Revenge Ch. 05

A special thanks to Barney R for his wonderful editing.

*****

The following days found people around Brad being lavished with praises even for their most minimum of achievements. The sight and memories of the expression on Harold's face as he watched him taking his wife and then sucking him on her knees while he watched them made his adrenalin rush.

'Money had made his revenge possible,' he thought gleefully. Maybe some people say that money cannot buy everything but it sure could buy him a nice piece of revenge.

Happy, he should have been feeling happy by now. But when he stood in the room he had decorated for his daughter that feeling of euphoria somehow did not carry.

When he shuffled around in his expensively decorated house, its sheer emptiness and deafening silence seem to make him their captive, sucking him into a deep dark void, bereft of any meaningful existence.

He had a house but he did not have a home, he had a life, but it was without purpose. The bottles that had remained untouched for the past some days were soon back to being emptied at a regular rate.

The call from Alice came as a welcome change. She was always there in his thoughts somewhere. Just thinking about her somehow made breathing easier.

"Brad, I think I've covered all the points raised by you guys. When can we sit and go thru the corrections?"

"As I recollect, our next meeting was supposed to be over dinner. So, would you be interested in a dinner meet at the Marriott this evening?"

The soft laugh wafting thru the communication lines to his ears was like soothing music. He sat listening, enthralled by her sweet melodious voice, the room becoming suddenly brighter as though sunshine was flowing thru the steel and glass construction.

He could not remember what all they further talked about, all he was sure was that he had a date tonight.

He was there well before the appointed hour. He called for some wine as he waited for Alice to turn up. He was really looking forward to meeting her. He was half way thru his glass when he saw her coming in.

She was wearing a fashionably cut blouse and a skirt that showed off her figure to its full advantage. She sported a small jacket over her blouse which seems to blend very well with the rest of the ensemble. Her blond hair was done up in waves and they bounced around her shoulders as she confidently walked towards him. The pearl necklace and golden bracelet added to her allure.

"Hi, I hope I'm not late," she said with a flash of smile. Brad stood up and drew back her chair for her to sit. She thanked him graciously. Funny things seemed to be happening of late.

"Wow, that blouse looks great on you," said Brad appreciatively in an attempt to start up a conversation.

"Why, thank you kind sir."

"The whole outfit looks great," he added affirmatively, speaking the truth and the absolute truth for a change.

She smiled back and took a sip of her daiquiri. That seemed to have opened the floodgates and they spent the next half an hour or so talking about their respective professional lives. He told her how his onetime hobby eventually turned into a full time profession. She in turn told him about her life as a teacher, having to deal with the mood and tantrums of her class.

He felt himself opening up to her more and more as time passed. A shadow crossed her face when she spoke about the passing away of her husband. She had loved him a lot and he could see she still carried a torch for him. He felt a pang of envy. Her husband had been a lucky guy to have found true love in Alice.

She then asked him about his personal life and Brad surprisingly found himself telling her all about the deceit and humiliation he had gone thru. Her eyes went round with sympathy and she clasped his hands in hers as a show of solidarity.

He refrained from telling her about his recent round of retribution. Her hands felt soft and warm and he was afraid that his boasting about the humiliation meted out to the Witherspoon's by him would end up in her withdrawing her hands from his. By now they had downed more drinks than they could remember and the mutual tipsy camaraderie was great. So he changed topics and began regaling her with some of his stories.

"...and so we decided to just go with the flow and stripped right there." Brad was relating how he and his ex-wife had ended up on a nude beach on the Caribbean.

"How did the girls look?" Alice asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"With your wife right there, you can't do a lot of staring, but they were all shapes and sizes. The damnedest thing though. There were two empty towels next to us when we sat down. In about ten minutes, two girls came up the beach holding hands. They plopped down and began to make out. They kissed and then one sucked a nipple on the other one. Then they kissed some more. A few minutes later, they gathered everything up and took off. I guess they had something else to do. I couldn't move for fifteen minutes waiting for the effects to go away."

Alice threw back her head and gave a throaty laugh. Just hearing her laugh seemed to invigorate him, as though a cleansing disinfectant had coursed thru his veins, leaving him feeling sparkling fresh.

Soon the sound of music being played by the band began wafting thru. Alice recognised the beat and began tapping her fingers to the tune.

"Would you like to dance?" Brad's voice cut through the music.

"Oh no, I shouldn't."

"Sure you should. I can tell you enjoy the music and I promise not to step on your feet." Just holding a beautiful woman was a pleasure he could appreciate now.

"Well, maybe just one."

They assumed the classic foxtrot position with a foot's distance between bodies. After that, they stayed for two fast numbers. Then a slow one started and Brad pulled her into his arms again, except this time he pulled her snug against his chest. He felt every square inch as it flattened against his chest. As they moved around the floor, he let his hand at her waist slip lower, not to her butt, but he knew she could feel it just above there. She didn't say anything.

Another fast dance separated them, but when the next slow dance started, she laid her cheek on his chest and his hand rested on her bottom. As she pressed into him, she felt his bulge against her tummy and a blast of heat spread out from her pussy.

When they separated for the next fast dance, she took some initiative. She spun around and backed against him. She could feel his hardness as her cheeks swayed back and forth. Then she broke away. When she repeated the move, he put his hands on her waist and held her there. She straightened up and he kissed the side of her neck lightly. She spun away as the song ended.

"It's not every day a guy gets to meet a beautiful gal with intelligence to match," said Brad as they finally made their way to their table.

Thanks' Brad, but I think it's too early to talk about my intelligence. Let's see what your people have to say tomorrow about the changes I have done to the story."

Brad picked up the manuscript she had brought along for him and began to quickly run thru the pages. She had talent; there was no doubt about it. She had quickly latched on to the intricacies of story writing. Now all that was left was to add a few paragraphs here and there from the manuscript he had personally prepared and her story would be ready for sending across to the production houses.

"You're good, very good," he finally said in a totally sincere tone.

Alice beamed in happiness.

She gave Brad one of her favourite smiles. "I then suppose we could expect the feedback from the production houses in a couple of days' time.

The happy expectant look on her face once again confirmed to him that Alice needed money, that too fast. He once again wished he could speed up the things. He would try no doubt.

"Well, give and take a few days," he replied reassuringly. Yes, he would speed up the process.

By now they were standing in front of the hotel, waiting for her car to be brought up.

She looked up at him with her clear blue eyes before speaking. "Well, thanks for the lovely evening and for all that you've done on my behalf. Without your support I was like a kid lost in the woods."

"No thanks are called for Alice; it's always nice to have a writer who is aware of all the nitty gritties of story writing for the TV audience."

Brad leaned closer and pressed his lips upon hers his hand slipping up her side until the heel rested on the edge of her breast. She twisted slightly and her breast slid under his hand. They remained locked together as his tongue invaded her mouth. Then he broke the kiss and pulled back.

"Goodnight Alice," said Brad. He then turned around and walked off.

Later in the night Alice smiled to herself as she undressed in the privacy of her room. Thank God she had managed to maintain an appropriate distance and etiquettes. He was a nice handsome guy, and the lure of a job done well had allowed her to let Brad take certain liberties.

But she was a mother too and had responsibilities. She wasn't going to take chances, but would patiently wait and see if he meets her set standards, the standards that had been drawn up with her late darling husband's attributes in mind.

That night Alice lay naked on her big bed, her nostrils filled with her scent ... sun cream, sweat and the unmistakeable sweet smell of her pussy juices as they seeped from her throbbing vulva to soak her inner thighs. It had been quite some time since she had been attracted like this to a man since her husband passed away. She hoped her pheromones were not deceiving her.

-----------------------

He felt better, much better after the dinner date with Alice. It had gone off better than expected. She not only had good looks but had a mature mind set. He went thru the softcopy of her manuscript minutely using his years of experience to pinpoint and remove inaccuracies.

The next few days found him ringing up some of his close associates and requested them to set some time aside to go thru a special manuscript he was sending across ... something that will make their coffers overflow. He had a promise to keep and he was gonna make a go of it.

And then there was this Witherspoon business. Now he wished he had really not ventured into it. Greed, it was greed that had made him agree to their plan to bring about Harold's downfall. No, perhaps just not greed, but an opportunity to punch his tormentors on their nose.

He had no plans to make any further investments in that asshole's business. He had fucked Nancy in his presence and that should serve as his way out of the pain and misery he had been wallowing in. But in the stillness of the lonely nights that thing would continue to gnaw at his innards, feeding upon his wounded soul.

It was on another such day when the pain of being an absent father just wouldn't let him do an iota of work that his secretary buzzed. She sounded funny, a bit bemused.

"Brad there's a young lady here who says she has a matter of most urgency to discuss with you."

"A young lady you say?" he asked curiously, wondering who this nameless young woman was. He did recollect the faces of some sexy young wannabe writers he had bedded, but try as he might, he couldn't recollect their names.

"What did you say her name was?" he asked finally giving up. He had to seriously think about cutting down his intake of alcohol.

"Amanda, Amanda Meyers."

Brad immediately sat upright. That was the name of Alice's daughter! What was she doing here?

"Send her in," he snapped out showing urgency in his voice.

The door to his office opened and in walked the most beautiful sight he had ever laid his eyes on. He recollected Alice telling him that they had recently celebrated her eleventh birthday. He continued to stare at her sweet angelic face. "His daughter must have also looked like her," he thought. "I could never be a father to her. But now she's here. She has come back to give me a second chance."

"Good morning Mr Smith, my name is Amanda Meyers. I am Alice Meyers' daughter."

"Yup, I can see that very well," replied Brad in a soft voice as his eyes lovingly took in her sharp features. She resembled her mother ... her younger version. Her aquiline nose was definitely not a gift from her mother's side; no doubt she got that from her father. But those blue eyes, those dimples in her cheek ... no mistaking from which side she got them.

"Well, my mother had told me that you would be shortly expecting a cheque on her account for a story she had written, and ... and I have come to inquire whether you have received it, and if so could you please make out a cheque in my mother's name."

Brad's heart gave a lurch. Something was not right here. Alice could have rung up anytime to get that information. He looked closer at Amanda's face; that was by now quietly standing with her hands behind her. And her eyes were red; she had been crying and was now desperately holding back her tears in front of him.

"Amanda, where is your mother?" he asked in as calm a voice as possible.

"Sir, she was admitted to the hospital the other evening and the doctor says she requires an immediate kidney transplant, or else, or else it will be late," her voice trailing off to a whisper. She began sobbing, her face facing down.

'So this was the reason Alice was always asking by when she would be getting the payment,' thought Brad. 'She could have asked for an advance,' reasoned his inner voice. 'No, a lady like her who placed high standards of value will never go begging for money, no matter how urgent the requirement was,' continued the inner voice.

'LOSER, LOSER!' chanted the thing tauntingly from within him. 'YOU'RE A BORN LOSER. SHE NEEDS AN IMMEDIATE TRANSPLANT NOW OR ELSE IT WILL BE TOO LATE ... SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY AND YOU WON'T BE GETTING HER DOWN PAYMENT ANY TIME SOON!

'YOU GOT TO FUCK THE FIRST ONE AND HAVE HER BEAR YOUR CHILD WHOM YOU HAVEN'T SEEN FOR YEARS ... THE SECOND ONE DIED ON YOU BEFORE YOU GOT AROUND TO PROPOSING HER ... AND THE THIRD ONE? HAHAHAHAHA! YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET TO FUCK HER! LOSER! LOSER!'

Brad sat still, staring at the lovely angel in distress in front of him. His head was filled with the incessant chanting of the thing within him. He had noticed that it had become weak during the past some time, perhaps ever since Alice walked into his life. But this sudden pain and despair seemed to be fuelling it, making it arise once again to hungrily feed on his innards.

'LOSER! LOSER! HE CAN'T KEEP A WOMAN ... OH HE'S A LOSER!'

He was dying; he knew he was going to die. It could not go on like this forever. He was losing his fight with the thing that had captured his body and soul ever since he caught Nancy in bed with her lover. The little angel lifted her head and looked into his face with her troubled blue eyes. She too was losing somebody special. First she had lost her father and now she was losing her mother.

Another loser, just like him. The little angel too was destined to die, just like him. Brad continued staring into those innocent blue eyes, eyes that had not seen the harsh realities of life, his breathing harsh and irregular, and his knuckles standing out as he clutched his chair support with all his might.

In his numbed mind he saw dark clouds swirling overhead as a hand came out of a grave. It was his, his soul.

'SHE NEVER SHARED HER PREDICAMENT WITH YOU BECAUSE UNLIKE YOU AND NANCY, SHE'S A WOMAN WITH HIGH STANDARDS. SHE WON'T BEG FOR MONEY BUT WILL ASK FOR WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY HERS,' said his beaten and ravaged soul to him.

'NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY! YOU KNOW HER DOWN PAYMENT HAS NOT YET COME. BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW THAT! LIE TO THE CHILD, LIE TO ALICE. TELL THEM THE MONEY IS IN YOUR ACCOUNT AND THAT YOU WERE PLANNING TO CALL HER OVER THE VERY NEXT DAY FOR SIGNING SOME PAPERS BEFORE HANDING OVER THE MONEY.'

'BRAD, MONEY CANNOT BUY EVERYTHING, BUT IT CAN BUY EVERYTHING ELSE, INCLUDING THE VERY BEST OF MEDICAL ATTENTION. YOU MAY NOT WIN HER HEART BY YOUR BLATANT LYING BUT THE LITTLE ANGEL WILL GET BACK A LOVING MOTHER. YOU FAILED AS A FATHER BUT LET THAT WOMAN GET A CHANCE.'

'SO LIE DAMMIT! YOU'VE LIED YOUR WAY INTO THE BED OF MANY A MARRIED WOMAN ... EACH TIME YOU LIED YOUR WAY INTO THE BED OF A MARRIED WOMAN THE THING ONLY GOT STRONGER AND STRONGER. SEE WHAT THE THING HAS DONE TO ME! I AM DYING. SO FOR GOD SAKE LIE ONCE MORE. LIEEEEE!!'

The weak but insistent voice resounding in his mind suddenly went silent as though felled by the thing. His eyes focussed on the little angel standing silently, trembling with apprehension but yet putting on a brave front. She was only eleven.

"Amanda you couldn't have come at a better time," lied Brad glibly, motioning her to take a seat. "We've received the promised down payment and it's with us in my bank account."

The smile lightning up the angel's face was enigmatic. It was as though a thousand lights had been turned on at once.

"Thank you sir," cried out the angel.

"Oh don't call me Sir," said Brad magnanimously with a wave of his hand, "Just call me fath ... uh, I mean Mr Smith," replied Brad, correcting himself in time. He drew out his cheque book and wrote out a sum he thought would cover all the medical expenses, including post hospitalisation expenses.

"Okay young lady; let's go meet your mother."

On the way to the hospital he asked her how she had managed to reach his office. It seemed she told her friend's mom that she had a relative she wanted to meet at his address and they dropped her off. Brad gave a sideward glance at the little angel. She chose to keep staring ahead thru the windshield. 'A tough cookie, seems like she aims to get what she starts out for,' thought Brad with a shake of his head.

Brad walked quickly into the hospital. Alice's mother was waiting for them. All three had striking similarities and no one would mistake them for they were in a crowd.

"Mr Smith has the cheque for mom," called out Amanda as she rushed forward to hug her grandma.

"How nice," replied her grandma as her eyes swiftly appraised him. Brad gave a courteous nod of his head. She nodded her acknowledgement and then asked Amanda to sit by her mother in the room. She then motioned him to follow her. When they were a couple of rooms down the corridor, she stopped and turned to him.

"Well, Mr Smith is it true that some payments were expected?"

"Yes, and we have already received the signing amount. Here's the cheque for it," lied Brad to the older woman with commendable ease. The reality was that the amount would stand transferred from his company account to Alice's account. Physical documents like cheques were fast becoming things of the past and production houses would make transfers thru internet banking. But Brad lied, lied glibly. After all, he was good at it. He continued talking fast.

"Well, all that remains is for Alice to have this cheque deposited and give her own cheque to the hospital." He continued to smile benevolently at her. She had still not taken the cheque in his outstretched hand.

"Alice cannot sign a cheque against this one," she said quietly.

"What! What do you mean," shot back Brad, his mind spinning.

"She is in a state of unconsciousness since the last hour and needs an urgent kidney transplant within the next twenty four hours. But the hospital wants the money upfront.

Alice had some issues with the medical insurer, so till that sorts out she can't avail that facility. We were hoping to get another month, so that the issues would have been sorted out. But ..." her voice trailed off. She looked over his shoulder and said resignedly, "Here comes the guy from the Accounts Section once again."

Brad spun around and saw a tall lanky guy with oversized spectacles moving towards them in urgency with some papers in his hands.