by Nella Tyler
"I suppose you can tell I have trouble making snap decisions," he said, turning toward the couch. "Everything always seems to be happening so fast, extremely fast. Inheriting all the money, being thrown into a world I knew nothing about, having to make decisions about the money, getting pressured from all sides…from not only my father's old cronies, but…but other people as well."
I knew he was talking about my father. That was something I still had to deal with. He turned to me, his eyes riveted to mine. His expression was more serious than I could ever remember it being.
"Molly, will you forgive me? Would you give me another chance…again?"
My heart swelled with affection for him, but could I trust him? That was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? He had told me that he was going to quit before, but he never had-
"I'm telling you the truth this time, Molly," he said. "I'm going to call the SEC first thing in the morning-"
"No!" I exclaimed. "You'll get thrown in jail!"
He shook his head. "I’ve already done some checking," he said. "Even if I plead guilty, I can probably avoid any jail time if I identify the others-"
"No!" I interrupted again. "You're going to turn my father in?" Despite my relief at his saying he was going to quit the stock market or any trading, I was now horrified that he was going to point fingers at my father.
He shook his head. "That's another conversation I've already had," he began to explain. "Your father plans to stand with me. He knows some people, and he believes that I can probably get a pretty good deal. He may have most of the smarts, but he hasn't been heavily involved in the activity. I would venture to say that ninety-five percent of his business dealings and his trading over the years have been on the up and up when it comes to his investments in the stock market."
I gaped in shock. He'd been talking to my father? He and my father were going to turn state's evidence in the hopes of avoiding jail? It was apparent that Luke saw the confusion on my face, the strain and the worry.
"I’ll probably both have to pay a hefty fine, but what the hell? It's only money, right?"
"But I thought you said my father was the cornerstone of the operation-"
He sighed and shook his head. "Perhaps an over-exaggeration on my part," he said. "I just wasn't ready to accept my own responsibility and actions."
My mind was spinning. "So my father didn't make all his money through illegal trades?"
Luke looked at me as if I suddenly grown two heads.
"Of course not, Molly," he assured. "Your dad made the bulk of his fortune in real estate, not stock market investing. I thought you knew that."
I shook my head, still standing by the door, stunned and frozen in place. Too much input! "I know very little about my father's financial dealings," I admitted. I glanced at him. "It seems that you know more about his activities in that regard than I do."
Luke sat down on the couch. "Come sit down beside me, Molly. I'll tell you everything."
After a moment of thought, I decided to do as he asked. After all, I was the one that wanted information, wasn't I? Maybe now it was finally time for everything to come out and see the light of day, so to speak. I sat down beside him. He placed one hand on my thigh, just above my knee, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then he began to talk.
"When I first got into town, your father offered to mentor me. He knew about my dad, his questionable investment practices. He warned me that the stock market was a challenging environment, especially for someone who was unfamiliar with the wheeling and dealing, the fine line between legal insider trades and the illegal insider trades."
He paused, and I leaned my head on his shoulder, giving him a chance to arrange his thoughts.
"He warned me that if I followed in my father's footsteps, I would get into trouble, especially since I didn't know what I was doing." He gave a slight, an amused chuckle. "I should've listened, but I didn't. Before he knew it, I was getting myself into quite a bit of trouble. Your dad found out about it and tried to help me out, but in doing so got a little more involved than he had intended. Some of his actions implicated himself."
I was quiet, trying to imagine my father involved in anything illegal.
"He made contact with several of the people that my dad had always done business with, figured out a way to slowly extricate myself from their grasp, but he ended up getting pulled into a few deals that he didn't want to be involved in during the process, but he did to try and help me out."
So my dad had been trying to help Luke. "But if he was trying to help you, why did he want you to quit seeing me?"
"He’s a father, Molly," Luke said, squeezing her leg again. "Fathers protect their children. The plain truth of the matter is, I wasn't doing the right thing and he knew it. I was heading down the wrong path and he didn't want me to drag you down along with me." He shrugged. "I don’t really blame your father for any of that. I wouldn't want my daughter hanging around someone like me, either."
I looked up at him, my eyes wide. "I really don't think you're a bad person, Luke," I said. "I think you just got caught up in something that you didn't know how to stop. You got caught up in the love of money, making money, and turning a quick profit."
He smiled, again without amusement. "You've got me pegged."
"Luke, that doesn't mean you can't change," I said, turning to face him. "You need to do the right thing. You can't go through life with a big black cloud following you, always looking over your shoulder." I thought about my father. He had sacrificed a lot, risked a lot to help Luke. He could very well find himself in a good bit of trouble for doing it. I hadn't helped matters any, accusing him of being a crook. I should've trusted that my father didn't make his vast fortune in illegal dealings.
"The point is, your father risked a lot to help me out, and it's my fault if he gets into any trouble. Still, we both agreed to go to the SEC investigator's office in the morning and try to deal with the situation. We’ve both agreed that no matter where the chips fall, we both want to deal with this and put it behind us."
"But I don't want you to go to jail, Luke," I said. My voice sounded almost like a whine. "And I certainly can't have my father going to jail! My mom…she's got a heart condition, Luke. If a scandal gets out, it could ruin her, and my dad."
"I'm not explaining myself well," he sighed. "As usual. I'm not telling you that your father is going to admit to any wrongdoing. In fact, we're going together because he's going to be the one that reports me to the SEC. Your father didn't like it, but I insisted. He got into this mess because of me, and none of it was because of his own doing."
"But, Luke-"
"Molly, you have to trust your father. He's been in the business for decades. This isn’t the first time that he's had to deal with government authorities, and it probably won't be the last. In fact, he's not that concerned, at all. He's fairly confident that if I provide the information the SEC might want and turn state's evidence so that the insider ring members can be prosecuted, I’ll likely get no more than a harsh slap on the wrist, pay a fine, and maybe be put on probation." He looked down at her. "But even if I do get jail time, it's nothing that I don't deserve."
I was reeling with all this information. I didn't know what to think-
"Like I said, Molly, since I inherited that money, everything happened so fast; in fact, it kind of snowballed." He placed a hand on her cheek. "But I do want you to know that I have had one constant in my life that has helped keep me grounded."
"What?" I asked, distracted by the feel of his warm palm caressing my cheek.
"You," he replied with a smile. "I don't want you to be my maid anymore, Molly."
I felt a frisson of shock surge through me. He was firing me? So was this a goodbye, after all?
"I want you to be my girlfriend, Molly."
I stared up into his eyes, trying to absorb what he had just said. He wanted to date me? For real? Tears filled my eyes.
"You can go work anywhere you want, Molly, but I just don't
want to lose my chance to be with you." He shook his head. "If, somehow, all this mess with the money stuff gets straightened out and I don't have to go to jail, I promise I'll make it all up to you. I don't care how much money I lose. In fact, I don't much care if I lose all of it. You're the most important thing in my life right now, and I've realized that money isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"But it is nice to have, isn't it?"
"Most definitely," he laughed. "But it in no way can compare to what I feel when I'm with you. Money can buy me material things, but you're the one that gives me security, Molly. You're the one that soothes my soul and reminds me of who I am, and the person I want to be."
His voice was heavy with conviction, but I had to ask. "Are you serious? Do you really mean this?"
"I've never been more serious in my life, nor surer of anything."
Despite all the problems, and the knowledge that some problems still needed to be resolved, my heart leapt with excitement. He wanted me! And there was no doubt in the world that I wanted him, too. He leaned his face closer to mine, and I met him half way. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but then grew more passionate. Our tongues tangled as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. His own arms wrapped around my waist.
A myriad of feelings surged through me, relief being uppermost. Boy, if we could get through some of the troubles that we had experienced so far, the rest should be smooth sailing, shouldn't it? When he broke off the kiss, rather abruptly at that, I was startled. I felt as if I had just lost an important connection. He lifted my chin with his finger, gazing deeply into my eyes.
"Which way?" he whispered.
I knew what he was talking about. Every nerve in my body was zinging with passion, and I knew he wanted to take this into the bedroom. I gestured with my chin down the hallway. Without wasting a moment, he stood, urging me up with him, and then in one swoop, he lifted me into his arms, cradling me close to his chest. I smiled, nestling my head into the crook of his shoulder while he made his way down the hallway to my bedroom. I felt every rock hard muscle in his arms and chest, reveling in his strength.
Moments later, he set me gently on the bed. I stared up at him as he slowly pulled his t- shirt over his head. His bulging arms, defined abs, and those gorgeous pecs of his elicited feelings deep in my belly, and the low, throbbing burn in my groin flared into life. Without wasting any time, he unbuttoned his pants and yanked them down over his hips. He was now exposed to me in all his glory. His penis was already erect, leaning provocatively toward me, obvious in its desire and passion.
With a grin, Luke scrambled onto the bed and lay beside me, resting on his side, his head resting in one uplifted palm as he gazed into my eyes, the smile never leaving his face as the fingers of his other hand slowly began wiggle its way beneath my t-shirt.
It was slow, tantalizing, and super sexy, but I was impatient. Making a noise in my throat, I left him to work on my bra while I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants and shoved them off my hips, using my feet to push them down my legs and then onto the floor beside the bed. By that time he had the bra undone, I had rolled slightly to my side so that he could lift my shirt over my head. He pulled the bra straps off my shoulders and dangled it over the side of the bed before letting it drop, his gaze riveted to my breasts.
In the next instant, we both lay naked, skin-to-skin. I had never felt so glorious in my life. It was dark in the room, but my hands explored every contour of his body while his did the same for mine. My passion flared, and the hotter I got, the more he responded. His lips were everywhere, first on mine, then nuzzling my jaw, and then meandering slowly and tantalizingly down along the side of my neck. I inhaled sharply when his lips fastened around my nipple, his tongue teasing it into a hard little nub.
The noise escaping my throat told him how much I was enjoying his attention. I grabbed his head and gently pulled his lips away from one breast and guided it to the other. He was more than willing. He suckled, licked, and swirled his tongue around the nipples and areolas of my breasts, causing my back to arch upward, wanting him to take more of me. My hands left his head and stroked down along his back, cupping his buttocks. I reached between us and grasped his cock, so soft and silky on the outside, all hard muscle on the inside. I stroked its length, slowly, and then after several moments, released his shaft to cup his balls.
The groan that my attentions elicited from his throat made me feel bold and powerful, and I repeated the process. Finally, both of us breathing hard and wanting more, he shifted his position on top of me. I spread my legs and he settled comfortably in between. Then, as his lips were once again on mine and his tongue was exploring the depths of my mouth, he plunged his cock inside me. My internal muscles immediately grasped onto him, and then our hips began to rock, slowly at first, and then, both of us impatient, faster and harder. With each thrust of his hips, I lifted my own, gyrating slightly at the top, wanting to pull him deeper inside me.
I couldn't believe how good we were together. It was as if each of us sensed what the other needed and wanted. Our rhythm matched in unison, and as my hands cradled his buttocks to encourage him to go deeper, he obliged. In seconds, I felt my passion bloom and burn, yearning for completion. My pleasure was gained as much from knowing that I was bringing him pleasure as the pleasure he was giving me.
All of a sudden, I felt I had reached the crescendo, like a tide coming in, unstoppable, building, reaching new heights. He sensed it and pumped harder. Then, the ecstasy and release washed over me, filling me with glorious warmth. Lights flashed in front of my eyes, and I rode the waves of my orgasm with a loud cry. Within seconds I felt the contractions of his own shaft and knew that he also had reached orgasm.
It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and more than we had ever experienced together. I couldn't believe how amazing it felt or how complete I felt, wrapped so tightly in his arms. My hands left his buttocks and wrapped around his waist, and I knew without a doubt, that for this moment at least, he felt the same.
He collapsed into my arms for several moments, breathing hard, and then pushed his weight off of me, rolling onto his side and pulling me up against him, spooning. I had never felt so safe and secure, loved, and adored. While my heart returned to normal and my breathing slowed, I thought about where I was right this minute. I knew that if Luke did as he promised and quit the stock exchange and cleared up the mess he was in with my father's help that very few obstacles stood in the way of our relationship. Whatever my father did to help him, or whatever repercussions he might face, were not up to me.
I loved my father, and I knew that would never change. As long as Luke remained true to me, I knew I would find the happiness that I had been looking for. While we still had one more hurdle to overcome, I had a feeling, an intuition perhaps, that everything was going to turn out just fine.
Epilogue
I sat on my couch with the mail stacked on my lap. In between the bills, the ads, and the credit card applications and other junk mail, I noticed the return address on one of them. Raleigh School District. My heart leapt in excitement.
The past months had brought with it a number of ups and downs. Luke had stayed true to his word. With my father standing beside him, they had gone to the investigator of the SEC and laid their cards out on the table. My father had been right in guiding Luke to do the right thing. Turning state's evidence, despite the repercussions on Luke, and the slap on the wrist that my father had received, had been more than worth it.
Both Luke and my father had been fined, but their names as whistleblowers, so to speak, remained confidential and anonymous. The insider ring was broken up. Luke had gotten off easy, thanks to his deposition, or at least, I thought so. He had been fined one million dollars and banned from investing in stocks for two years. My father had been given a five hundred thousand dollar fine and banned from investing in any stock market trades for one year.
It seemed as if neither one of them really cared. Perh
aps the release from climbing out from under such a dark cloud was a relief to both of them. I had talked to my father, and while we were working on rebuilding our relationship, I set some boundaries in regard to his involvement in certain aspects of my life. He had grumbled a bit, but then, hugging each other, I had told him how much I loved him, and he had done the same. I guess that was the most important thing after all. Love. Regaining trust and some of the respect that I had lost for him would take some time, but I had no doubt that gradually, things would get back to normal.
One thing I think we all learned: honesty really was the best policy. I knew that I would always be able to rely on my dad if I got into trouble, but I had to be honest. He and Luke were also redefining their relationship, and he grudgingly accepted my relationship with Luke.
My relationship with Luke was also on the upswing. He focused on legitimate business practices and endeavors, mainly in construction. While he wasn't making obscene amounts of money, he was doing well.
A year after “the incident” as I referred to it now, Luke was slowly rebuilding his portfolio and things were looking up. Our relationship was going strong.
I had moved in with him four months ago and in addition to a temporary teaching position I had obtained for summer school, and not involving my father's influence one iota, I was also learning more about the construction business. I certainly didn't need to, but I wanted to be able to help Luke with his decisions and, as he said, he needed someone to make sure that he didn't make the same mistakes that he had made before he met me. He called me his conscience, sort of like Jiminy Cricket sitting on the shoulder providing him guidance.
We had a date tonight, our "dating" anniversary actually, and he planned on taking me to the same restaurant he had taken me to the first time we had gone out. I was thrilled that he remembered. I would need to get ready soon, but first, focused on the envelope from the school district. The new school year was fast approaching. I was hoping that my accepting the summer school teaching job had proven to the school district that I could be a good teacher. I had gotten my feet wet, felt good about it, and very much hoped that I could soon find a permanent position as a teacher. I didn’t even care what grade.
