Ladyfish

by Andrea Bramhall

  “But that makes absolutely no sense. Pete is gay. Forcing him to marry you surely wouldn’t make him inclined to stay with the company.”

  “Obviously, but my father thinks the whole world will bend to his world view. Pete will no longer be gay if he marries me and we make lots of grandchildren—preferably boys—to take over my dad’s company when the time comes. One would be a jumped up little Hitler just like my dad and one would turn out a genius just like Pete. Company and Daddy live happily ever after. The gay thing is an issue that will go away if Pete just lives a heterosexual lifestyle.”

  “And you?”

  “What about me?”

  “What does Daddy dearest think will happen to you in all this?”

  “Oh…well, in between churning out at least one little Hitler and one little Einstein, I will also be expected to become a female Hitler and learn to run the company just like my dad does. If I don’t show the aptitude for that, I just get the pleasure of running the bio labs.”

  “Bio labs?”

  “Yeah, my dad’s company has two. One in the States and the one I’ve been working at in London.”

  “So Pete’s good with computers so he gets IT and communications. You get the bio labs. Why?”

  “I studied microbiology and medical science at university. I was working on the DNA sequence of the E. coli bacteria so that I could incorporate another sequence into the structure. The idea is that I could then create a treatment protocol for a variety of diseases by using the E. coli as a host.”

  “I had that once. Food poisoning, right?”

  “Well, one of the strains is food poisoning. E. coli has many different serotypes, some of which can cause stomach upsets, but most are actually harmless. It’s a very common bacterium in the human gut so it makes the perfect host to treat illnesses of the gut. Intestinal cancers are the most obvious, but it could be used to treat other things too by being absorbed through the intestinal wall and into the blood.” She stopped at the expression on Oz’s face. “Sorry, I know it’s really boring, but it could be a really big step forward for medical treatments. I get carried away talking about it.”

  “You’re a genius.”

  Finn laughed. “No, I’m not. I was just trying an experiment that hasn’t worked, and I won’t get to finish. I’m a grunt, I guess.”

  “I doubt that.” Oz sipped the final drops of wine from her glass. “So that’s why your dad thinks you’ll churn out Einsteins and run two bio labs, on either side of the Atlantic.” She topped up her glass and held the bottle up in question to Finn. When she nodded, Oz poured the remaining liquid into her glass. “Finn, I totally see why you want to escape into the ocean. Does your dad really think this is going to happen?”

  “Indeed he does.”

  “So this trip?”

  “My dad’s gift to us. To encourage the creation of little Hitlers, with an engagement ring expected on our return.”

  “He really is going to be in for a shock isn’t he? What does your dad actually do?”

  “Ever heard of Sterling Enterprises?”

  “Sure. International company, fingers in lots of pies. Software development, property development, oil and gas, telecoms, that Sterling Enterprises?”

  “You missed biomedical science development, alternative energies, diamond trading, a bank, and several other pretty large sectors, but yeah. That’s the one.”

  “That’s your dad?”

  Oz looked suitably impressed, and it made Finn feel even worse. Whenever someone found out who she was and where she came from, she had to wonder what their angle was when it came to being her friend.

  “Shit. I mean—Shit!” Oz sat back in her chair, clearly dumbstruck. “Wow.”

  Finn took a long drink, hoping the burgeoning friendship wouldn’t flounder now that Oz knew her background, and wondering why the fear that it would caused her stomach to tighten uncomfortably. Keeping people at a distance wasn’t something new to her. But she had wanted her new life to be different.

  “So the longer you looked like a little girl, the longer you got before your dad tried to put his plan into action.”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time. But he started seeing beyond the disguise because I had the knowledge he wanted. So I took his suggestion for a trip and went along with his ideas. Pete was told to go on the holiday or lose his job. I was told to go on the holiday or lose my inheritance. Neither of us is bothered about the prospect of losing either, but we do know that it’s the end of the road, so we decided to go on the holiday to get away from him and give me some time to get started on my new life.”

  “You’re very crafty aren’t you?”

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  Oz laughed. “This one I’m definitely telling you.”

  “In that case, yes, I am.”

  “Does he know where you are?”

  “Of course.” Finn frowned.

  “So you aren’t actually trying to hide or run away from him.”

  “I’m trying to break away from him. There’s a difference.” Finn clenched her napkin in her lap. She didn’t want to be perceived as a coward, as someone who ran and hid when things got tough.

  “Do you think he’ll let you go?”

  Finn shook her head sadly. “No, I don’t think he’ll let me go. He’s not used to being told no. He won’t let go because it will hurt his ego. Not because he actually cares what I want to do, where I want to do it, or even who I want to do it with.” She wiped her napkin across her lips before tossing it onto her plate. “He’ll just be angry I haven’t followed his plan.”

  “What will he do?”

  Finn sipped her drink and shrugged slightly again. “Hard to tell, but he’ll probably close my bank accounts. The ones he knows about anyway. He’ll cancel my credit cards.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “He owns the bank. Legal or illegal, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to England, as I won’t have anywhere to live. He owns the house I was living in, so no doubt he’ll change the locks. Any way he can make life difficult for me, he will. It would be damn near impossible to get another job in my field, and if I did, he’d try to get me fired. Things should be a little easier with the distance and the fact that I am technically an American citizen, thanks to my mum, but he has enough business contacts and deals out here that it could still be difficult. Hence, the change in career paths. I can’t honestly think of any way he can influence a dive school. Another bio lab, however, is a totally different story.”

  “Do you have enough money?”

  “I have other accounts in different banks. My mother died when I was four and left me a sizable trust fund. I get an allowance annually from it that has just been gathering interest, and the trust becomes accessible either when I marry or turn thirty. I had it all transferred to an account my dad knows nothing about before we left the UK. And I’ve made some good investments with the money I’ve earned from working at the bio labs. I’ll be fine. I want to try to be frugal with it, as I don’t know how long I’ll have to live off it before I can get work as a dive instructor, but I’ll be fine.”

  “I know I don’t know you very well, and you don’t know me, but if I can, I’d really like to help.”

  “Why?” Finn fought to keep the sharp note of suspicion from her voice, but knew she failed. She watched Oz reach slowly for her glass and take a long drink, her eyes darting around the room. Whatever conflict she was fighting was etched in the frown furrowing her brow. Finn held her breath as she waited for the answer that would either fan the flame of the fledgling trust growing between them, or douse it entirely.

  “In all honesty, I don’t know.” She put down her wine glass. “You seem like a really nice person and I know that sounds lame, but I think you might need help. If I can do anything, or even just if you need to talk.” She shook her head again and looked down at the tablecloth. “You said Pete has to go back to England at some point. I do
n’t like the idea of you being here all alone.” She shrugged again. “Like I said, I really don’t know. I’d just like to help if I can.”

  “People don’t offer to help me for no reason.” Finn sipped her wine and twirled the liquid around in the glass. “They want to get closer to my father. They want to get closer to the money they think I have from him. They want me to put in a good word to him about a company, or a deal, or so many other things.” She put the glass back on the table and rested her elbows on the tablecloth. “People don’t just want to help me.” She stared deep into Oz’s eyes, trying to see anything that would give her a reason not to trust her. She needed to find something, someone, she could hold on to. Pete had been her only friend, and it wouldn’t be long before he went back to England and she was truly alone. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before she continued. “Please don’t be offended, but I don’t understand why you would. I have nothing to offer anyone, except maybe a hell of a lot of trouble.” She felt tears at the corners of her eyes. “Not to mention we’ve known each other for a day. You don’t know me. So I have to ask, why?”

  “I like you.”

  One of Finn’s eyebrows arched and she flushed.

  “No, not like that. I mean I do like you, but that’s not what I meant. Jesus, I can’t even speak.” Oz ran her hand over her face and Finn laughed.

  “Finn, you are a beautiful woman, but what I was trying to say, very badly, is that I like you as a person. You didn’t have to come to the dock today. But you did. You didn’t have to help unload the boat. But you did. You didn’t have to help me rinse all the gear. But you did. You were nice to me even after I was an asshole about your car. You’ve been really sweet and funny and open, and I like you. I have excellent instincts about people, and my instincts tell me that you’re the type of person I’d like to have around. I want to be your friend. And I like to help my friends if I can. So that’s why I want to help you. If you need it, of course.”

  Finn gently placed her hand over Oz’s, liking the feel of the soft, warm skin under her own. Time would tell if Oz meant what she said, but for now, over a seafood dinner at the beginning of her new life, she was willing to allow for the possibility.

  Chapter Seven

  Oz waved as Finn roared the car engine and pulled away from the curb before she closed the door behind her. What the hell is going on with me? She replayed the evening in her mind: the way Finn moved, the way she looked with that tight top on, the vulnerability in her eyes when she talked about her father. I like you and I want to help my friends! For fuck’s sake, I’ve never said anything like that before.

  She grabbed the phone and hit speed dial. It was the fourth ring before a sleep roughened voice answered.

  “Hey, Rudy, are you near your computer?”

  “Hey, Oz. Nope, but I can be. What do you need?”

  “I left the file you gave me on Finn in the office and I needed to check through some stuff tonight before I start working with her in the morning. Can you e-mail me the stuff you have, please?”

  “Sure thing. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. No problem. Just want to know what I’ve got on my hands; that’s all.” She clicked her laptop on and waited for it to boot up.

  “It’s not like you to ask questions like this, Oz. You let me know if there’s a problem, you hear me? I’ve got your back. Just like always.”

  “I know, Rudy. Now let me go and look at this stuff. See you in the morning.”

  “Later, Ladyfish.”

  She hung up, logged into her mail program and deleted half a dozen spam mails before opening the message from Rudy. The files were attached. Medical questionnaire. General background. Application for the instructor internship. Interest in accommodation. Swim test results: 26.21 for the fifty meter swim. Oz grunted, surprised. The world record was only just under twenty-four seconds. She clicked open her Internet browser and started a search of Sterling Enterprises. Something felt slightly wrong about it, as though she were snooping. But Finn had offered the information, and if she was going to be able to help at all, she needed plenty of background.

  She dialed a number she knew by heart and waited.

  “Yeah.”

  “Billy, it’s Oz.”

  “That’s Dad, Daddy, Pops, or Father to you, Ladyfish. You hear me?”

  “Yes, sir.” Oz grinned as she pictured her dad sprawled across the sofa, phone in one hand, beer in the other, her mom curled up next to him, her head resting on his chest, reading a book.

  “That one wasn’t on the list either.” His strong southern accent got stronger as she teased him.

  “Yeah, yeah, Pops.”

  “So, to what do I owe the honor? This is an unexpected pleasure, little Ladyfish. It’s been a long time with nothing but silence. How ya been?”

  “Good. I need some information and I know you still have contacts.”

  “He’s your uncle for God’s sake, Olivia. You could call him yourself you know.”

  “He might be my uncle, but he’s a busy man. Commanding the base and stuff. It just seems like you should be the one to call him.”

  “He’s still your uncle and he’d still take your call. And you damn well know that.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I’ve already called you now, so will you ask him for me or what?” She heard him huffing and puffing down the line.

  “Tell me what you need.”

  “Thanks, Dad. Sterling Enterprises. I need everything you can find out about the CEO. William—”

  “William Sterling. Rich bastard and twice as nasty. Not to be crossed. The main company owns several subsidiaries working on weapons development and military software here in the States. Do you need the full breakdown?”

  “Yeah. Like you were putting together an op for Junior.”

  “Why?”

  “A friend of mine might have some problems with him.”

  “Him personally or with him in business?”

  “Personally.”

  “Shit, Olivia, what are you getting into? This guy is a major player. How the fuck are you involved in this?”

  “I told you, a friend of mine—”

  “Are you screwing his wife or something?”

  “Thank you very much, Dad. No, I’m not screwing his wife. I’m friends, just friends, with his daughter.”

  “So you’ve bedded his daughter and now he’s after you, is that it?”

  “Dad, I haven’t slept with her. She’s a student at the dive school. I met her yesterday; we had a meeting and dinner tonight. End of story. I didn’t sleep with her. She dropped me off ten minutes before I called you.”

  “So why are you expecting trouble if you didn’t sleep with her?”

  “I’m not. She is. Look, Dad, I like her, she’s a really nice girl, and she’s trying to get out from under this asshole. I want to be friends with her and I just want to get some kind of idea what to expect and see if there’s anything I can do to help her.”

  “Is she ugly or something?”

  Oz felt herself bristling. She knew her reputation. Hell, she’d reveled in it before now, but the possibility her own dad thought she would only help someone in return for sex hurt. “Dad, am I so horrible that you really don’t believe I would do anything for someone else unless sex was involved?”

  Her dad paused, obviously hearing the sadness in her voice. “No, baby girl, you’re not. But even you’ve got to admit this isn’t what you usually do, is it?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “Are you okay there, baby girl? Do you want me to come over and chat for a while?”

  “Thanks, Pops, but I’m fine. I just want to know what I’m getting into.”

  “I’ll call Charlie and see what he can find out.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “So is she?”

  “Is she what?”

  “Is she ugly?”

  “No, she isn’t ugly. She’s beautiful. Inside and out.”

  “You know what, g
irlie? Information or not, I don’t think you have a clue what you’re getting yourself into. Night, darlin’.”

  Chapter Eight

  William stared at the screen, absorbing every scrap of information he had received about his daughter. Every detail of her research had been forwarded to him, and despite his reservations over her lack of ambition, he had to marvel at her intellect. He felt a tiny flicker of parental pride before he pushed it aside, replacing it with the much more familiar numbness that usually settled in the pit of his stomach. There was no room for sentimentality in his world. After all, he could hire other people to do the work she had done, and take it where he wanted it to go. Develop her work in the directions she wouldn’t take it. His disappointment was just another emotion he didn’t need and couldn’t afford. He’d found power and money were excellent substitutes for affection. He closed the file and checked his e-mails, swearing under his breath as he reached for the phone.

  “Susan, get Lyell on the phone.”

  “Yes, sir.” He waited until the phone rang. He cleared his throat, tugged his shirt, and smoothed his hands down the front of it before he answered.

  “Mr. Sterling, how can I—”

  “I am still waiting for the projections on making the quantity of Balor I want.”

  “Sir, I’m still trying to locate a supplier who can get me the equipment quickly. It’s a specialized piece of machinery, and the estimates on delivery and installation time are running into months at the moment.”

  “Give me a name.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand?”

  “E-mail me the details of the supplier and the equipment you need. I will see that this matter is expedited.”

  “Sir—”