by Nella Tyler
He scowled. "What gives you the idea-"
"You know, Luke, I might just be your maid, but I'm not stupid. I grew up around money. I grew up around the stock market, investors, and, of course, my dad." I clamped my mouth shut and turned to leave the room. I had said too much already.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I spun and turned toward him, throwing caution to the wind. I was pissed. "It means that more often than not, many of the people I've grown up with, including my dad, have skirted the law when it comes to their activities. Now, I'm not saying that my dad has ever done anything illegal, but I would hate to see you get involved in something like that because you didn't know the ropes-"
"Like what?" he said, his own voice strained.
My response blurted out of me, uncensored. "Like insider trading!"
He stood, open mouthed and speechless. "What makes you think-"
"It happens, Luke, more often than you might think. I'm just worried about you. You’re so new to all this, and someone might lead you astray-"
"Why are you so concerned about how I handle my money?"
I could tell that he was growing angry. Well, I was, too. He kept answering my questions with his own, trying to put me on the defensive. I wasn't going to have any of it. I wrapped my fingers around the knob and turned it, glancing over my shoulder as I did so. "You're the one that wanted a relationship, right?"
"You don't?" he asked, flinging his arms out to the side.
"Yes, Luke, I do," I said, although I spoke angrily. "But a relationship demands honesty, and I get the feeling that you're not being honest with me. About anything!"
"Why, because I don't want to discuss my finances with you?"
I stared at him moment and then shook my head. I had badly mishandled this. For now, I supposed I would have to keep my knowledge to myself. However, that knowledge disturbed me greatly. I didn't want to date a criminal. I didn't want to be involved with someone who thought no more of the law than that. Yes, a lot of wealthy individuals knew how to skirt the law, the regulations, and the rules, but that still didn't make it right.
"I’m going home, Luke," I said.
"Molly, let's talk about this," he said, taking a step toward the door.
I held my hand up. "No, Luke, I'm going home." My thoughts raced and then I commented, "Have you noticed that we have great sex together, but the minute the conversation turns to something personal, we end up arguing or disagreeing about something?"
He stared at me and offered a self-conscious laugh.
"Isn't that what relationships are all about?" he replied.
"Not the kind of relationship I want," I said. "I don't want to fight with you, Luke. I want to trust you. I want to believe in you. But that's kind of hard to do when anytime I get even a little bit personal, you deflect. You want your privacy? Well you better decide what you want more because this emotional turmoil is driving me crazy."
With that, I left the room and slammed the door behind me. Of all the gall! Yes, I had been the one that snooped on his phone, and I was the one that had information that he didn't know I had. At the same time, it disturbed me greatly that he wasn't willing to open up to me and tell me the truth. If Luke was involved in insider trading, he had to put a stop to it. I wasn't going to put the emotional effort into developing a relationship with anybody who had a good chance of ending up in jail. It was as plain and simple as that.
Chapter 2
To my surprise, I had only gotten halfway down the stairs when I heard the door to the bedroom open behind me. I didn't look around, didn't want to see the look on his face. At this moment, I didn't care whether he was angry with me or not. I had to stand my ground. Besides, what he had said to me was nothing short of insulting! My concern should end at my paycheck? What the hell kind of thing was that to say to somebody?
I don't care if I was his girlfriend, his wife, or just his maid. He had no right to speak to me like that. Even more so, I didn't want to work for someone who was willingly and without any apparent concern engaged in illegal activities. He could deny until he was black and blue, but I wasn't stupid.
"Molly! Stop!"
"I have nothing more to say to you," I said, making my way down the stairs. This was humiliating. Was the chef here? Had he heard us arguing? I quickly made my way to the kitchen, relieved to find that he had not yet arrived. Thank God for small favors. This was the second time I had gotten so upset with Luke that I didn't want anything to do with him. What kind of a relationship was this? Hot, cold, rinse, and repeat. I didn't need this rollercoaster ride.
"Molly, listen to me!"
I was surprised when Luke grabbed my upper arm and spun me around. He didn't do so in a violent manner, but at the same time, he had no right. I glared up at him. "Don't you dare, Luke," I warned.
He removed his hand from her arm and then held up both as if in surrender. "Okay, Molly, I'm sorry. It's just that we need to talk!"
"As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing much to talk about," I said, reaching for the cupboard that held my purse. "After all, it's none of my business, right? I just need to collect my paycheck and keep my mouth shut, right? Is that really the kind of relationship you want with me? Because I can tell you, if it is, then you can just forget it!"
Luke stood frozen, and then closed his eyes, leaned his head back, and took a deep breath. "I keep putting my foot in my mouth, Molly. I always end up saying the wrong things."
"No excuses," I said sharply. I was getting tired of this.
"I've got some questions."
"Tough luck." I tried to move past him, but he blocked my way. I looked up at him with warning.
"What gave you the idea that I was involved in insider trading?"
I froze. What could I say? I looked up into his face and saw that it was flushed, perhaps with anger. In fact, it looked like he was well on his way to becoming enraged. For a second, I was worried about what he might do, but then he surprised me by taking a step back and shoving his hands in his pockets. He stared at me.
"What, you think I'm going to hit you?" He shook his head and laughed, but it wasn't an amused laugh – it was rueful. "Molly, I've never struck a woman in my life, and I'm not about to start now. But before you leave this house, we need to get this settled."
"I'm your maid," I said. He nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure if you realize this, but maids know a lot. In fact, maids inadvertently know far too much about their employers, and that goes for you, too." I didn't know how far I could go with my lie, but I decided that most of it was true, at least. "I don't go around snooping into everybody's business, but I will tell you, based on your reaction to my suggestion, how I got the impression that you were involved in negotiations or business endeavors that were iffy at best. The fact that you didn't deny it confirmed my suspicions."
"Molly, you don't understand-"
"What I do understand, Luke is that you didn't deny it. And I'll tell you another thing. I certainly don't want to work for a criminal. Therefore, I'm leaving!"
Luke said nothing for several moments, and I moved toward the hallway leading to the front door. I held my back straight and with my face turned from him, trying not to display my emotions. I desperately blinked back tears as they warmed my eyes. Just as I reached for the front doorknob, he spoke. To my surprise, he didn't speak from a distance, but from right behind me.
"Molly, will you even listen to what I have to say?"
I thought about it for a moment and then slowly shook my head. "Luke, I like you, I really do, but this back and forth between us is driving me nuts. I can't take it! We’re great in bed, but seriously, is there some reason why we always end up arguing or have some kind of a dispute when we’re not in between the sheets?" I didn't even give him a chance to respond. "I don't want to fling, Luke. If we’re going to have a relationship, it's going to be a serious relationship. Oh, don't worry, I'm not asking you to marry me. I just want you to take it seriously. I don't like to be played
with."
"Well, neither do I, Molly," he said, once again extending his arms out to the side. "I just don't understand what it is you want from me. I also want to know why you suspect that I'm involved in insider trading."
I let go of the doorknob and turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest. I looked up into his eyes for several moments. He held my gaze. "Are you?" I asked.
He said nothing for several moments, and then crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry, Molly, I don't know what to say. I'm embarrassed about all of this."
"Embarrassed about what?" I asked. Was he talking about our relationship?
"Will you sit down in the living room with me and allow me to try to explain?"
I thought about it. No doubt about it – I was torn. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but his comment about my paycheck and his hesitance to answer my questions left me feeling frustrated and perturbed. Finally, I decided that if I were going to continue with this relationship, I would have to hear him out, at least this time. If I didn't like what he said, I was out of here. I don't care how sexy he was, how much I loved having sex with him, or how good he made me feel. If I didn't feel as though I could trust him, what was the point with continuing with the relationship?
Finally, I sighed and let my purse slide gently onto the floor by the front door. I nodded and then followed him into the living room. I sat down and he sat next to me, not too close, but it wasn't like he was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, either. He sighed and acted as if he was trying to collect his thoughts. I did my best to listen, telling myself not to interrupt until he had finished his explanation.
He finally sat back and brushed his fingers through his hair. One hand casually rested on his thigh, the other draped on the back of the couch as he faced me. I was pretty much sitting the same way, our knees about six inches apart.
"When I inherited all this money, I didn't realize that it involved so many investments," he began.
I could imagine that stepping into such a situation could be quite overwhelming for someone who wasn't used to having money, let alone the hard work that I knew was involved in keeping and growing it.
"Along with my grandfather's estate, I also inherited my father's not so legal friends." He paused, as if waiting for a reaction.
He noted my confusion.
"My grandfather passed down just a small part of his inheritance to my father, and then when my father died, the entire estate came to me. I never knew that my grandfather had so much money, and growing up, my father never acted like he had much, either. It's not like I lived dirt poor, but my dad was a tight-fisted old bastard.” He paused. “Don't get me wrong, Molly, it wasn't as though I felt I had missed out on anything in life. There was always food on the table, a roof over our heads. I always had decent clothes to wear. He even bought me a car for my sixteenth birthday…nothing fancy, but something I could tinker with that got me through high school and part of college. Still, by the time I left home, we had pretty much come to a parting of the ways."
He was silent for several moments, and I commiserated. I had grown up in a close-knit family. I wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a family where there wasn't the kind of affection, communication, and guidance I had received.
"My dad wasn't the easiest person to be around. He drank a lot, disappeared for days on end, doing God only knows what… At any rate, when my father died and the money was passed on to me, I began looking closer at his books. I realized that he had several; well…I guess I could call them money managers, although I doubt any of them were ever licensed and certified. Anyway, it looked like he had had them for decades. Their business dealings were so intertwined, I knew it would be difficult to untangle them."
I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. I remained silent, allowing Luke to tell his story at his own pace.
"I can tell you right now, Molly, I didn't want to take up that torch. Yes, these so-called financial advisors and my dad were involved in some questionable dealings. Some of them involved insider trading." He paused for several moments. "I would have been perfectly content to invest legally, but at the same time, I was warned, and not too subtly by these guys, that I shouldn't do anything to disrupt the relationship that had existed between my dad and his advisors for decades."
I sat stunned. So, Luke was literally being blackmailed by criminals to keep doing bad things and engage in criminal activities? "But this is serious stuff, Luke," I said. "Can't you just go tell the police? Are you afraid that you'll lose all your money?"
He sighed. "You know, Molly, I lived without money most of my life, so to be honest, I'm not sure whether I'm willing to risk losing it all now. It’s nice to have money. At the same time, I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. Besides, these guys are kind of tough."
My eyes widened. "Are they associated with the mob…the Mafia?" I asked.
He shrugged. “I don't know, and I'm not going to come right out and ask them. All I know is that when my dad passed and they gathered in his office while I was going through some of his papers, they quite bluntly suggested that things stay the same-"
“How long has your father been dead?" I asked, unable to stifle my curiosity.
"Three years now," he said. "And I'm telling you the truth, Molly. I have successfully managed to back away from most of the dirty contacts my father kept, but there is still one or two left."
"Who are they?" I asked.
He refused to answer, and I supposed I could understand his hesitance to give me names, but at the same time, I wanted to know.
"You obviously know, as well as I do now, that dealing in the stock market is a huge endeavor and involves hundreds, if not thousands, of people involved in various transactions. I doubt you'd know them. But I assure you, as soon as I can, I'm going to be backing away from all of it completely."
I wasn't sure whether I believed him or not. "Are you telling me that you've been dealing with inside trading for years and you haven't gotten caught?"
He shrugged, but it wasn't flippant. It looked to me as if he really did feel bad about it. Then again, if he felt that bad about it, he would've reported it, wouldn't he? I wasn't sure how I felt about that. He said nothing. "You do know that the longer this goes on, the higher the chances are that you're going to get caught, right?"
"I know that," he said. "I've worked hard to try and get everything cleaned up."
"But, Luke, why didn't you just go to the authorities? Why don't you go now? You do know that insider trading can affect everyone involved, right? It's not right!"
"Molly, I'm asking you to trust me," he said. "Yes, I am new at this, but I do know the difference between right and wrong. I'll admit that I don't want to lose all the money that my grandfather worked very hard to amass. I will also tell you that I haven't taken advantage of a number of…how shall I say it…suggestions by the remaining money managers," he said, emphasizing the term with a bite of sarcasm.
"Then how did you manage to get rid of the rest of them?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I paid a couple of them off. Cost a pretty penny, too. One of them got cancer and is dying. I've-"
"So you're telling me that basically you've been allowing yourself to be blackmailed by these people?” I stared at him in shock. “How do you think your grandfather would feel about you paying them off with the money he earned?" I knew I was being hard on him, but this was not anything to be messing with. Insider trading was serious business. "Not to mention that you could end up in jail for years, plus lose everything you have. Luke, do you realize how much trouble you could get into if you're caught?"
He nodded. "Why do you think I spend so much time up in my office? I'm trying to extricate myself from this mess that my father created. It's not easy. I have to teach myself about investments, trading, and managing all this money. No one did that for me. I don't have anybody to turn to. I'm doing it on my own!"
I could tell he was growing increasin
gly frustrated. While I felt I had every right to accuse him, I also had to put myself in his position. What would I have done? What would I have done if I were handling money that my father, my grandfather, and even my great-grandfather had spent years amassing, and realized that they had done so illegally? I couldn't even begin to imagine how I would feel.
What right did I have to tell Luke what he should do? I sighed. "Luke, I'm going to be brutally honest with you. The sooner you can get out of this entire mess, the better off you'll be. Even then, you'll always run the risk of someone finding out. I don't even know if there's a statute of limitations on insider trading. Do you?"
"No," he said. "But, Molly, I want you to know that I'm trying to be open here. Am I proud of what I've done? Not at all. I'm trying to get out of this as gracefully as I can. It's a mess. A bloody mess. I wish I could tell you that tomorrow I would be willing to go to the SEC, blab the whole story, take the risk of losing everything, but I'm not."
I wasn't sure how that made me feel, and my mind was spinning with all this knowledge. He'd taken a chance saying anything to me. I had made him no promises. In fact, as far as he knew, I could leave his house and go tell my father everything he had told me. I could report him to the SEC over the phone. My father would probably report him to the authorities in less than a minute. Did I want that? Did I want to see Luke go to jail? No, I didn't.
A headache once again began to pound behind my eyes. As far as I was concerned, I was now just as involved in this mess as he was.
Chapter 3
I told Luke and I needed time to think about all this. It was a lot of information to process, none of which I liked. I did appreciate that he had opened up to me, at least a little bit. The problem was I wasn't sure if I believed it all. Even the most naïve investor understood the severity of being charged with insider trading. It wasn't a joke. It wasn't just a slap on the wrist. With millions of dollars at stake, insider trading could not only wipe out a person’s life savings and hard work, but damage their reputation forever.