Greed and a Mistress

by Marti Talbott

  That was this morning and this was now. There were a million and one things she meant to do today, but all of them had to do with the wedding. For the first time in ages, Natalie was completely at loose ends. She returned to her seat on the sofa and took a long drink of water. Hours and hours she worked to get her latest book written so she could relax and enjoy the honeymoon. It was all for nothing and now she didn’t even have a book to work on, not that her powers of concentration were still intact.

  She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Look at you,” she muttered. “You let a man humiliate you.” She took another drink of water, put the cap back on, and set the bottle beside the margarita on the coffee table. “Don’t ever let it happen again!” Abruptly, she stood up and looked around. Everything in her apartment reminded her of Stewart, although he hadn’t been there very often. When he was, he suggested how she should arrange her furniture better, which she did just to please him.

  Her anger renewed, she was all too happy to put it back the way she liked it. First, she moved the sofa so it once more faced her windows and arranged the coffee table and the chairs to match. Next, she went to the bookshelf and rearranged the books, although he said nothing about the way they were organized. On the top shelf sat the glass vase in which a dozen red roses arrived after they first met. It definitely had to go, so she took that to the trash can. In the kitchen, she opened a cupboard, dumped his half full bottle of gin down the sink drain, and followed it with the contents of a bottle of tonic. Natalie put both bottles in the trash as well.

  At last, she walked to the center of the living room, and looked around. The big screen TV was where she liked it and so were the lamps, with one on each of the end tables. “That’s better.” At least Stewart had never been in either of her bedrooms, so nothing in those rooms needed rearranging. Satisfied, Natalie headed to her bathroom. She turned on the shower, took off all her clothes, stepped into the tub, and closed the curtain.

  Taking a long hot shower was one of her favorite things to do, but just now she hardly felt the water or the warmth. Instead, she bowed her head and before long, tears began to run down her cheeks. “Why?” she cried out.

  Natalie Powell, bestselling author of eleven romance novels, covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

  LATER THAT EVENING, Natalie stood next to her cousin in front of her floor to ceiling soundproof apartment windows and looked at the impressive view. The three sections of windows faced the city, which gave them a perfect sight of downtown just as the brilliant night lights were coming on. On a clear day, they would have been able to see Mt. Rainer, but it wasn’t a clear day. It was just as cloudy as her mood. At least it wasn’t raining, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it poured. There was a traffic jam on the tree-lined street below, but then there always was that time of day and Natalie didn’t look down very long. She didn’t like being reminded of just how high up she was.

  “I never get tired of it,” she muttered.

  “I can see why,” said Josh. He was a full head taller than she and even though they had different parents, they looked a lot alike. “I forget how beautiful it is here. Next to Atlanta, I think this is the most beautiful city in the US.”

  She thought of something that made her giggle. “I know a limo driver who wouldn’t agree with you.”

  “Philip?”

  “No, one in New York City. All the way from the airport to the Plaza Hotel, he insisted I see Central Park while I was there. When I asked him what was so special about it, he looked at me like I was the dumbest person alive. It’s a park, he said.”

  “To which you said?”

  “You should come to Seattle – the whole city is a park. He had nothing more to say after that.”

  Josh chuckled and turned instead to look through the corner window that faced Elliott Bay. A ferry in the middle of the Bay seemed to effortlessly glide over the water as it carried tired workers home to Bremerton, Port Orchard and beyond. Behind the ferry, dusk was making the lights in West Seattle burn brightly too. Just coming up the waterway of Puget Sound was a massive cargo ship intending to dock and be unloaded at the Port of Seattle, and in the air, a 747 flew in high above the water from the north and made its turn toward SeaTac Airport.

  “How was your flight?” she asked, leaving the window and curling up on her sofa.

  “Long, but at least the layover in Denver wasn’t too bad and the weather was good. I really shouldn’t complain. I remind myself that making it from Atlanta to Seattle in one day is nothing short of a miracle, considering how long it took the pioneers to get here.”

  She watched as he finally left the window and took a seat next to her. For as long as she could remember, he had been her protector as well as her best friend, and her southern accent always became more pronounced when she was around him. “You’re still a history buff?”

  Josh sighed. “I am driven, it seems. Can’t get enough of it. My latest obsession is the Civil War.”

  “It is Grandma’s fault. She couldn’t get enough of history either.”

  He chuckled, “Wasn’t everything her fault? She taught me to read and you to write. And just look at you now – a bestselling author living in luxury.”

  “I am convinced making this much money is positively evil, but I couldn’t stop writing if I tried. I normally have a thousand stories rolling around in my head.”

  “I always thought your head was empty.”

  She playfully smacked his leg. “That’s why I think of you every time I want to write an antagonist.”

  “Very funny.”

  She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up at the airport, but there was something important I needed to do.”

  “More important than me?”

  “Of course not, just more important than picking you up.” Natalie laid her head on his shoulder. “I am so glad you’re here. I need a friend just now.”

  “Ah yes, I wondered how soon we would get around to Stewart. Ready to tell me what happened?”

  She frowned. “Not yet.”

  “I’m not leaving until you do, which means I’ll lose the best job I ever had and it will be your fault.”

  “Later, okay? Are you hungry?”

  “Starved. Last time I was here we went to that seafood restaurant on the pier. Any chance of going there again?”

  “You bet, and I’m ready if you are.” She went to her purse, grabbed some cash and a credit card, and stuffed both in the pocket of her jeans.”

  “No ID and no phone?”

  “They all know me around here, and a phone, if it rings which I doubt it will, would just interrupt us. I want to hear all about you and this job you’ve come to love. Who knew you would end up working in the post office?” She was still talking as she grabbed her keys, and he opened the door for her.

  FROM HER APARTMENT to the waterfront was nearly all downhill and quite a walk, so as soon as they could, they caught a trolley. On a Friday night, plenty of people were downtown planning to attend a play or see a movie, and city buses still regularly arrived bringing the weekend crowd in, and taking the late workers out of town. A favorite place for conventions, most of the hotels boasted of being full for the entire week, and cabs were busy taking visitors to their next destination.

  Natalie knew just where to get off the trolley on the waterfront so they could see the ferries and the cargo ships up close. Watching planes come in was a favorite of both Natalie and Josh. The pier offered several seaside restaurants complete with bold seagulls not opposed to begging a meal from restaurant patrons.

  Outside the restaurant, Josh stopped to watch another airliner make its descent toward the airport. “I’ve timed them, and they come in every three minutes,” Natalie said.

  He grabbed her arm just in time to keep her from stumbling over the curb. “Have you had your puffy eyes checked lately?”

  She was truly concerned. “Are they still puffy?”

  He opened the
restaurant door and let her go in. “Yes, but I’m the only one who will notice.”

  When Natalie asked for a table away from the window, Josh raised an eyebrow, but he waited until they were seated. They concentrated on the menus for a time and when the waiter came, they ordered drinks and then identical salmon dinners.

  That done, Josh asked, “Are we hiding from someone?”

  “If you must know, yes.” She leaned a little closer. “Julie Ann Ashford is in town.”

  Josh threw up his hands in pretend horror. “Nooo. The dumbest girl in the fifth grade? How can you stand knowing she might be lurking around the next corner?”

  Natalie kept her voice clandestinely low. “I am forced to watch for her wherever I go.”

  “I completely understand. Are you sure we are not hiding from Mr. Stewart Warren? Didn’t you tell me he was the love of your life?”

  She lowered her sad eyes. “Turns out, he is the love of his life too.”

  “Uh oh, I smell a rat.”

  Natalie paused to let the waiter set their drinks down, and then took a sip of her margarita. “Yum, I’ve been wanting one of these all day.”

  “Really? You have one sitting on your coffee table at home.”

  “That one was too sour.”

  “Margaritas are supposed to be sour. Why didn’t you just order another one from the bar downstairs?”

  “Because the night bartender always wants to bring it up personally and he is a little too interested in me.”

  “Oh, I see. First you’re hiding from Julie Ann, then Mr. Stewart Warren, and now the bartender? Maybe it would help if you looked more like a writer and less like jailbait.”

  “I can’t help how I look.”

  “Tell the truth, do you curl your hair and put on makeup even when you know no one is coming over and you’re not going anywhere?”

  Natalie looked at him with those calf eyes he loved so much. “It’s mom’s fault. She said to expect Mr. Right to come to the door at any minute. Besides, you just never know who might drop by.”

  “Stewart Warren, the bartender or Julie Ann Ashford?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’m not buying it. You love your solitude and make certain nothing distracts you when you are writing. You tell everyone, even me, not to call between the hours of nine and five Seattle time.”

  “True, but...” she lowered her eyes and then took a long sip of her drink while the waiter brought their dinner salads and then left.

  Josh reached over and took her hand. “When did you start drinking? You never liked the stuff before.”

  “This morning.”

  “Special occasion?”

  “Something like that.” He let go of her hand, pulled his billfold out of his pocket, withdrew a single sheet of paper, and unfolded it. “I have something that might take your mind off your troubles for a while.”

  “What?”

  “It’s an idea for a book you might write someday.” He held the letter out until she finally took it.

  Dearest sister,

  Sometimes at night after the world goes to bed, I drop by to see Joe. He makes a fresh pot of coffee and gives me a cup. Last night, right after I got my coffee, I heard a woman cry out so I followed the sound. It was an alley rape just begun. He had her down and was trying to get his pants undone when I threw my coffee on his back. He cried out in pain and she got away.

  I really missed that cup of coffee.

  Put a rose on Missy’s grave for me when you can.

  Princess

  Natalie stared at the piece of paper for a long moment before she said, “My hero.”

  “Mine too,” Josh agreed.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “I got transferred to the dead letter office and discovered the princess has written a letter to her sister nearly every day for at least the past six months. Here’s the thing – on the outside of the envelope, all she writes is the word sister. There is never an address or a return address. There’s just a stamp and a postmark. The postmarks are how I know she’s in Seattle somewhere.”

  “Here?”

  Her questions didn’t stop Josh from eating. “Yep. The postmarks are from all over the city, but most are from downtown.”

  “How fascinating.”

  “Notice anything in particular about the letter?”

  “Well, it’s written on notebook paper. She prints instead of writes cursive and her spelling is correct, although she doesn’t use big words.”

  “How about what the letter says?”

  She read the letter again before answering his question. “It was still hot in September, so he was shirtless. Furthermore, she’s seen the rapist – and he’s seen her.”

  “You’re right and that’s part of what concerns me – he must have seen her and knows she can identify him.”

  Natalie rubbed the back of her neck. “She doesn’t say how she got away.”

  “She doesn’t say she called the police either. All the letters are like that. You have to read between the lines to get the details, but there are a few hints in the other letters. This is just the first one that came in after I started the job. The rest are in my suitcase.”

  “Will you get in trouble for showing them to me?”

  He shoved another bite of salad into his mouth and swallowed before he answered. “No, I asked my boss and no one cares. When we get a letter we can’t deliver, we open it, see if we can find an address inside and if not throw it away. Something about the princess tugged at my heart and I just couldn’t toss her letters.”

  “The part about Missy’s grave, I bet.”

  “Probably. In the meantime I have gotten to know the princess through her letters and I think she’s in a lot more trouble than just seeing a rapist.”

  “You mean in trouble mentally?”

  “That too. You’ll see when you read the rest of her letters.”

  “You think I should look for her?”

  “I think you will want to. Aren’t you going to eat?”

  Natalie ignored him and considered what the letter said again. “How on earth can you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? Is sister her real sister, a Catholic sister, or an imaginary friend? Josh, this is impossible.”

  “Maybe and maybe not, but you’ll hate yourself if you don’t try. Besides, you are between books and a little break is just what you need.”

  This time, she was the one to reach for his hand. “I miss you so. Why can’t I find a man like you?”

  “I’m one of a kind and cousins don’t marry these days. It messes with the blood line and that makes the women start losing their hair prematurely instead of the men.”

  She looked at his receding hairline and giggled. “Perish the thought. Seriously though, can’t you stay more than just this weekend?”

  “I wish I could, but if I want to keep the job I love, I have to get back. We have a few hours to spend together though, and while I’m here, I want to see a few of the sights.”

  “You’re kidding. Didn’t I take you to see all the sights the last three times you were here?”

  “Not the ones mentioned in the letters. I especially want to see Westlake Park.”

  “Very well, sightseeing it is, although there isn’t much to see in Westlake Park. When do I get to read the rest of the letters?”

  “Not until after I leave. I don’t want you wasting my time reading.”

  She pretended to be indignant. “That’s very selfish of you.”

  “I’m a selfish kind of guy when it comes to spending time with you.” He stopped talking while the waiter served their salmon dinners. “I’ll have another rum and coke.”

  “You got it. And you Miss?” asked the waiter. He waited until Natalie shook her head and then went on his way.

  “Miss,” she muttered.

  “Miss is better than the wrong Mrs.”

  “True.” She watched him draw in the smell of the fresh salmon, cut a bite with his fork, put it in
his mouth, and then savor the taste. Any other time, she would have done the same but right now her dinner didn’t look very inviting. She took another sip of her margarita instead.

  “Are you ready to tell me what happened? The last I heard, you’d never been so in love.”

  “It’s simple really. Two weeks ago, he popped the question, put an engagement ring on my finger, and then last night he handed me a prenup.”

  “Uh oh.” Josh picked up her left hand, turned it over, and discovered she was wearing the ring her mother gave her instead of an engagement ring. “Did you throw it at him?”

  “Nope, I’m keeping it. You never know when this little writing hobby of mine might dry up and I’ll need to hock it – if it actually is a diamond.”

  “I take it nothing about him is real.”

  “I don’t know what is and what isn’t at this point.”

  Josh took two more bites before he asked. “You didn’t like the prenup?”

  “I didn’t mind really. He owns a large corporation and I sort of expected it. After he was gone, I read the document and it didn’t take long to see what he was up to. The prenup makes certain I don’t get anything he already owns if we divorce, but it says nothing about him not getting anything I already own.”

  “Which includes half of the past, present and possibly the future money you make off your books?”

  “Right.”

  Josh wrinkled his brow. “He thought you were stupid enough to fall for that?”

  “Apparently so.” There was a twinkle in her eye when she said, “I might have failed to mention that I used to work for a divorce attorney. I hated the attorney, but I did learn a few things from him – not that I couldn’t have figure it out on my own.”

  “I take it you broke off the engagement.”

  “No, I let him break it off. That’s where I was this morning. I was in his office in Woodinville confessing all my sins.”

  She had those innocent calf eyes again which made Josh grin “Here it comes.”

  “I handed him the signed prenup and he was actually giddy until he read the signature.”