Maybe he’s upset that he didn’t receive the same affection and treatment from Michael
as Zane and Chloe got as his biological children. He might be upset about some financial
disadvantages he had or is having while Zane and Chloe live well off.
Ahhh. Why can’t I just see into people’s minds?
After I get into the cab and give the driver the address of Hawkins Media Group headquarters,
I pull out a pen and paper to make a list of signs I observed about Michael to decide
if he might or might not be the narcissist, obsessed with power and control, Ace and
Zane claim him to be.
- Michael has never ever treated me with disrespect. He has met all the requirements
of the contract from his side, and not just that, changed a term to accommodate my
need for physical closeness with men.
- Edric admires him and the other employees I met never mentioned or even hinted at
any kind of hostility at work.
Just these two observations prove that Ace lied to me about one thing; Michael’s disrespect
toward his employees. Why wouldn’t he have lied about anything else? If I’m honest
with myself, I’m still undecided about his involvement in the coconut oil incident
during my sexual encounter with Zane.
- Irene Hawkins’ death. It says she died of cancer on Michael’s Wikipedia page. Can
the medical records of someone’s death be corrupted so easily? I remember seeing a
picture of her looking very sick and with a scarf covering her head, like patients
undergoing chemotherapy do to hide their baldness. That again falsifies Ace’s claim.
- Michael’s persistence to hire me and pay me for being his girlfriend. The money
I’m receiving, the car I own, the dresses, and jewelry. The job that I have. Why did
he choose to over-compensate me when I openly and clearly told him I’d date him without
getting anything in return? I understand his need as a businessman to make me sign
a contract, but the things I receive in return can’t be a simple gesture of generosity.
Almost two frigging million dollars. I still fail to see why he specifically picked
me to begin with, but it’s evident that he’s giving me more than he gave his previous
pretend girlfriends. Much more.
This point supports Ace’s claims, though vaguely.
Before I can add another point to my list, the cab stops and I look out to see Hawkins
Media Group written in golden letters. I pay the driver, put the paper and pencil
back into my bag, and climb out of the cab. Although my brief analysis about Michael
proves his innocence, it didn’t help with my anxiety. My hands are sweating, my legs
shaking.
Why does Michael want to talk to me now? Why can’t he wait for tomorrow? He might
be leaving for a business trip, I tell to myself to calm down as I climb the stairs.
My body feels as if it’s drained of all blood as I suddenly look up and notice the
street number of the building.
5727.
I want to kick myself in the ass for not having noticed the sevens in it before. Not
just one but two. Does it mean double the trouble or just that they negate each other?
But five plus two is also seven. Oh, god. If I was worried a second ago I’m terrified
now, having proof of the dreadful minutes ahead of me.
I bite my lip, trying to remember Zane’s words about my illogical belief in seven’s
bad luck. He wasn’t all wrong when he said the things related to seven I thought were
bad were actually good in the end.
This isn’t the fifteenth century or some dictatorship where wealthy and powerful people
do as they like. We live in a democracy. Each individual has rights. Michael can’t
force me into anything. I can call the police and sue him on the spot. He can’t hurt
me.
With renewed confidence, I walk through the door and step into the elevator. Julie
nods with a smile as I enter her office. “Hello, Lindsay. How are you?”
“I’m good. I’ve come to see Michael.”
“I’ll let him know.” She dials the phone without looking at the number pad. “Mr. Hawkins,
Lindsay is here.” My heart leaps at the mentioning of Michael’s name.
Calm down, Lindsay, before you make a fool of yourself!
As soon as Julie nods, I move toward Michael’s office and knock on the door briefly.
“Come in.” His voice comes as a muffled sound.
You can do it. Just get a grip on yourself. “Hi, Michael. Edric told me you wanted
to see me.” My voice trembles as I say the last two words. Shit.
He smiles his usual heart-warming, genuine smile, and I find my body relaxing a bit.
“Come in. Sit down. I have some news.”
“Okay.” I take my seat at the chair in front of his majestic desk and clasp my hands
together. Good thing he didn’t try to shake hands, or his hand would be soaked with
my sweat.
“I have another meeting in fifteen minutes. That’s why I have to make this quick.
I’ll have an important guest next weekend, and I want you to accompany me for the
full weekend during their visit. See, he’s bringing along his wife, and I think she’ll
enjoy having a lady friend your age, rather than me.”
I force myself with all my strength to keep myself from giving away the hurricane
going on inside me. All my senses are telling me to follow Ace’s advice. I won’t be
going against the contract. I won’t cause him bankruptcy by not attending one event
with him. The only decision I need to take is whether I should decline now or later.
Letting him know about my unwillingness now is better for him because he’ll have more
time to find a replacement.
I take a long breath and tell him the first words that come to my mind, “I’m very
sorry but I can’t. Why don’t you invite Chloe instead? She’ll surely be more fun than
I would. She knows more stuff about exquisite locations and stores in L.A. than I’ll
ever know.”
To my astonishment and relief, the friendliness of his demeanor doesn’t disappear.
“Why exactly can’t you help me out?”
The problem with never telling a lie at all is coming up with a sound excuse on the
spot, like I’m experiencing at this moment. “Family problems.”
“May I ask what family problems you’re having? I may offer a solution.”
I swallow. Lies attract more lies, don’t they? There’s no end to it once you start.
That’s another reason why I prefer staying clear of lying. Until now, that is. “I
can’t talk about it, but Taylor is having health issues, and I don’t feel comfortable
leaving her alone when she needs me most.”
He plops his elbows on the desk and laces his fingers together, resting his chin on
his face. “Funny thing. You deemed it appropriate to leave her alone for the entire
morning and afternoon today, but you can’t spare two days for me a week from now.”
How does he know that? Is he following me? Zane’s words the day I met him for the
first time echo in my mind. “He’ll follow your every step. You’ll not have the freedom
to breathe without his permission. Losing your independence isn’t worth the fame being
with my father will bring you.”
I feel my face burning. My breath catches in my throat. “How do you know?” I ask,
but why do I even care how, when “why” should be the important question? Why does
he intrude on my privacy?
“I keep a close eye on my children, and there are only a very few things I don’t know
about them, Lindsay. I wish you had been aware of it sooner. Your secret rendezvous
with Ace is a breach of contract, but I will let it slip this time. Everyone is entitled
to a mistake once, but I won’t forgive the second time.” He twists his arm to check
his watch and then glances back at me. “I’m counting on you for next weekend. Keep
your calendar empty. You’re accompanying me as my date.”
“I’m truly sorry, Michael, but for reasons I can’t explain you, I can’t attend the
event next weekend. Please, understand that and don’t insist.”
He laughs, pushing back his chair, tossing his body against it. “Lindsay, my little,
fake girlfriend. I think the time has come for you to start treating me as your boss
and not some ordinary friend. I’m paying you two millions dollars. If I say, “you’ll
come to hell with me in two hours,” I expect nothing but, “Yes, sir,” as a response
from you.”
“With all due respect, that’s a pretty high expectation. I have a life. I have obligations
outside of my job.”
“Well, you should have thought about your other commitments before taking up my offer.
Now it’s too late to use them as an excuse. You’re coming with me. End of the discussion.”
“Michael...” I start but he raises his hand to cut me off.
“You’re not only expected to show up but also fully assume your duties as my girlfriend.”
“My duties as your girlfriend? What does that even mean?”
“Everything you imagine a man and woman in love would do in public to show their love,
including but not limited to kissing and touching each other.”
Ewww. My stomach twists at the thought of kissing him. “What? No way. I never agreed
to that. In fact, I didn’t even accept to be your pretend girlfriend. I only agreed
to go out on dates with you. Nothing more. You’ll never find such a term on the contract
I signed.”
“My dear, Lindsay. When will you finally grasp that the contract is a worthless piece
of paper, and I do whatever I want with you regardless of what is written, or what’s
not on the contract.”
I jump to my feet with anger and agitation. “Who do you think you are? You can’t talk
to me like that. I’m not your slave. If you think so little of the contract, it certainly
doesn’t carry any more importance for me, either. I’ll pay back the money I received
from you to the last cent and return the car. I’ll send my resignation letter as soon
as I’m out of your office,” I yell before spinning on my heels and heading for the
door.
My move will most likely damage Taylor’s professional relationship with Michael, and
I have no doubt Michael will try to hurt her company’s reputation, but it’s better
that she’s freed from another villain. She has a safety net of more than a hundred-million
dollars that she inherited from her deceased first husband. It’s not like she’ll ever
end up on the streets.
Just when I touch the doorknob, Michael says, “not so fast, young lady. I’m not done
talking yet. You can leave only when I say you’re dismissed, and I haven’t yet said
so.”
“There’s nothing else to talk about, Michael. I never felt comfortable getting into
this agreement with you, and now I have enough confidence that it’d be best for us
both if we call it off right now. Please, don’t insist. You’ll find a dozen willing
girls more qualified to replace me for a tenth of the amount you paid me.” I turn
the doorknob and start to open it.
“Sit,” he orders with a threatening tone, and I freeze on the spot. He stands, walks
around his desk, and comes beside me to push the door closed. I notice a small device
in his hand. It looks like a remote control. He points the device at a large TV attached
to the wall and the images of Zane at my apartment fill the entire screen.
I watch myself in horror as I hand a glass of water to Zane. The next minutes are
shocking enough to make me want to escape to the Brazilian jungles so I won’t have
to face anyone who might see me fucked by Zane over the arm of the couch. I look pathetic
as I moan with Zane plunging into me.
I glance at Michael in disgust. My stomach revolts at the repulsive look on his face
directed at me. Did he put cameras all around my apartment?
At one point, I’m recorded from front, at another Zane’s back is seen. Which means
there were two cameras, one close to the window in my living room, and the other on
the other side of the room, both recording our fuck clearly and with no intrusion.
Unless Michael is a detail freak and filled every corner of my apartment with dozens
of cameras, it looks like the two cameras were set looking exactly at the arm of the
couch. Not even the sitting part of couch itself. Then, I remember the suspicious
way Zane asked me for water as soon as he’d entered my home. He might have set the
cameras at that moment, when I was in the kitchen. That’s why the recording starts
with me handing him the water and not before.
And the coconut oil incident? That explains everything. It wasn’t Ace who planned
to use it to get to his brother. It was Zane, deliberately making himself go through
an allergy attack so he can come over to my apartment, place video cameras, and fuck
me while the cameras record every second of our depraved act. He wouldn’t be able
to do it at PE. Ace wouldn’t allow him to protect my privacy. What a perfect set-up,
now that I’m thinking about it. And, I let that happen. I allowed Zane to complete
his plan without suspecting anything about his unusual arousal after having seen his
tongue and half of his face swollen with an allergic reaction. Where was my mind?
Who else goes from coming so close to death to having sex in a matter of an hour?
Not someone with good intentions.
All the speeches Zane gave to warn me about Michael, and it turns out he was in it
with him. Plotting ways to trap me into doing whatever Michael wants me to.
“Everyone has a weakness,” Michael says over my moans coming from the TV. “And you
delivered yours to me right away on the first day of our meeting. You, yourself, told
me you can’t go without men, and I just found a way to use that important piece of
information to get what I want. Now, if you don’t want to follow my orders, I’ll make
sure everyone in the world sees this. Not just that, the contract you signed with
me will be leaked on the Internet before you can leave my office. Everyone will know
what kind of a whore you are. Your life will be ruined, so will be your sister’s.”
“You promised me you wouldn’t harm the project you have with Taylor’s company.”
“I don’t need to do anything in particular for that. I’ll just cancel the project,
sit back, and watch how the word about their unprofessionalism spreads. It won’t take
more than a couple of months until she signs for bankruptcy. She’ll lose everything
she has. I just happened to learn that she donated her entire inheritance to charity
half a year ago. I bet you’ll agree with me about the stupidity of her move, considering
the harsh unpredictability of the business environment. She won’t have a back-up plan.
She won’t even be able to get a business loan. She’ll be ruined for good.”