it depended on the person and the effects varied. Some people just appeared to be mildly intoxicated. That was definitely not the effect she was looking for in Betty or else planting the drugs on her would be a waste of time. Fortunately, things worked out even better than she planned. Desiree took over Betty’s position as lead secretary. As Olivia hoped, she was offered a full-time position and began working many late nights with Gino when Desiree had to leave.
Gino grew more and more enamored with Olivia. To him she was a sweet, virtuous and hardworking young woman who was robbed not only of her parents but her innocence. He didn’t know how she could survive losing both her parents at such a young age. He was thirty when his parents perished ten years before and he still felt the devastating effects from losing them. Even though he and Anton were better business partners than brothers, he could at least somewhat lean on him and other family members for emotional support during that time. This girl had no one but the monster who ended up raping her. Every time he thought of what happened to her he became irate. Something in him called out to protect and shield her from any further danger or heartache. She and her baby needed someone to look after them. What was burning in him to do made no sense but it was there nonetheless.
One night they were working late and having dinner that was delivered.
“Olivia, I want to ask you a question and I need you to answer it honestly.”
Olivia instantly felt on guard and wondered if he found out something about her or the incident with Betty.
“Sure, what is it?”
“Am I working you too hard?”
Olivia almost audibly sighed with relief.
“No, of course not. Why would you ask that, Mr. Valente?”
“Wait a minute. I thought we agreed that when we’re alone you can call me Gino.”
“I forget sometimes–Gino,” she said with a smile.
“I know we’ve been pulling a lot of late-nighters. I don’t want to put you or your baby through any stress.”
“Not at all. And that’s the truth. I look forward to working late because otherwise I’d just go back to an empty apartment.”
“I hate to hear that. Don’t you have any friends to hang out with? You seem pretty close to Desiree and Valerie.”
“I am, here at work anyway. But they both have husbands and kids to go home to and they don’t have time to really hang out. I don’t know anyone else. Now that I’m starting to show I’m scared of trying to make new friends.”
“Why is that?”
“I know we’re about to move into the eighties but I don’t like having a child out of wedlock and I think people will look down on me. This isn’t the way it was su
pposed to be.” She bit her lip and made a tear fall. “It’s not the way I was raised.”
“Olivia, you were taken advantage of in the worst way. You can’t help that you ended up pregnant.” He reached across the desk and took her hand in his.
“I can’t wait for the holidays to be over with. I can make it through most of the year pretty okay–except for on their birthdays. But Christmas and New Year’s is going to be unbearable without my folks.”
“I have a suggestion. Would you like to spend the holidays with me? I have a place up in South Lake Tahoe that I like to go to during the holidays. I can’t stand the thought of you being alone during this time of year.”
Olivia put her other hand on top of his.
“You have no idea how much that means to me. I don’t know what to say.”
“I want you to know that you can trust me. I know you had a terrible situation with your father’s friend but I promise you’ll be safe with me.”
Another tear rolled down Olivia’s face. Yet to her surprise it was real. She was genuinely touched by Gino’s gesture.
“I’d love to spend the holidays with you.”
“Good. I’ll call ahead have one of the spare bedrooms ready for you. I know I can’t make up for your parents not being here, but I’m going to do my best to make sure you have an enjoyable time.”
Chapter 27
Gino and Olivia left for their destination on the company plane. Olivia didn’t expect her first plane ride to be so scary. She held Gino’s hand for most of the quick trip. She tried to look out of the windows but was nauseated at the sight of the clouds. All she could think of was the many miles that separated the plane from the ground.
When they finally arrived at Gino’s place she was even more flabbergasted. She’d never seen anything so breath-taking. The home was on the lakefront and was tremendous in size. They got out of the car and the driver began taking their bags inside. She slipped her arm through Gino’s as they walked into the home.
“This is–I can’t even describe it.”
“Thanks. I built this a few years ago.”
They entered the home and Olivia was even more awed. There was a big fireplace in the living room, the interior was a mixture of stone and wood and a high ceiling with a view to the second floor. The home she grew up in could fit into the living room alone. An older woman with bleached hair walked into the living where they were standing.
“Mr. Valente,” she greeted. “So nice to see you.”
Gino and the woman exchanged a quick but warm embrace.
“Same here. I’m glad to see you’re up and about so soon after your accident.”
“I’ve had worse tumbles on those slopes. Although now I have to be extra careful because the bones don’t want to set back into place like they used to.”
“Oh, Mrs. Winters, this is Olivia Machado. She’s going to be my guest for the holidays.”
Mrs. Winters extended her hand to Olivia.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hello.”
“I hope you both are hungry because I went a little crazy on some new recipes.”
Gino let out a laugh. “So we’re guinea pigs are we?”
“Has my experimenting ever gone awry? That last pheasant dish notwithstanding.”
“I was about to remind you of that. Do you mind showing Olivia to the guest bedroom?”
“No, not at all. Follow me, please.”
Gino touched Olivia’s elbow. “I have to make a few phone calls. I’ll meet you in the dining room in about half an hour.”
“All right. That will give me time to freshen up.”
Mrs. Winters led Olivia up the stairs to her room. The room was substantial with a view of the lake and mountains. There were glass sliding doors that led to a small balcony just outside her room. Against one of the walls was a king-sized bed with the covers already turned down for her. She could see a connecting bathroom to her left.
“I hope everything is to your liking.”
For Olivia, it was the most absurd question in the world.
“Yes, it’s perfect. Just perfect.”
She took off her coat and went to the closet to hang it up.
“Oh no, Ma’am. Let me get that for you.”
Mrs. Winters took her coat from her and hung it up. When she turned back around from the closet she spied the now visible bump protruding from Olivia’s belly. Mrs. Winters was already curious as to the nature of the relationship of Mr. Valente and the young woman. Now even more questions arose.
“Once you’ve freshened up just take the stairs opposite the ones we came up and turn left. You’ll see the dining room there.”
“Thank you.”
Mrs. Winters gave her a nod and left the room, closing the door behind her. Olivia went to the doors leading to the balcony, slid them open and stepped outside. She folded her arms against the cool, brisk air. She surveyed the splendid scenery and was suddenly overcome with emotion. She became afraid she would wake up in her old bed back in Fresno and find this was just a dream. She reached out and grabbed the ice-coated banister with both hands. After a few moments she removed her hands and looked at her damp and pale palms and was satisfied everything was real.
At dinner, Olivia was a knot of nerves. She was trying her best not to look so much like the fish out of water that she was. All the glasses and silverware confused her. The casual dinners with Gino at the office and the ones with Pilar left her ill-prepared. She could barely concentrate on her dinner because she was watching Gino for guidance on what utensils to use. She was also used to all the food being brought to the table at once. It was an adjustment getting used to the different courses Mrs. Winters brought out. She was thankful artichokes weren’t part of the menu. She remembered seeing a character on television who was as completely befuddled by the vegetable. Still, she was confident she would have it all down pat after another dinner or two.
After dinner, Gino and Olivia retired to the living room. Opera music was playing on the stereo system and it was driving Olivia nuts. She was all for broadening her cultural horizons but she simply did not like the music. She would’ve much preferred hearing Meatloaf or Jefferson Starship.
“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?”
“I’m just fine,” she said with a smile. “You and your staff have been treating me like a queen.”
“Good! You deserve to be treated as such. Do you like this?” He nodded toward the stereo.
“Yes, it’s fine.”
He grinned. “What would you like to hear?”
“No, really this is fine.”
“It’s all right if you don’t like opera. I listen to it from time to time because it reminds me of my mother and father.”
“I don’t want anything reminding me of my parents, “ she said before catching herself. “I-I mean is I don’t want anything more reminding me of them at this time of the year.”
“I see. Opera was the music of choice for my folks. When my father retired, he and my mother moved to Georgia. I mostly saw them during the Christmas holidays and it’s all the music I heard. I guess this is my connection with them at holiday time.” He paused for a moment before looking back at her. “You know what kind of music I like?”
“What kind?”
“Promise you won’t laugh?”
“Sure.”
“Although I prefer Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald and rock music such as the Rolling Stones, I like disco music too.”
Olivia looked away as she suppressed a grin. Finally, she couldn’t contain the giggles that came spilling out of her mouth. Gino joined her in laughing.
“I’m sorry, really I am. I just can’t imagine you liking Donna Summer.”
“Oh yeah, I like Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor…I know it’s funny that an old guy like me listens to that but I do.” He got up and walked over to the stereo. He took the opera album off and put another one on the record player. Soon the Bee Gees filled the room with the song Too M
uch Heaven. He walked and stood in front of Olivia and held out his hand.
“May I have this dance?”
As soon as she took his hand and they began dancing, she had flashes back to the last person she danced with and the incident that followed. Without being consciously aware of it, she drew closer to him, seeking comfort in his arms.
“A business associate paid for these guys to play at a private function. They were even better live. I’m going to keep an eye out for their next concert so I can take you—that is if you like their music.”
“Mm-hmm. I do.”
A minute later Mrs. Winters interrupted their dance.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Valente.”
Gino looked over his shoulder, an arm still wrapped around Olivia.
“Your brother is on the phone. He said it was important.”
Gino inhaled deeply and looked upward. “Thank you. I’ll pick up the line.”
When Mrs. Winters left the room Gino turned back to Olivia. He put both hands on her shoulders.
“I’ll make sure to keep it brief, all right?”
Olivia nodded and offered a smile. As he gazed into her eyes he resisted the urge to kiss her lips and instead gave a peck on her forehead before leaving to take the call.
Olivia thought back to when she first saw the picture of him and his brother and how she wasn’t impressed by the looks of either of them. Gino wasn’t her type at all. Ideally her husband would look like either singer Rex Smith or her heartthrob Leif. Gino was a little more than twice her age, balding, with a completely ordinary face. But there were qualities about him that gradually made him appealing. He worked out every morning and as a result his body was quite toned. His voice was very sexy. It had deep timbre with a hint of huskiness. But what was most attractive was his money. That was the aphrodisiac that stirred her feelings for him. She and her baby were about to be set without a single financial worry. She could feel it. It was time to take things up another level.
A few minutes later, Gino reentered the room and took a seat next to her. This time he sat even closer to her.
Blinding Mirror Page 9