Blackmail

by John Charles

  Bennett giggled at the scene he imagined in his head. I’ve not met this lady yet, but from what you’ve told me, I imagine she is a formidable lady.”

  “She is more than you can imagine. Raine and Sheila laid down the law that night. They told me I had to get my life together and forget about Michael. They said I could stay in their guest room till I wanted to find another place. All my stuff was in their storage locker so I had nothing to worry about. I sat there still embarrassed about having two of my best lesbian friends bathe me and listened to their speeches. Right then I made up my mind that I would put all my efforts into my education and my work. I knew I was on the right track and was determined to prove it.”

  “So you lived with them? How does a gay man live with his lesbian best friends? What about dating, you couldn’t have had any privacy. And how did you manage with the two of them having sex in the next room?”

  “I didn’t date. I told you I made up my mind to concentrate on my work. I never dated after Michael.”

  Bennett sat up and turned to his lover. “Are you telling me I’m the first guy you’ve dated in like ten years?”

  “That’s why I’m so scared, Bennett. I know I couldn’t go through that again and if something happened between us, it would kill me.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen, I promise you. I know that scumbag Michael made the same promise, but I’m different. You have to know that by now.”

  Damien didn’t respond to Bennett’s pleas. “I stayed in their guest room till I finished my masters. I’m told my thesis was so complex that the masters committee said it would take years to understand all of my work. I decided to go for my PhD and applied to several colleges. I took the one that gave me the most financial aid. When I was almost finished with that program, Valentech recruited me. Funny thing about my PhD theses. The review board made the same comment as the masters committee did. So I guess I must be doing something right. The rest is the history you already know.”

  “What happened to Raine and Sheila? Do you see them much?”

  They moved to California. They both got great jobs in the medical field. That’s how we got to know each other. We are all medical geeks. A few years ago when marriage was legal in California, they tied the knot. They were part of the history prior to prop 8. Thank god that is past now. I was best man at their wedding. It was a hoot seeing all our friends again. I stayed for several days enjoying old times.”

  Damien turned to look at Bennett who was still sitting next to him. “I’m sorry to unload all of this on you, but it’s been building for weeks. I’m so scared Bennett. I love you so much I can’t stand to lose you. And now we have this Valentech shit to deal with too.”

  Bennett pulled both of Damien’s hands to his lips and kissed then gently. “I’m not leaving you, not now or ever Damien. We will work through all this shit, together. I know we can make it work, all of it. Now how about some cold pizza, I only had a half slice when Andrea was here and I’m really starved.”

  Damien looked at him like he was nuts. “After all I just told you, you want to know if I’m hungry.”

  “Well, yeah. You just dumped a lot of shit on my already overworked brain. Add that to the shit that Andrea unloaded, and I’m all but dying inside. I don’t even like cold pizza and I’m actually looking forward to it now.” With that, he pulled Damien to his feet and dragged his naked body to the dining room table. “This will work out. Believe me, I don’t know how, but it will.” Then he took a bite of a slice of cold pizza and smiled at Damien. “Not bad,” he said with a smirk.

  Damien followed Bennett’s lead and said, “This sucks. I hate cold pizza.” The two burst out laughing and took the remainder of the pies to the oven to warm them.

  Chapter 9

  Ferris spent the morning entertaining several major investors. These people represented huge amounts of money needed for the research projects going on at Valentech. Their investment would result in huge returns when clinical trials led to drug regimens that could be sold to millions of people around the world. It was a gamble worth the risk as the returns could be great.

  They wanted to meet Damien and hear firsthand how his project was coming. Ferris did his best to hide the fact that Damien and Bennett had left the firm. When in Jay’s lab, the investors heard about the resounding success of Jays clinical trials. “If it continues this way, we’ll be releasing the first round of saleable drug regimens within a year,” said Jay.

  Karl kept his head down and listened to as much of the conversations as he could without being conspicuous. When one of the investors said, “I want to hear from Damien next,” Ferris tried to side step the comment. “Ferris, is there something you are holding back?” asked the investor standing next to Karl’s workstation.

  Not one to deceive anyone intentionally, Ferris said, “Damien and I had a falling out. He quit the other day. We are doing our best to resolve the issues that caused this. I assure you his project has not stalled in any way.”

  The investor looked straight at Ferris and said, “That’s not acceptable. We expect you to fix this and fix it quickly. He is the reason the project is moving forward, not his assistant, no matter how good she is. Fix it Ferris.” The investors moved out of Jay’s lab as a group with Ferris tagging behind.

  Karl kept to his work, but knew he had to get this information to Waverley as soon as possible. At lunch, he sent his blackmailer a text with the information he overheard. Within a minute of sending the text, his phone rang. It was Waverley. “That’s an interesting situation Ferris has himself in. Did you find out what happened to cause Damien to quit?”

  “No just that they had a falling out. I’m nosing around to see if anyone has more. If I find something, I’ll let you know.”

  “Actually this might make your job easier, Karl. With Damien out of the picture, you should be able to worm your way into his lab and get more information. People will talk more openly when something like this happens.”

  “I’ll try, sir,” said Karl as the pit in his stomach grew.

  “No, don’t try Karl, do it. Remember what I have on you,” snapped Waverley as he cut the call before Karl had a chance to reply.

  Ferris was exhausted after working through the daunting task of keeping his visiting investors happy. “I hate this Andrea,” he said as he slumped into the chair beside her desk. “We have to do something to get them back.”

  “I went to see them yesterday,” she said in a whisper. “They are very upset with us and I don’t blame them. We’ve lost their confidence and respect,” she added.

  “I know. I had no idea it was going to happen that way. I thought Nicholle and Rogers would ask him to help by befriending Karl and getting a bit more intimate with him. I had no idea they were going to pimp him out like that. I also didn’t know how close he was to Bennett. Damn, I’ve never been in such a mess before.”

  “Well there might be a way to reconcile with both of them. We talked about a plan I had and they said they would consider it.”

  “I’m all ears, please share it with me,” said Ferris showing his exhausted state of mind. “I’d do just about anything to get them back in good graces. And it’s not for the money, either. I really think we fucked up and hurting someone is not in my makeup. Tell me about this plan of yours.”

  Andrea spent the next hour outlining her plan. Some of which Ferris signed off on, other parts he objected to. Eventually they agreed on a working arrangement that might just resolve both issues getting Damien and Bennett back and putting Waverley behind bars. The only real obstacle was keeping Karl out of jail, too. He was an accomplice to a felony and that carried a long jail term.

  The text on Bennett’s phone was more than interesting. It read, are you at Damien’s’? If so, Ferris and I want to see both of you. Please meet with us.

  He showed it to Damien and asked, “How should I respond?”

  “I guess we should listen to them. Andrea posed an interesting idea yesterday. I just don’t kn
ow if I am capable of doing that to another person considering what happened to me,” said Damien as he paced the living room. “Text them back and tell them to come over.”

  A half hour later, Ferris and Andrea were sitting at Damien’s table with a dozen containers of Chinese takeout. “I know you two have been huddled up in here since you left so I figured you might enjoy this. I didn’t know what you liked, so I bought it all,” said Ferris with an embarrassed smile.

  Bennett acted as host while Damien sat with a subdued expression on his face. “We do love Chinese. I haven’t tried some of this so it’ll be good for me.” He sat next to Damien and filled his plate from several open containers.

  “So what brings you here Ferris?” asked Damien. “Why are you trying to win us back? Did your investors nail you today?”

  “Damien, I fucked up and I’ve been trying for days to figure out how to convey how annoyed I am with myself and how sorry I am for the way you were treated without just saying I’m sorry. Yeah, the investors nailed me today, but that’s not why I’m here. We, no, I need you. I think you are a remarkable researcher and you deserve to have the credit for all the work you’ve already accomplished. If you leave now, that credit will go to someone else who doesn’t deserve it.”

  “Really Ferris, you think I won’t get the credit? Let me make this clear. My work has my name all over it. I wrote those papers. My research is mine and even if you pull in the smartest brains, it remains mine. There’s nothing you can do to take that away from me.”

  Ferris sat back in a defeated manner and said, “Okay, so you move on and take your work with you. Will you be happy working for some money hungry drug company?”

  Andrea trying to keep the emotions at a manageable level said, “I know we hurt you Damien. And I know it will take time for us to win your respect back, but answer the question Ferris just asked. Would you be happier working somewhere else or would you rather work at Valentech?”

  Damien sat there is silence staring at his former employer. “I’ve loved working at Valentech. You made it a great place to work. The people I work with love it too. No I’m not sure I would be happier working someplace else. But how can I come back after this. How do I regain the respect of the others in the firm?” asked Damien.

  “Wait, you think everyone knows what happened?” asked Ferris.

  “Well don’t they? The rumor mill must be working overtime by now. How do we walk back in and pickup where we left off?”

  “Damien, no one knows what happened. I’m not that stupid. I’ve been telling people that you and I had a falling out, nothing more. People have no idea what happened.”

  “Nice job covering your ass, Ferris,” said Bennett. “So what is this great plan you want us in on?”

  Ferris and Andrea spelled out the plan. “In essence you would befriend Karl and let him think whatever he wants about his chances of developing a relationship with you. We don’t expect you to do anything beyond a friendship, but he will think differently if you work it right. During that period, you feed him information to give to Waverley. Nicholle has already tapped his cell phone so she is getting copies of his texts, and calls. As soon as he hands over the secrets you give him, the FBI can nab Waverley with the evidence.”

  “Why do we have to go that far? Can’t they nail him with the evidence they already have from Karl’s phone?” asked Bennett.

  “They are saying it’s not enough to convict him of anything but blackmailing Karl. At best he’d end up with a suspended sentence and probation. But if he has your secrets in his hands, they can nail him for industrial espionage which carries a major jail term,” replied Andrea.

  “What happens to Karl? He’d be the pawn in this. Wouldn’t they nail him, too?” asked Damien.

  “Yes, he’d be considered an accomplice and probably get a lighter sentence but he’d go to jail too,” said Ferris.

  “Then I won’t do it. I will not subject Karl to that. He is in over his head already. I am not going to be the reason he goes to jail,” screamed Damien. “You guys don’t get it do you? You’re just trading Karl for me. You’d put Karl behind bars so you can get me back. No, I won’t do it.” Damien got up and walked to the balcony.

  Bennett joined his friend at the railing. When he placed his hand on Damien’s back, Damien said, “I will not hurt him Bennett. I know what it’s like to get fucked by a guy you like. I can’t and won’t do it.”

  Bennett held Damien close as Ferris and Andrea watched from the table. “They really love each other, don’t they?” asked Ferris. “God, I so screwed up, how do we make this go away?”

  When the two men walked back to the table, Damien said, “Here’s what’s going to happen. You either do it my way or not at all.” He spelled out his ideas to his former bosses then sat in silence.

  “I understand what you are trying to do, but I’m not sure Nicholle would agree to that, Damien. I’ll have to pass it by her before we do anything further,” said Ferris with a concerned voice. “Are you saying that this is the only answer?”

  “Ferris it’s not up to Nicholle, it’s up to Bennett and me. You don’t ask her anything, you tell her this is the way it’s going down. It’s my way or I’m gone. I can’t speak for Bennett, but I think he totally agrees.”

  “Okay, when do you want to do this?” asked Andrea bypassing her boss. “Today is Friday. Do you want to do this over the weekend or next week?”

  “You call Nicholle right now and tell her we’re doing this tomorrow. If she balks, tell her she’s off the case. You can always fire Karl for some reason or another, but I think Waverley would cause him some terrible harm if you do. It’s time you grew a set of balls Ferris. You’re a nice guy to work for, but now you need to learn to protect your employees and investors, too,” said Bennett. “I do agree with Damien. If he leaves then so do I.”

  Ferris walked to the balcony and called Nicholle. From his side of the conversation it was obvious that Nicholle did not agree with the plan. Ferris got so frustrated with her arguments that he told her she was off the case and that he was going over her head. He clicked off the call and quickly made another one. He explained the entire situation to the person at the other end and waited for a response. “Thank you, my friend. I owe you big time for this. Yes say hello to your wife for me.”

  “Well she doesn’t want to do it our way. She thinks it’s too risky and won’t work. Her boss disagrees though. He felt, under the circumstances that this might be a better plan than Nicholle’s entrapment scheme. We’re on for tomorrow with or without Nicholle. We might have to fill in her replacement, so plan to be early,” said Ferris as he sat down.

  “Who did you call?” asked Bennett.

  “You may think I don’t have balls, son, but I’ve learned through the years that you don’t always need balls to win. A lot of people in this community consider Valentech a great company. They see the work we do as an asset to their world. I simply called Nicholle’s boss, who I play golf with every Wednesday morning. He’s a good guy and will work this out for us.”

  As Ferris and Andrea walked to the door, Ferris turned to Damien and said, “I know it’s just words to you right now, but I am truly sorry for what I allowed to happen. I hope I will earn your respect again.” He reached out and shook Damien’s hand. “See both of you at ten tomorrow morning.”

  When Bennett closed the door, he turned and said, “I am so in love with you right now. You are amazing. You realize you’ve gone up like ten notches on my respect scale. I hope your plan works.”

  Chapter 10

  A large loose-leaf book sat on the table in front of Hal. He turned it around and opened it. Everyone saw pages of the texts to and from Waverley printed out in front of their eyes. “When did you tap his phone?” asked Bennett.

  “Right after the first meeting we had. We knew this would get bigger and needed substantial evidence. The judge had no qualms with the tap, so we went ahead with it immediately.” Nicholle then pushed the play button
on a digital device allowing everyone in the room to hear, “Your job, Karl, is to get Damien in bed with your hot body and lure those secrets out of him. Don’t fuck this up, Karl. I have so much on you that you’ll spend the rest of your life in jail. Imagine how much sex those cons will demand from you then.”

  Damien turned bright red as he listened to the conversation. “Oh my god, that prick Waverley thinks I’m an easy target, doesn’t he? Just give me ten minutes with him before you send him to jail, that’s all I ask,” said Damien flushed in embarrassment and anger.

  “No, I don’t think the judge would like that Damien,” said Hal. “You’ll just have to be satisfied when we get the conviction. Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page here. If this is going to work, Karl has to be totally in the dark until the very end,” Hal reminded everyone in Ferris’ office.

  Damien and Bennett looked at each other with doubt on their faces. Neither wanted to hurt Karl, yet both needed to get Waverley out of the picture. “I just want to make sure we understand one thing before we move forward. I said I will not trade Karl for Waverley,” replied Damien.

  “We agreed to that concession, but I do feel we need to do it this way or he may run. We’ve seen this so many times in the past,” said Nicholle. “Damien, I know you don’t like my methods, but you will just have to trust that I know how to do my job.”

  Hal laid out the plan giving Bennett and Damien time to digest their parts. “Bennett, this will be difficult for you considering you and Damien are in a relationship. Are you sure you can go along with it?”

  Bennett sat there for a minute and said, “If there is no other way to do this than I guess I have no choice.”

  “Okay, I’ll contact Jay and tell him that Karl will be doing some work for me from time to time. I’ll offer to hire another intern if he gets bogged down,” said Ferris. “I expect this will get tough. Don’t expect Waverley to back down or give Karl any slack. Damien, you need to dig out that obsolete test project and make it look spectacular. Waverley will pass it to his research people. Remember your theses? You need to make it as strong as that or they will see the flaws. If they do, Karl, will be in big trouble with Waverley and our work will be for nothing,” said Ferris. “Are there any more questions? If not then let’s get going, we have a lot of work to do today.”