The Bee Keeper

by Vincent, Tracy D

  Shit, I never got her name but the sex was phenomenal. We were drinking at the club when I asked if she wanted to fuck. We went back to her minivan, climbed in the third-row seat, and she rode me like a rodeo champion. Her breasts bounced as she did. She was so unbelievably tight around me. If I hadn’t seen the toys in the car seat in the second row, I would swear she was a virgin. Her riding me like a pro also helped to relieve me of that thought. She even edged me a few times before letting me cum. And when I did, it felt like it came from my toes.

  With that memory in mind, I pump into Maya faster and deeper, which is how she likes it. I hook her legs further up my torso, which tilts her so that I’m hitting her favorite spot. I capture her head in my hands, her breathing getting more and more ragged. I can feel my orgasm building as her walls clench tighter around me, letting me know it’s time. I lean forward and kiss her deeply, swallowing her gasps as her pussy grips my cock as I unload into her.

  As soon as I’m finished, I roll off her and lay back on the pillow. She gets up and walks to the bathroom that is adjacent to her bedroom. I sit up and pull off the condom as she closes the door and I’m left with my thoughts. I can hear the shower turn on. I know she’ll expect me to do the same. Then and only then will she cuddle. She says that the sweat is disgusting.

  The shower turns off and another thirty minutes pass before she opens the door and comes out. “It’s all yours.”

  I walk into the bathroom and I can smell her floral shower gel and lotion. I step into the shower and set the controls. She bought me her favorite scented soaps and shampoos from the same boutique that she buys hers. I can’t say that I’m overly impressed with the smell, and I’m definitely not impressed with the price tag. Only the best for Maya Hauer, however. For her, the best equates to a small fortune.

  I lather up and rinse off quickly. I step out and wrap the pre-warmed towel around my hips. I don’t have to wipe the condensation from the heated mirror. I look over my face and note that I don’t need to shave. I brush my teeth and put on a pair of boxers and lounge pants and make my way back to her bed.

  Maya is laying there in a silk negligee, looking through a fashion magazine. She doesn’t even bother to look up at me when I crawl into bed and pull her to me. She just puts her magazine down and settles against my chest.

  “How has your day been, sweetheart?” I ask her, knowing this is how we start almost all our conversations. I hate not being able to just speak freely with her. Her father isn’t this rigid, I can’t understand what made her this way.

  “It was okay except for the goon Daddy had following me all day. And when I was at the shop picking up the newest shoes that Michael D was putting out in his spring collection. Oh, did I tell you that he set those aside just for me? They won’t even be on the Paris runway until spring, and I’m getting them now. Anyway, as I was saying, I went to pay for the shoes, because hello…I have to buy them still. The fucking meathead came in and informed the shopkeeper that my father would handle the bill another day and to hold the shoes. UGH! I was so mad. Of course, I explained to Michael D’s assistant that my father was probably going to buy them as a gift, not realizing I was going to come in as soon as they were ready to pick them up.”

  “Why would security come in and do that? I thought your father had accountants to do things like that. Because doesn’t he have it set up for the accountant to call your cell if a purchase is over a certain dollar amount?”

  “Right! That’s what I thought. But when I came home and confronted Daddy about it, he told me that my spending was getting out of control and that though not one purchase added up to very much, the collective was beyond my spending allowance and he needed to put a stop to it somehow. So now I’m on a buying freeze for three days. Three days, Eddie! I wish there was some way I could go ahead and take over now. Why do I have to wait until he decides I’m ready? I’ve been ready. I already know all his accounts and business holdings. I already deal with most of the capos. What else is he waiting for?” She ends her tirade with a sigh.

  Maya never raises her voice. Everything is spoken in her sweet, angelic tone. But I know better. I can hear the undercurrent, and she’s seething.

  “What if I told you that there might be a way to do it that wouldn’t implicate you in the slightest?”

  “Do what, Edward?” She sits up and looks at me, her icy-blonde hair falling over her shoulders.

  “Place you as the head of this branch of the family. I think there is something we can set in motion that will cause some major issues with some of your father’s associates. These issues will look like they’re coming from him. It won’t be something that he can strong-arm himself out of.”

  “Go on.” She sits up, sitting crossed legged. I can tell though that her interest is piqued.

  “What if I were to tell you that we could convince the senator that your father is looking into selling his secrets? Do you realize the lengths he’d go to in order to keep them hidden?”

  “That’s a very dangerous game, Edward. This is not something we can just do. If it fails, it will be disastrous for everyone.”

  “I know, and trust me, I wouldn’t do any of this if I thought that we’d be implicated in any way. You should know that I only have your best interests at heart,” I say to her, sitting up myself. I am actually kind of excited by this.

  “Okay, so tell me of your plan. But you know, if I don’t like what I hear, I’m not doing it.”

  “Of course, Maya. I wouldn’t expect you to. And if you don’t want to do it, I won’t take part, and it can’t happen without us.”

  I begin telling her about the tentative plans that Geoff and I drew up. We’d need for her to gather the intel, because of her proximity and access. She would need someone who’s loyal to her and her alone. They will take the information to Geoffrey. He’ll have to go over it, of course, to make sure it’ll be enough to sway the senator and to be sure to corroborate the coming into the family.

  “We also have to add a clause in there that because of Geoffrey’s drive and ambition for drugs and prostitutes, that he’s decided that working for the family would be preferable to being in politics. This would be part of the plan. The briefcase will have to look like it’s intended for Geoffrey Jr. It would be ‘delivered’ to me by mistake and end up in the senator’s hands. Because of how bad things are between Junior and Senior, he would believe that his son would do this. But your father would be a different story. The senator would see it as a betrayal by your father to air his dirty laundry to Geoff. Worst case scenario is Geoff gets caught in the cross fire.”

  “Geoffrey’s too spoiled and self-centered to allow himself to get caught. He’d tattle on you so fast your head would spin.” Maya’s expression is the same as it was when I started, but I can see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Geoff wouldn’t turn on me. I have way too much dirt on him. I’d make sure the senator knew all of it, too. I wouldn’t put it past the old man to do away with his son permanently if he keeps pressing his luck.”

  I grab her hands. “This is our opportunity, Maya. We can accomplish so much more if we do this sooner rather than later. I know you’re strong enough and smart enough to run the family. Your father is so set in the old traditions. I think you could revitalize your organization.”

  “Of course I can. I just wish Daddy could see it like you do. Let me sleep on it, Eddie. You know I can’t make these decisions lightly. Now, you need to get home before it gets too late. You know Daddy would have your head if he caught you here.” She leans forward and pecks me on the lips.

  “I know, I know. No sex until the honeymoon. You’ve told me before that’s his rule for you.” I sigh and get up. I start changing my clothes so I can leave. Outwardly, I appear disappointed to have to go because it makes Maya feel like she’s addictive. Inwardly, I’m grinning like an idiot all because she called me Eddie.

  It’s as good as happening.

  A thunderous crack in my shin not only ri
ps me out of my memories, it also rips a scream from my throat. I scream so hard and long that I think I shred my vocal cords. Sobs wrack my body and I just want to curl into myself but I can’t. Now both of my legs from the knees down throb and feel swollen.

  “So, you’re telling me that you’re so charismatic that she fell for the whole thing within a thirty-minute conversation. You don’t believe it, Edward, and neither do I. A woman as cautious as Maya, would only need to sleep on it and wouldn’t need reassurances to make this sort of monumental decision?” He moves up the side of the bed and grips my thumb. I do my best to hold him off, my fingers pushing against him, and when he manages to pop it out of socket my nails dig into his hand out of reflex.

  “AAGGHHHHH!” The noises that come after sound foreign to my ears. They remind me of my seven-year-old self when I brought home a B on a spelling test. It wasn’t the only time my father beat me, just one of the worst. I have always been quick to learn my lessons and the lesson that day was severe and brutal. I ended up missing a week of school for it.

  I wish it were so easy now.

  The asshole waits until my crying calms down before leaning over my face. His face is expressionless, assessing every nuance. “Obviously, you were able to convince Maya that she needed to help. I’m going to hurry this along, we still have a lot to discuss and unfortunately time is coming to a speedy end.”

  These words, spoken in such a calm manner, accompanied by his business-as-usual expression and body language, scare me so much that I feel the warmth spread around my groin. Now, I also feel humiliation. Jack acts like I didn’t do anything. I don’t know if I should be relieved or even more frightened. How many fucking people does this man make piss themselves?

  “Edward, do you know much about Maya’s intel gathering?”

  “Not really, only that she did a lot and she had P.A. do a lot of legwork for her. Apparently, she didn’t need to go far to find someone in the family loyal to her.”

  “P.A.?”

  “Phillip Allen James. He’s Timo’s muscle. He started out on the streets. Hell, I don’t know if he even has a mother. He came into the family as a runner, then he moved up to Capo Regime. He’s shooting to be the number one right-hand man to Timo, but he’d have to take out Rodrigo for that.”

  “So, this P.A. guy did what exactly for Maya?”

  “All I know is that he did some of the legwork. I’m guessing that meant giving her information that he knew from some of his own meetings with the senator.” I say this knowing that more than half of those meetings were with me in the senator’s place. “Also, he delivered the briefcase full of the intel to Geoffrey like we’d planned. Then all that went to shit.”

  “Well, since we’re here. Tell me about the night it all went to shit.”

  I sit in this chair across from the senator and he’s ranting on about Dani. I told him a few times to stop his affair with her, that she was beginning to show signs of being clingy, but he doesn’t listen to me. I’m just the guy who sets everything up and watches everything. Now the bitch has gotten herself pregnant and claims it’s his.

  But does he handle his own shit?

  No.

  That’s for me to do because he knows I’ll make sure it’s done right. He doesn’t realize that I have kept all this evidence against him. I’m just biding my time, not willing to expose my own neck. Especially when there are dumbasses willing to expose theirs instead. It makes my job all the easier and I come out smelling like roses.

  He also doesn’t realize that if something happens to me, it gets sifted to the national media outlets. The ones neither he nor Timo Hauer nor the rest of the Scarelli family can control. Good fucking luck getting out of that one.

  “Ed, I need this taken care of so that it doesn’t come back to haunt me. It needs to be buried so deep that they couldn’t dig it up if they wanted to.” “They” was anyone and everyone.

  Geoffrey Wright, Sr. is one of the most paranoid men I’ve ever ran across. He is constantly thinking that someone is trying to take away his position. Which is true, but not to the degree he always assumed.

  “Yes, sir. I understand completely. It’ll be handled by morning.”

  “You’re an amazing employee, Edward. You and Geoff will make an amazing team once he becomes a senator.”

  Fucker. Everything I do for him, including taking care of his little pregnant whore, and all he can think of is that useless piece of shit son doing something he’s unfit to do. I really hate this man, and I only like his son a little more. At least Geoff doesn’t pretend to be someone that he isn’t. He’s a fuck-up and he recognizes that and he enjoys living the life of one.

  “Thank you, sir. I only hope he can see me as being as helpful as you have.”

  He simply hums, looking down at his computer. “Thank you, Edward. Can you shut the door behind you on your way out?”

  I stand and walk out of his office. I glance at my watch and realize I have to cancel my meeting with Regina. There is no way I can make it to her house, do what I set out to do, get back into the city, and take care of the Dani situation. I sigh. The senator is constantly fucking up my plans.

  I walk into my office, shut everything down, and head out. If I have to do this distasteful bit of business, then I’m taking the rest of the day off from work. Hopping into my car, I drive to my condo and on the way there, I call up Nancy. We’ve only been fucking each other a couple of months now. When I can’t get Regina and I don’t have the ability to score, she’s someone who’s been ready and willing. She lacks skill or talent, but she is definitely enthusiastic.

  We agree to meet up at her house in around an hour, after she gets off from work.

  I park in the parking garage and head up to my place. To kill time, I decide to fix myself something fast to eat. While I eat, I watch the video of Regina, Robert, Monty, and myself from a few months ago. None of them know that I filmed it, but fortunately everyone’s face is clearly visible and I was able to keep mine out of camera shot. Regina is an amazing piece of work. I also pull one up of the senator and a girl from a couple of years ago. I have already forgotten her name. The senator is doing lines of coke off her back. He doesn’t know that I’m in the room, he’s so messed up.

  After the senator left, I had my way with her and then she ended up in the Sanduski River. Only, none of that ever made it onto film.

  It’s a good thing I’m going to be seeing Nancy. I need to let off some steam.

  Halfway to her house my phone starts buzzing, so pushing the buttons on my steering wheel, Geoff’s panicked voice comes through. “Ed, Ed, Ed!!! Ed! P.A. came and then he decided to change shit and then I shot him. Shit’s gone crazy, Ed. I need you to meet me at the corner of BC Road and OH Road.”

  Fuck me. These Wright men love to fuck my life.

  “Hold on, Geoff. I’ll be there in around fifteen minutes.”

  I take the next road on the right to weave my way to BC Road and to fix Junior’s problem before heading to 182nd to fix Senior’s situation.

  I pull up behind Geoffrey’s new luxury sports car and find him pacing around with P.A.’s lump at his feet. “What the fuck have you done, Geoff?”

  “That FUCKER decided to change the deal! He wanted more money for himself. He wanted to be able to go where-the-fuck-ever he wanted to go, all expenses paid by ME, and he also wanted me to give him a new identity. That’s his fucking forte, not mine.” The whole time he’s saying this he’s kicking P.A. in various body parts.

  I took that moment to really look at P.A. His face isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but the back of his head is a different story. I take everything in. “You couldn’t have fucked this up more if you tried, Geoff.”

  “Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. You need to figure out what to do with the body.”

  “What the fuck, Geoffrey? Why would you assume I know shit about dead people?”

  “You’re dating Timo Hauer’s daughter, I figured you picked something up.”

&
nbsp; “It’s not a goddamned disease, shitface. The person who could answer this question has a hole in his fucking head thanks to you and your temper!” I know I’m losing my shit because my voice is getting louder and higher in pitch. Fuck me. How the fuck do we get out of this one? Timo isn’t going to let this go. THIS guy that Geoff just killed is…was…Timo’s capo. If we don’t do this shit right, Timo is going to have a hit on us. If the senator doesn’t have us killed first to prevent Timo from killing him.

  “I’m sorry, Geoff. I know, I’m just really freaked out right now. You keep your head, I can’t. But I’ve been doing some thinking. We need to remove his identifiable markers. That what they do in those shows, right?”

  “I’ll be back. I have to gather supplies for this shit. In the meantime, do something constructive, and for God’s sake keep away from the road.”

  I head to my car and drive to town. I stop at the sporting goods store to retrieve the tools necessary for deer processing. I figure if it will work on a deer, surely it will work on a person.

  A sharp searing pain interrupts my thoughts. This time it’s from my chest. The fucker just cracked my rib with his mallet. It’s so hard to catch my breath. He leans in and I can feel a sharp prick.

  “You’re lying. And if you’re wondering, I just collapsed your lung. Apparently, breaking your bones isn’t serious enough for you. So, where did you stop between leaving Junior and getting to the store? By my estimation, there are around forty-five minutes unaccounted for.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Fuck, it hurts to breathe. I can’t seem to get a full breath of air, and every breath I do take feels like I’m being stabbed with an ice pick.

  I watch in horror as the mallet swings down decisively on my kneecap. I feel it shatter under the blow and try my damnedest to recoil, to curl into myself. My knee is on fire. I glance down and I can see that the skin is torn away and that blood is dripping down to the bed. I can’t feel it, but it’s there. My knee is also almost three times the size it was before he broke it.