by K. T. Tomb
“It’s not here.”
“That’s strange; I wonder why.”
“I can’t say. In any case, I wasn’t having sex with that woman. There were several of us in a private room celebrating with Chan. I tried to keep my distance from the crowd and the goings on without seeming contentious about it. It’s obvious that no one thought they were being photographed. As I was about to excuse myself and leave, that half naked woman dragged me into another room. She pushed me into the chair and kneeled in front of me. She started undoing the front of my pants and that’s what you see in the photo. Then she said it was a hundred to watch her dance, five hundred for a blow job and a thousand to have sex with her. Immediately, I knew what was going on and I stopped her, made my excuses and left.”
“It doesn’t seem the others minded the arrangements as much as you did, though.”
“Clearly they didn’t.”
“It’s the same sort of decor in all the pictures and some of the women are the same too. Do you think they were all taken at the club?”
“I would say so.”
“Will, someone has been using these pictures to blackmail Thorn employees and some of your clients too. Did they blackmail you?”
“Do you think it’s why Zach was framed?”
“I’m thinking that’s pretty obvious now, but I have to wonder where this person got the pictures and the information from. And I also think that’s the piece of the puzzle that might explain everything quite clearly as to what the hell is going on at Thorn Industries.”
“I was blackmailed and afterwards, I was told that the pictures had been destroyed.”
“How much?”
“The person didn’t want money. They wanted me to stay clear of Thorn Alpharetta and keep it that way for as long as it took. I just kept myself busy in Caracas and waited for when I’d be told otherwise. I knew you would find this out; I was just really confident that my pictures had been destroyed like I was promised.”
“Oh come on, Will. Didn’t you think they would ensure they had their collateral until their reached that goal? How else would they ensure that you kept up your end of the bargain? How do you know the cameras weren’t planted?”
“I figured they must have been. I didn’t recall there being any photographers. None of the guys would have stood for that.”
“I see. It might be that Lue-Sang was taking pictures of his club’s clientele in compromising positions. That would explain why he isn’t in any of them. But unless he was doing the blackmailing, which he wasn’t, it doesn’t explain who got a hold of them. Dammit!”
“What?”
“It just seems like every time I think I’m about to solve this damn case something else crops up to muddy the waters.”
“Well, the only person at the party whose photo isn’t here is Lue-Sang, which means either none were taken of him or he already managed to get them back.”
“Will, I think you just hit the nail right on the head. I’ve got to get Rebecca checking that out right away. Excuse me while I give her a call.”
Aurora went to retrieve her phone from her purse.
“Rebecca?”
“Yes Aurora, I’m here.”
“I think we have our next major lead.”
“Did you talk to Will?”
“Yes, I did. It was a setup. A launch party at a client’s strip club, and it seems the private rooms are rigged with cameras.”
“Are you kidding me? How did the blackmailer get them? Were they in on it?”
“Somehow, I don’t think so. But I also don’t know how they got hold of the pictures, either. Here’s what I do think happened, though.”
“Yes, go on.”
“I think that whoever got hold of them knew immediately what their potential was. I think that all they did was beat the club owner, Chan Lue-Sang, to his end game by blackmailing these men before he could. Also, none of Chan’s pictures are in the set, which makes me think that the club owner’s ransom exchange is what sparked the whole Hong Kong fiasco.”
“Oh, my God, Aurora!” Rebecca exclaimed.
“I need you to find out more about this Lue-Sang guy and be careful, Rebecca. I really think he could be very dangerous.”
“Okay boss lady. I’ll get started right away. Are you coming back here tonight?”
“Rebecca, don’t be a smartass. I’ll see you later.”
Aurora hung up the call and turned back to Will. He looked so pitiful there, fanning out the photos on the table over and over again as if he hoped the outcome of their content would somehow change. She stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I can’t allow you to destroy my evidence Will, so don’t even think about it. But I can promise you that I will never reveal the existence of the pictures of any innocent party. I do retain the right to use these as evidence in court or turn any over to the authorities any that implicates illegal activity. Do you understand?”
He slowly nodded his head and Aurora gathered the pictures and returned them to their envelope.
“Aurora,” he said softly, “I can’t even begin to tell you how embarrassed I am about this whole thing. I never thought those pictures would see the light of day again and that’s the only reason I kept it from you. I’m so ashamed.”
“Why? You didn’t do anything. But I hope you’ve learned your lesson now. As long as we are together, I don’t want any more surprises. I need you to tell me everything so I can judge the best course of action. How can I vouch for you with anyone if you keep throwing me curveballs? How can I trust you if you don’t level with me about everything? So tell me now, is there anything else I should know about Thorn Industries or anything else for that matter?”
“There’s nothing else that you don’t already know, Aurora.”
“Okay.”
“I can’t stand that you feel you can’t trust me. It’s not how I wanted this whole thing to turn out.”
“What are you saying, Will?”
“Aurora, I’m in love with you. I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time. My feelings began as a great adoration for everything you’ve done for my dad, but somewhere along the line, that changed. When I realized that Zach had used you and thrown you away like so many girls before, I was furious. I couldn’t understand how he couldn’t see that you were special. I lost my temper, but I lost it at you as well. Then when I caught him attacking you in that powder room, I knew I was in love with you. My heart wouldn’t have hurt so much if I didn’t love you.”
Aurora turned away from him at that moment, overwhelmed by what he had said. The possibility that Will’s feelings for her were so deep had never crossed her mind, but she couldn’t deny that she felt the same way. His appearance in her life had filled a void that no other man had ever been able to. She had disregarded it as the pangs of hero love, but she knew deep inside that there was more to it.
When he grasped her slender waist in his strong hands and spun her around to face him, a gasp of surprised escaped from her lips. It was immediately silenced by Will’s hungry kiss. He wrapped both arms around her, moving one to the small of her back just in time to support her as she swooned against his. Their kiss was deep and sensual; a kiss shared by lovers who were rediscovering the nuances of their passion for each other. When he released her lips, they were both on fire.
He guided her to sit on his lap and rest her head on his shoulder for a moment.
“There’s an award ceremony next Friday at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The company will be fêting its top performing employees of the year and all our biggest clients will be there as well. Everyone in your files will be there. Why don’t you come with me? It might help you find out some more.”
“Are you asking me out on a date, Will Thorn?”
“Well, you could come as my date.”
“I think it’s a great idea.”
“Wonderful.”
Aurora stood and walked to the base of the stairs, then turned back to l
ook at Will seated on the sofa.
“I’m going upstairs. I’d like very much for you to join me, Mr. Thorn.”
Chapter Twelve
Thorn Industries,
Alpharetta, Georgia
“Mr. Thorn,” Cheryl, his assistant, called from the door. “Mr. O’Conner has arrived, sir. Shall I show him in?”
“Uh, yes Cheryl, please do.”
Will took his seat behind the big, oak desk and leaned back. This was going to be very interesting. He secretly looked forward to seeing Derrick O’Conner squirm in his presence. As usual, O’Conner walked into the room as if he owned it; he even looked a little irritated to have been called into the boss’ office.
“Good morning, Will,” he said, offering his hand over the table.
Forever the gracious one, Will stood and shook his hand cordially before inviting him to take a seat and sitting down himself.
“I doubt you know why I asked you to come see me today, Max. I have to tell you it does not give me any pleasure broaching this subject with you.”
“Gosh Will, you sound like you’re about to tell me that my wife died.”
“Oh, you may wish it after you see this.”
Will tossed the envelope of photographs across the table and leaned back. He watched as O’Conner picked it up and opened it, sliding the pictures out. The smug look of self confidence that Max always wore melted slowly from his face.
“Will, what the hell is this?”
“Come on, Max. You know what it is. When did they first approach you?”
“Will, I don’t even know how to start explaining...”
“Just tell me everything. Do not leave anything out. This could be the difference between you staying a victim of this whole racket and becoming a suspect in a corporate espionage case.”
Outside the office, Cheryl stood on the other side of Will’s door, trying to catch some of what the men were saying. She was so preoccupied with her eavesdropping that she never heard the elevator door open or saw Robin Thorn alighting from it. When he spotted the misbehaving secretary, he cleared his throat loudly.
“Oh, Mr. Thorn! I, um, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I don’t make appointments to see my brother.”
“Well, Mr. Thorn is in a very important meeting. He asked not to be disturbed.”
“Really? Who is he in with?”
“Derrick O’Conner.”
“Then it must be serious business. I won’t barge in on them... but I will wait. Get me a cup of coffee would you, dear? Sugar and cream.”
“Certainly, Mr. Thorn.”
***
With a loud sigh, Derrick started telling Will his story.
“Well, Will, you were there at Lue-Sang’s club that night too, so I don’t need to tell you what happened, other than I didn’t have the presence of mind or the restraint to leave like you did. Of course the photos are authentic. I did everything they imply that I did. I got a call from a man about two weeks before the Kong Kong incident to say that he knew everything I did that night and that he had pictures. He said he would send me transaction details in a day of so and after that I would have seven days to deposit $100,000 into a numbered account so that he wouldn’t pay my wife a personal visit.”
“What did you do after that?”
“Damn, Will, Come on. I was ready to pay the money of course. But then the whole Zach thing happened and the exchange details never came through. The clincher is that a couple of days ago, I got a call from someone demanding $150,000 instead in order to not release the photos.”
“Did you recognize the voice?”
“No, they used one of those digitizer things both times. They gave me until tomorrow at 3 p.m. to make a drop. I’m supposed to go to the corner of Pine and Lovejoy down near the old Techwood Homes area and look for a trash can marked 333, place the bag in it and leave.”
“Are you going to pay?”
“Christ, Will. This is my family we’re talking about; of course I’m going to pay and I’ll keep paying if I have to, just to keep this under wraps.”
It was unusual for Derrick O’Conner to lose his cool. Will wanted so badly to be enjoying it but he couldn’t find the heart to revel in Derrick’s misfortune. He was also incredibly curious as to who the blackmailer was.
“Relax, O’Conner. I want you to do the drop, but let me give you the money. I’m going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.”
After discussing the details of the plan a little further, Will walked Derrick to the door and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Whoever it is, we’ll catch them.”
“Okay, boss.”
Will watched as O’Conner got onto the elevator and the doors closed before he turned to go back into his office. As he turned, he noticed his brother seated in the waiting area sipping a cup of coffee and of course, waiting to be acknowledged.
“Robin?”
“Oh, Will, is your meeting finished? I was asked quite sternly by Cheryl not to disturb you.”
“I am finished, yes.”
“May I have a word then?”
“I have an important phone call to make. Give me about five minutes.”
“Very well.”
Will rolled his eyes as he walked back into his office without answering him. He was well aware that he was walking a fine line with Will since the incident at his house in Atlanta. Will decided to put him off for a few more minutes while he hurried to call Aurora to update her.
“Aurora?”
“Hi, Will.”
“Oh, I am glad I caught you before you went into your meeting. I just spoke to Derrick O’Conner.”
“Really? What did he have to say?”
“Well, it seems he is still being blackmailed by someone. He got a ransom call two days ago.”
“So, the blackmailer has gone back to business now that the Hong Kong business is out of the way. We can only hope that this is the actual initiator.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for as well. I told him to do the drop and that I’ll take care of everything. We will need to have surveillance all over that.”
“Oh, definitely. I think we should...”
At that moment, Will’s office door burst open and in stormed his brother.
“Aurora, I’ll talk to you when I see you later.”
He hung up the phone and sat staring at Robin, fuming.
“What do you want? I have no interest in arguing with you about my private life any further. I already told you, you can accept her or you will no longer be a part of my life.”
“Will, please. I didn’t come to argue, but I did come to reason with you.”
“About what, Robin? Aurora is finally a part of my life and that is not negotiable. I’m really sick and tired of this ping-ponging back and forth with you; I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
“Will, I’m begging you. Please forget about her. She is no good for you, it’s not a good match. There are so many more suitable women that we know. You’ve even dated a few of them.”
“Like who? The Adelaide’s daughter or the Mitchell’s? Forget it. I love Aurora, I always have and if you can’t accept us as a couple, then the choice is yours. She is a part of my life; you should decide if you want to continue to be a part of it too.”
“Will...”
“I’ve said all there is to say, Robin. Please leave my office and make your decision.”
Will sat back in his chair and watched him leave. Robin didn’t huff and puff, he just walked out, almost dejected. He had won and Robin would stop fighting him over it now, but it might be that he would never speak to him again.
***
La Guardia Private Terminal,
New Jersey
The plane landed at the airport on time and as they stepped out into the private hangar, Aurora tried not to seem overwhelmed by Will’s lifestyle. They had been served filet mignon medium rare, just how she liked it, accompanied by mashed potatoes with a
garnish of sour cream and caviar and sipped a red, full bodied Côtes du Rhône, followed by smooth cognac during the trip. She was completely sated.
The steward extended his hand to help her down the aircraft steps and as she took his hand, she looked back to see Will smiling broadly at her. He looked so happy and she couldn’t say that she didn’t feel the same way. Being with him these last days had bordered on surreal for her. Emotions that she had thought long dead had been reignited and bellowed into an inferno by the prowess of maturity and understanding. They were no longer two unsure adolescents playing at love making; they were two experienced adults insatiably exploring the boundaries of their passion. It had taken all they had to restrain themselves while onboard; that and the fact that the steward now holding her hand had been extremely attentive to them both, leaving them hardly a private moment.
As they sat in the town car, Will could no longer bear it and as soon as the door was shut, he locked the doors and quickly took her in his arms. They kissed passionately and while Aurora’s hands went around his neck and into his luxurious hair, Will head dipped instinctively to the perfumed valley between her breasts. He was intoxicated by her perfume. The scent had become so familiar to him, almost a beacon of sexuality that he could not resist. As he kissed the tops of her breasts tenderly, a knock came on the divider and they paused. He touched the intercom button.
“Yes, Joseph?” he said, sounding a little irritated.
“Umm, excuse me, sir, but where to?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Will replied, embarrassed. “We should be going to the apartment at the Waldorf, but I’d like to make a few stops first. Take us to Lexington and Fifty Fifth East.”
“Very good, sir.”
He turned off the intercom and pressed another button marked DND and returned his gaze to Aurora. All that time, he had not let her go, and he positioned himself so she was reclined in his arms again.
“We have forty five minutes.”
“How do you know that?”
“I shop a lot when I come to New York,” he said, smiling, “but with the ‘Do not Disturb’ on, Joseph will find every traffic jam between here and Lexington Avenue.”
