by Axl Goode
“If anyone finds out about this letter you will be in extreme danger. Do the right thing,” she whispered.
What was the right thing anyway? This made absolutely no sense. She had the sinking feeling that someone must be watching her. A chill ran down her spine. Who could it be and why?
Without knowing why, she had decided it was better to not tell Greg about the anonymous note she had received. Now she was questioning her judgment about not telling him the full truth. The mayor was her biggest and longest-lasting client. She wanted to keep him around because she was a loyal person. She took care of the people who were good to her. He had invested huge amounts of money with her early in her career when no one else would. It didn’t matter that she didn’t need him anymore and could replace him at any time thanks to her exceedingly good track record. She felt a sense of loyalty to him and wanted to give him every benefit of the doubt.
Sitting in her chair, she came to a solid conclusion. Something was definitely going on and she was going to get to the bottom of it. The first step was going to be confronting Frederickson himself. Pulling her keyboard closer, she typed out a short email to him.
Duane,
I have some unique investment opportunities I would like to discuss with you, along with a slight review of your existing investments. Could you come in next week for a meeting with me, please? I’m free Monday through Friday from 1pm-3pm all next week. Thanks in advance!
Brenley Meyers
Pressing send, she exhaled a long breath to try to calm her nerves. What would Zane do in this instance? Would he be the sleuth and follow the clues or let it go? Damn. Why am I thinking about him. Focus Brenley. You’re still at work. Feeling better about her day and the decision to resolve whatever was going on, she looked back down at her papers and continued with her work.
Chapter Six
Standing outside his office, Duane Frederickson smoked a cigarette, feeling stressed about his life and position as mayor. He had become mayor five years ago. He had always wanted to get involved with public service, and when he finally did, found he really enjoyed it. Frederickson had been careful to keep his life very private, making it nearly impossible for anyone to dig up any dirt on him. Being enshrouded in secrecy made his job as mayor infinitely easier.
He still had plenty of investments and stocks in different businesses, so he hadn’t completely forsaken the career he had built. In this aspect, he would say he even enhanced it since he was still making tons of money but also changing things about the city he had always thought needed to be done. His life had been going perfectly until several years ago.
He had been married for twenty-one years to his wife Kayla, sharing his life with a person whom he considered his best friend. They had three children together, which had improved and also hurt their relationship. It brought about a greater sense of familial bonding but he also found himself taking a backseat to his children’s needs. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the best for them, only that he wanted to be first in his wife’s eyes as well. He needed her to take care of his needs in their relationship. This rift caused them to slowly grow from a romantic relationship to being more of an effective team that lacked the passion he craved.
He had tried talking with her about it, explaining what he was feeling, yet it never seemed to get through to her. To her credit, she was a terrific mother but the traits that allowed her to take care of their kids so well also discouraged what he needed in their relationship.
He lit another cigarette, thinking back to right after he’d been elected five years ago. That was when it all started. At a banquet his eyes were drifting and that’s when he found Laura. She stood out the moment he saw her, wearing a long red dress that radiated sexiness. Her hair was down, flowing in long auburn locks behind her.
Frederickson gravitated toward her just to get a better look, then struck up a conversation with her. She was in her late twenties, attending the banquet with her “friend” just to serve as his eye candy. He was off talking with another group of people and had left her standing there, feeling awkward and out of place.
Frederickson couldn’t say why he wanted to know more about her but he did. She was mysterious and beautiful and he remembered feeling aroused just talking to her. It had been so long since he had this feeling with his wife. Surprising himself at the time, he ended up giving her his number, informing her that he was the mayor and if she ever needed anything to let him know. Whether it had been right or not, in the heat of the moment he had acted out of instinct.
She texted him a few days later, expressing how much she had enjoyed talking to him. She had said she would love to get a drink sometime and get to know him better. Of course, he hadn’t prevented himself from thinking about her for those few days. Jumping on the opportunity he responded back that he was free the next evening if she wanted to get together.
As the recently elected mayor, people all over the city knew his face. Instead of opting to go to a bar where someone might see them together and tell his wife, they decided to meet on his boat. He had explained to Laura that he was married and told her he wasn’t looking for anything other than friendship. However he had enjoyed their conversation so much that he wanted to get to know her better. Laura had expressed that all she wanted was friendship as well, so they met once a week out on his boat for the next several months.
She was fascinating to him, giving details of her incredible life story while also maintaining an air of mysteriousness. He wondered why she was there with him, someone who was twenty years older and far from his prime. She hadn’t had the easiest life, working hard to make ends meet each week. She worked at a clothing store and was a struggling actress on the side. It was sad to see she was paid so little that she couldn’t make her payments each month.
They were friends, not to mention he had plenty of money, so he started giving her some to help out. She never asked for it, but he knew she appreciated it when she would find a thousand dollars slipped inside her purse after their meetings. The first time he had done it, it had taken her three days to find it. She had messaged him thinking she was in trouble and someone was setting her up for stealing something. Her naivety was a virtue that made him smile. It was all too easy to please her.
One night in October a few months after they met, the weather had been perfect. They both sat on the front of his boat talking, feeling more tipsy than usual after sharing several glasses of wine. That was when the topic of his marriage came up. Needing to talk about his unhappiness, he spilled it all to her. To his astonishment, she understood his situation and said she was lonely herself, never having anyone she could count on in her life.
Locking eyes, they both shared a moment of mutual understanding. Then she leaned over and kissed him, her soft lips brushing up against his. Instantly his entire body ignited with passion.
After she pulled back, staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes in the moonlight, he knew there was no resisting. He leaned over, kissing her lips, running his tongue through the inside of her mouth. She tasted so delicious, twirling her tongue around his. Frederickson hadn’t kissed anyone like this in nearly twenty years. His cock throbbed, full of desire. She breathed heavily as her breasts pushed up against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.
Her hands rubbed down his arms then unbuttoned his shirt, running over his chest. He slid down, kissing her neck and toying with her earlobe. Hearing her release a slight moan only drove his passion further. His entire body had tightened in anticipation of what was to come. Slipping his hand down her back he had unzipped the back of her dress, slowly pulling the straps down off her shoulders while still kissing her neck eagerly.
Bringing up his left hand, he cupped her right breast, reveling in the glorious feel of it. It had been so long since he had felt a woman’s body as beautiful as Laura’s. He moved back up to kissing her tender lips again before working his mouth down over her nipples. He took his time, playing with them, twirling his tongue around them until t
hey were firm and then gave them a playful nibble, eliciting an even louder moan.
Barely able to contain himself, he reached his left hand down, running it along the inside of her leg all the way up to where her panties should be and feeling nothing but soft wet flesh. Laura moved her hands down, unfastening his pants, trying to pull them off him. Lifting himself he quickly pulled his pants all the way off, feeling his cock throb as Laura grabbed it with her hand. As she slowly started stroking up and down his length, she let loose another breathy moan.
Looking into her eyes, he rolled on top of her as she guided his cock to her soaking wet sex. His entire body was flooded with a flash of intense energy. Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer to her. He slid his right arm underneath her while bringing his left up to the side of her face and holding himself up. He slowly started pumping his cock in and out of her, soaking in how amazing it felt to be inside her. She breathed heavily in his ear as he sank his cock deeper and deeper inside her. He sped up, finding himself so uncontrollably turned on he knew he wouldn’t last very long.
Lifting his body up, he grabbed her sides with a firm grip. Speeding up the cadence of his thrusting, he drove into her harder and harder.
Moaning heavily now, Laura screamed for him not to stop so he pounded away. Her entire body convulsed and he felt her orgasm all over him. That nearly pushed him over the edge. He felt his own orgasm rising.
“I want you to come in my mouth. I want to taste you and swallow you!” Laura managed between moans.
He pulled his throbbing cock out. Laura sat up as he stood and without a second’s hesitation took his cock in her sweet warm mouth. Her eager lips moved up and down his shaft with a voracious appetite. Feeling his entire body tense, wave after wave of euphoria passed through him. He exploded into her mouth for what felt like eternity. The entire time she never stopped, swallowing the entirety of his cock until finally he was done and she had sucked every last drop from the tip.
He looked down at Laura and she looked back up at him with his cock in her mouth. In that moment, he knew that he would do anything to keep her. They lay back down, holding each other and breathing heavily.
She gasped, “I have been wanting to do that for a very long time.”
Agreeing, he could only smile and nod.
That was the best night of my life in a very long time, he thought as his surroundings came back to him. That and every time he got to see her since then. They had gone crazy over each other and he only came to care for her more. Wanting to take care of her more, he started slipping two thousand dollars in her purse each week. They had met all over the city whenever time would allow and in all sorts of hotels.
It seemed to be the perfect situation because he could maintain his marriage while also having the satisfaction that he wanted in a partner. He wanted to run for the US Senate after being mayor and needed a stable family background and support team to do it. No one knew anything about Laura and she seemed perfectly content to have him on the side like she did.
Standing outside still, he knew it was too early to have a drink but he didn’t care. He walked back into his office and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Everything had been perfect until December, two months after they had first slept together. He had received a package containing photographs of him with Laura in multiple places and times. Not only did this anonymous person have that evidence, they also had records of him calling on her behalf to get her out of a few speeding citations. As well as proof that he had used money from the city to obtain hotel rooms that were supposed to be for work but he had used for personal affairs.
He knew he was receiving this information and the package because someone wanted something. Furthermore, this person had gone to a lot of trouble to guarantee that they would get whatever it is they wanted. He wasn’t going to piss his entire career away by having this go public. It would ruin his chances as a potential senator and his wife owned half of everything he had. It would be a financial disaster if she found out and besides that, he didn’t want to lose her. He did the only thing he could and waited for the demands.
It was several weeks later when they came, delivered by registered mail informing him of a list of things that would be required. The letter explained that the anonymous blackmailer had no interest in using the information. Instead the blackmailer wanted the mayor do things they couldn’t, including deterring police activity in certain areas. He would also need to decrease the active pursuit of human trafficking and drug enforcement using whatever influence he had.
The biggest thing though, was receiving funds in order to invest them for the blackmailer. They had large sums of money, which if they tried to invest would raise flags with the IRS. However someone of Duane Frederickson’s station could easily invest them without suspicion. The blackmailer clearly had plenty of information on him because they wanted him to use Brenley Meyers, whom he already had active accounts with.
It had taken him several days of mulling it over before he gave in to the demands. He had considered trying to hire a private detective but knew that it would only result in the truth coming out. He set up a new business as a consultant on the side as a front for receiving the illegal funds. With the business account in place, the money started trickling into the account. It was slow and steady but didn’t take long to reach huge amounts.
Frederickson had to admit it was genius. The first year the blackmailer would lose money but with the return rate of Brenley Meyers, their money would start to increase exponentially. He had no idea who had set him up, but they were clearly highly intelligent.
After the last five years, he had done things he never thought he would to protect the things he held dear. He still had Laura, his family, his career and his political status. Unfortunately it was all at the expense of having to compromise his morals. Now he was in a position he never wanted to be, at the mercy of someone who had discovered his secret. He had received a tip from his blackmailer, saying that Brenley Meyers somehow suspected his funds were not entirely his own. He made up a story and called the bank under the pretension that someone was tampering with his account.
After receiving an email from Brenley, he knew that if he didn’t take action quickly things could spiral out of control. She had said she wanted to discuss investment opportunities but he knew better. The only reason she was contacting him was to put him through an inquisition about his existing funds. That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
After keeping up this charade for the last five years, he decided nothing was going to ruin it now. He had been put in contact with some questionable characters over the last few years in order to take care of more discreet affairs. He decided it was time for him to utilize their services again. He picked up the phone, resolving to put a swift end to any meddling.
Chapter Seven
Jogging down the trail, Brenley soaked up the crisp evening wind flowing past her. The October weather was perfect. Brenley tried to run at least three times a week. It was the best tension relief she had. She didn’t know how long she had been running today, only that it felt incredible. She felt free.
As she made her way down the trail, Brenley slowly became aware of a lingering presence. Another runner had been trailing behind her at the exact same distance since she started. Thinking she was being paranoid, she decided to branch off at the next fork and pick up her pace. The other runner did the same. It was hardly conclusive evidence, but it still startled her. A wave of adrenaline pumped through her body.
Quit being paranoid. Why would someone be following you? It’s not as if you’re anyone important or know some big secret. Or do I?
It had seemed a little odd that Frederickson called to inquire about someone tampering with his account. It went along with the anonymous tip she received. Several days had passed since she had emailed him. The only response she had received was from his secretary stating that he was indisposed for the next several weeks but would schedule an appointment when he was available.
/> It wasn’t unheard of for the mayor to be unavailable, but it never happened for Brenley. He was always interested in how the investments were doing. The evasive behavior seemed strange. Perhaps it was nothing but she didn’t believe in coincidence.
Brenley decided that if someone was following her then they probably weren’t up to any good. Making a split-second decision as she came into her community square, she quickly veered from the trail onto the sidewalk, thinking she could lose her follower there. Speeding up a little more, her lungs were beginning to burn at maintaining the grueling pace. She took a sharp right turn, then a left, cutting through a parking garage to a different street. Slowing down to a normal pace, she kept running for another block when her follower suddenly popped out from a side alley, back in close pursuit.
Damn! Her heart sank. Something was definitely suspicious about this situation. Cutting across the street, she sped up in hopes of reaching a location where there were more people. She turned left to head for a restaurant and—BAM. She ran smack into what felt like a brick wall. Bouncing backward and falling down, she panicked, thinking it must be another follower. Reacting out of instinct and fear, she screamed hysterically for a few moments before realizing who it was.
Looking up, she resisted the urge to scream again seeing the looming figure towering over her. Built powerfully of muscle, with his hair hanging down to his shoulders, stood Zane Anthony with a horrified look plastered across his face.
Of course I just had to run into him. He couldn’t help it that he was built like a tank. Before she could react, Zane reached down with both hands, pulling her up and apologizing at the same time.
“Oh my god, Brenley. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking at all. Are you okay?” he asked with the most sincere look of affection she had ever seen.
