Her Perfect Revenge

by Anna Mara

  "It's not Stanley. It's… Bill Havenwood."

  Jenny spit out her wine, spraying it onto Christina's blouse. "What?" Jenny choked out.

  Other patrons turned their heads to stare at the commotion.

  Christina lowered her voice. "Before you start screaming, hear me out." She eyed Jenny as she wiped at the stain.

  And for the next ten minutes, Christina gave Jenny a blow-by-blow account of what had happened and her devil's bargain with Bill Havenwood. When she'd finished, Christina studied Jenny's face. "Well?" she tepidly inquired.

  "I don't like it," Jenny announced. "You're the one who's going to get hurt, not him."

  "Not this time, Jenny; I've got the upper hand."

  Jenny shook her head 'no'. "Guys like him always win in the end, Christina. And from what you've said about the father, he sounds just as bad."

  "Are you going to support me or lecture me because I'm telling you now, I'm going through with this, no matter what."

  "Chrissy, please, think about it some more…"

  "No more thinking. Are you going to help me?"

  Jenny scrutinized her friend's determined face. She sighed. "You know I will. So what do you want me to do?"

  Christina reached into her purse and pulled out a key. She gave it to Jenny. "This is a spare key to my apartment. Just keep an eye on the place and pick up my mail. I may have a few bills that need to be mailed out on certain days so my checks won't bounce, so I'll leave them on the kitchen table for you to mail. I'll come back and forth during the month but I may not be able to get back to the apartment everyday."

  "Anything else?"

  Christina wrote the Havenwood address on a napkin. "This is where I'll be. If you need to reach me, call me on my cell. Don't come by the place whatever you do. Billy Havenwood might recognize you. You were at that school a lot longer than me and he might remember you."

  "That's true. I was there for almost six months before I left."

  "Right. He doesn't remember me but if he sees you, it might trigger some neurons in that booze-soaked, fried brain of his and then he might connect you to me and game over."

  "Got it."

  Content, Christina smiled. "Now, let's eat this overpriced slop before it gets cold." She pointed to her plate.

  Jenny laughed. "I'm sure it tastes better than crow which is what you'll be eating if this thing backfires on you."

  * * *

  After lunch, Jenny went back to work and Christina went back to her apartment but not before stopping at a newsstand to buy ten different magazines.

  On entering her flat, Christina checked her answering machine for messages. There were none. So Havenwood hadn't called and it was after 1 p.m.? Interesting. But Christina wasn't worried. She knew he would call.

  Now—to begin her plan…

  Christina dumped all the magazines she'd bought onto the table. She then retrieved scissors, glue and an envelope from a kitchen drawer, and went to work. Christina was going to send Billy Havenwood a blackmail letter through the mail—with cutup magazine alphabet pasted together to form sentences on paper—just like they did in the movies.

  And why was she doing this? She needed to know whether he truly did have secrets—and this was one way to flush it out of him.

  Christina reasoned that she'd send him this anonymous blackmail letter and watch his reaction. If the only secret he was hiding was their phony engagement, Bill would show her the letter so that they could compare notes on who might have sent it. If he didn't show it to her, then—bingo—she'd know he definitely did have more secrets to hide… and she'd find them.

  It was quite clever—her little plan. And it would work too. Christina was sure of it.

  Chapter 20

  Her phone rang after 3 p.m. Christina knew who it was before she even answered it. "Hello?"

  "Christina, it's Bill Havenwood."

  She knew that. "Hello, Mr. Havenwood." She made herself sound cool.

  "I was wondering… would you have dinner with me tonight?" Christina didn't respond. "Christina?" He sounded anxious—and nervous.

  "Why?" She was going to make this as difficult for him as she could.

  "I've been to a lawyer and had an agreement drawn up…just like you wanted. I've got a private table at Carbiri's and I can pick you up at 7."

  So, he'd done what she'd asked. He really was desperate. "No thanks. I'll make my own way there."

  He breathed a sigh of relief. "Great; see you then."

  "See you then."

  Christina shut her cell phone.

  So—a private table at Carbiri's? La di da, he was sparing no expense.

  * * *

  They were seated opposite each other at a private booth away from prying eyes. Carbiri's was full but the crowd was reserved and elegant. Everybody was minding his or her own business.

  Christina had taken a cab there and on her way, had mailed her 'blackmail letter' to Bill. She figured that if she were to move into the mansion tomorrow, he should receive the letter the day after that—and she'd be there to see what he'd do and how he'd react.

  Now, sitting across from him, Christina's heart fluttered a little. Dressed in an expensive suit and tie—another Armani probably—Bill Havenwood looked every bit as handsome as he had the night before. And she'd seen the admiring glances from some of the women that had passed by their booth.

  Bill was speaking again and Christina re-focused on him.

  "I managed to keep my old man at bay by telling him you needed more time to pack before moving in," he said.

  "And what did he say to that?"

  "That you'd better be there by tomorrow."

  Christina gave a little laugh. "Does your father always get what he wants?"

  Bill gave her a steady look. "I don't know; you tell me."

  Christina smiled. She was playing her part so well, she was proud of herself. "Mr. Havenwood, last night I…"

  He interrupted her. "Can you please stop calling me Mr. Havenwood? My name is Bill." He sounded irritated.

  "I know what your name is." And it wasn't Bill, it was 'asshole', Christina thought to herself.

  He gave her a smirk of resignation as he read her mind. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

  "Do I have to?"

  "No, you don't. You just have to pretend to love me."

  The air in the booth sizzled with tension as she studied him with a disgusting look—the kind you'd give a bug you've just squashed under your shoe. Bill knew she didn't like him—he could see it in her eyes—but he didn't care. He was so goddamned attracted to her right now he could barely sit still.

  She was beautiful and smart and something else—he couldn't quite put his finger on.

  Yes—he was attracted to her, all right and he'd had enough experience with women to know that despite her feelings of dislike towards him, she was attracted to him too. He had caught the fleeting glances she'd given him last night and just now, when she'd thought he wasn't looking. And he could feel the chemistry between them—even sitting like this across from each other in a public restaurant—it was there—whether she was willing to admit it to herself or not—it was there.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the legal contract he'd had drawn up that morning and a ring box. He placed them both in front of her.

  "I went to a very discreet lawyer that my father has never heard of and had that drawn up this morning, as my lady commanded." He carefully studied her reaction.

  Christina reached for the document and unfurled it open.

  She quickly scanned the contents. Even though Christina wasn't a lawyer, she could make enough of it out to know that it clearly spelled out the terms of the bargain that they'd agreed to last night—her month-long 'engagement' to him in exchange for cancellation of her $56,000 debt.

  As she was scanning it, she spotted the last clause. It basically said that if his father were to discover the contents of this agreement through any means of hers, the agreement would
become null and void and she'd have to pay Bill the money after all. So—the bastard didn't trust her completely, did he? Well, Christina had no intention of telling William about this little agreement but she had every intention of telling him anything else she might find out about his son.

  Christina reached into her purse for a pen and signed the document.

  Bill was surprised. "Don't you want to take it to a lawyer first?"

  "Why? Shouldn't I trust you?" She gave him a full-on glare.

  He gave her one of those Havenwood sly smirks that she hated so much. "You can trust me, Christina."

  Christina smiled back. "Good, I'm glad…Bill." She was proud of her Oscar-worthy performance so far tonight.

  And had he actually smiled at her when he'd heard her call him by his first name just now? Interesting. Maybe she should start being nicer to him and have him lower his defenses? After all, you could catch more flies with honey—or in this case, a big cockroach named Bill Havenwood.

  She refolded the contract and handed it back to him.

  Unbeknownst to them both, a very interested pair of female eyes was secretly watching them from across the room.

  When the woman saw Christina sign the document, her cat eyes narrowed dangerously. And they turned even more deadly, when she saw Bill open what looked like a ring box…

  * * *

  "What do you think?" Bill was holding the open ring box in front of Christina.

  The box was marked Tiffany's and the square cut diamond ring inside looked to be about six carats. It was vulgar, flashy and ostentatious, not Christina's style at all.

  She raised her eyes to him. "How much did that thing cost?"

  "$250,000."

  "What?" Christina gasped.

  Bill smiled at her stunned expression. It was the first time he'd really seen her at a loss for a smart, witty comeback.

  "It's what my bastard father would expect a Havenwood to wear… and he'll also choke on the bill when he gets it. It's a win-win situation for me," Bill laughed.

  "But…" The cost of the ring had thrown Christina off her game. With that kind of money, she could put a down payment on a house, buy a car, take a trip, so many things. "It's so expensive!" she gushed.

  Bill laughed again. "Not to me."

  Christina raised her eyes to his. "What's a quarter of a million to a billionaire, right?"

  "Something like that, especially when it's daddy's money."

  To her, that kind of money could change her life but to him it was a piss in the ocean. Well, let's see what it'll mean to you, Billy Havenwood, when you end up with nothing by the end of this month.

  And he didn't completely trust her about the ring either. She'd read the clause in the contract that stipulated the ring would have to be returned intact when the engagement had been terminated otherwise she would be liable for it's replacement cost. It hadn't said what that cost was. She was already in debt to him for fifty-six grand. She certainly didn't want to add another two hundred and fifty thousand to that. Christina was going to have to be very careful with this extraordinary piece of jewelry.

  Bill popped the ring out of its box and reached across the table for her hand.

  "What are you doing?" Christina tried to pull her hand free but he was holding on tight.

  "Making it official." He started to slip the ring on her left hand.

  "I can do it myself, thank you." Everything was suddenly becoming too real for her and she was feeling uncomfortable.

  "No, I'll do it." Determined, he finished slipping it on and admired his work. He raised his twinkling, teasing eyes up to hers. "How about a kiss?"

  Christina tugged her hand out of his grasp. "Go to hell."

  Bill laughed uproariously. "And it's official; we're engaged."

  Bill was thrilled with how well everything had gone tonight. He'd been prepared to have to beg for Christina's help but once again she'd completely surprised him. She'd agreed to everything without a hiccup and the entire evening had progressed smoothly.

  It was obvious she'd done some thinking of her own overnight and come to the realization that she would benefit from this arrangement as much as he would. There was something in it for him and there was something in it for her.

  Smart girl.

  He studied her now as she studied the enormous glittering rock on her finger. She was even more beautiful tonight, if that was possible, and seeing her like this—with his ring on her finger—gave him goosebumps, good goosebumps. What would it have been like if this had been a real engagement between them, if she'd agreed to marry him for real, if he was going to have the promise of a family of his own?

  Nah, that was nonsense. He'd never really thought about marriage before—hell he'd never really thought about anything before—except for the booze. But now, today, when his head was clear—he was suddenly thinking about it.

  Bill gave his 'fiancée' another admiring perusal. Wonder what she looked like naked with only the ring on, he thought to himself?

  Christina chose that moment to look up at him.

  "We're now bound together, you know," he teased.

  "For one month."

  He smiled at her attempt to keep everything business-like. He admired that about her. Every woman he'd ever known had been a pushover and they'd spoiled him; made him soft. Not this one. He'd have to be the one to fight for anything he wanted from her. And want did he want from her? Deep down, he didn't really know.

  "When do you want Summers to pick you up tomorrow?" he questioned, breaking his line of thought.

  Christina pretended to act shocked. "You mean my fiancé isn't going to carry me across the threshold himself?"

  His smile dropped. "I've got appointments tomorrow. Sorry." And he did have a lot to do—commitments he didn't want anyone finding out about.

  "Three in the afternoon should be fine. I'll be ready then."

  Christina had seen the change in him, how he'd gone from smiling to dour and evasive when he'd had to answer for his time tomorrow. Yes—there were secrets there to be uncovered. Christina was elated to know her intuition had been right all along.

  * * *

  When Christina had been reading Bill's legal document, William Sr. was also reading a copy of that very same document in his company office. A private detective named Mackenzie was standing in front of him.

  "Any problems getting this?" William inquired of the p.i.

  "Nothing that your money couldn't handle," he coldly responded.

  William continued reading the legal ease. It was all spelled out in black and white, the nefarious deal his nincompoop son had made with the girl. And he would bet his last dollar on earth that it had been the girl's idea to get it all in writing. She was smart enough not to trust his irresponsible son and it was obvious she wanted her interests protected. Good for her! William admired that.

  William looked up at the detective.

  "Good work, Mackenzie. Now get back to our other little project and get me as much dirt as you can on those Guardians of Mother Earth bastards."

  "Whatever you say, boss."

  "Have you found out anything new?"

  "Only that they have a secret source of funding but we suspected that."

  "Any ideas who that might be?"

  Mackenzie shook his head. "Whoever they are, they've cleverly concealed their identity behind several offshore banks but it's only a matter of time before we find out."

  "Well, make it sooner rather than later. They're costing me money and they're making me look goddamn bad in front of the public."

  The detective gave a subservient nod before walking out. William frowned before returning to the document in his hands.

  * * *

  The coffee was being served by one of the Carbiri waiters and Christina took the opportunity to study the restaurant's interior. She could see why this place was so expensive. The ambiance was refined, the wait staff was discreet and the food was excellent.

  The waiter moved away and she
refocused back on the big jerk sitting in front of her. The meal had gone well. The food had been delicious and Billy Havenwood had acted the perfect gentleman. He hadn't even had a drop of alcohol all night. His wine glass had remained untouched and he had sipped only water. He obviously was on his best behavior and if Christina hadn't known what he was like, he could have easily fooled her into believing what a caring, sincere, gentleman he was, instead of the drunk she knew him to be.

  "You didn't touch your wine tonight? Not to your liking?" Christina inquired innocently.

  Bill's eyes lowered to the wine glass in front of him before quickly returning to her face. "I'm driving. You can't take a chance with even one drop these days," he casually responded.

  What bullshit, Christina thought. Who was this lush trying to kid? Her, obviously.

  Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Christina saw a tall, willowy redhead with the gorgeous face of a model come barreling down on them. She instantly recognized her as the woman Bill had been having the argument with outside this very same restaurant last week when Christina had initially been tailing him with her car.

  The redhead approached the table and as she came closer, Christina saw her face more clearly—beautiful but cold and at the moment, very, very angry. Bill hadn't seen her because she was coming up behind him.

  "Who the hell is this?" the redhead snarled at Bill's back as she gave Christina a look of disgust.

  Bill literally jumped up from his seat as he stood to face her. "Stephie, what are you doing here?" He was clearly stunned to see her.

  Stephie—or whoever the hell she was—put her hands on her hips, confrontation style, and glared into his eyes. She was as tall as he was and just as beautiful. They made a very handsome couple together, if a little too perfect.

  She ignored his question. "Tell me who this bitch is," she growled, raising her voice loud enough so that the other patrons began to crane to see what was going on. Even the waiters stopped their serving duties to watch.

  And Christina was loving every moment!

  Bill sensed that they'd become the center of attention.