Risk Management

Many thanks to whoredinarygirl for first editing and improving this story.

Total supplication to the amazing DawnJ and Secretsxywriter. Both author/editors have story pages that look like Monopoly boards because of the red hotels all over them. But the red H's stand for "hot," and they're awarded because readers have voted the stories among the highest scores on this site. Whatever you're looking for, from interesting plots and points of view to skin-tingling sexual ecstasy, their shining stories leave this writer's in the shade.

DawnJ wasn't afraid to point out gaping holes in the plot that could only be closed with extensive rewriting. The result is almost a new story with the same characters and circumstances that's vastly superior to the one it replaces.

I expected my final editor to find a few small errors to clean up before I posted the re-edited story, but Secretsxywriter didn't know that and proceeded to make important changes, catch awkward mistakes and burnish the story so thoroughly that I was flabbergasted.

"You have to break the pattern," Serena was saying. "If you think you can keep doing the same things and get different results, it means you're crazy."

I was pretending to listen and hoping she couldn't tell I was tuning her out. She was my oldest and closest friend. I could always cry on her shoulder. She was loyal and would never hesitate to help me out of a jam.

In the last few years, I've had to remind myself a lot about her good points because some of her other qualities were getting hard to handle.

It wasn't just the platitudes that she dispensed as advice on how to improve myself. Her attitude of superiority infuriated me. She always used herself as an example to illustrate the right way to do something. I was always the illustration of the wrong way.

Serena's condescension was particularly galling when it came to our love lives. As far as I could see, there wasn't much difference between us. I couldn't find a good man, and she couldn't hold onto one. But that's not how Serena saw it.

"When you engage in risky behavior, you're asking to get hurt," she continued. "You're putting yourself in situations that have a high probability of getting you in trouble. If you're dressed slutty and walking down a deserted street in a bad part of town, you're asking for something bad to happen to you. There's no one else to blame when it happens."

"Okay," I said. "I admit I get carried away if he's good-looking and puts on a believable act. But you spent two years with Harvey, and now we're both sitting here without a man in our lives. If I had followed your advice, how would it have turned out any different?"

My logic only stopped her for a second.

"I have a man in my life," she said. "Anyway, what happened with Harvey has nothing to do with what I'm talking about."

She wanted to get back to giving advice. But this was the first interesting thing I had heard all night. I wasn't going to let it go.

"What do you mean you have a man in your life? Who is he?"

"You don't know him. He only arrived in town a couple of weeks ago. I'm meeting him later."

"Is that why you're dressed like that?"

I had asked her earlier about why she was showing so much cleavage, her skirt was up to her ass and her makeup was heavy enough for a streetwalker. She had brushed aside my questions.

"Blade is an art photographer, and some top critics have praised his photos," she said. "Not everyone gets him. Sometimes he goes for an exaggerated effect with his models and lighting. It's one of the things that makes him unique. He wanted to see if I could pull this look off."

"Blade is an unusual name, but I've heard it recently. What do you know about him?"

"He's legit, if that's what you mean," she said. "He's got a successful website, and lot of galleries in New York sell his photos."

"How did you meet him?"

"He was at this bar where I sometimes go with friends from the office after work. I can't tell you much about him yet, because tonight is only the second time I'm going out with him."

"Blade," I repeated.

An alarm was going off in my head. I felt like warning Serena about Blade, but I couldn't think of a good reason why. I could imagine her look if I told her it was my intuition. I changed the subject.

"Let's get back to Harvey. You have to admit, you wasted two years with him."

"I didn't waste two years. It was a learning experience. I found out what I wanted in a man. And what I didn't want."

"What more could you want than what Harvey gave you? He was smart, funny, kind and successful. He worshipped the ground you walked on. He would do anything you asked. Not to mention, he was a hunk. Now you've lost him."

"I dumped him," she said emphatically. "I didn't lose him."

"I know. And it nearly destroyed him. A couple of his friends told me you were really cruel. He must have told Nate what you said."

"That's no excuse for how Nate acted," Serena mumbled.

We had run into Nate, the general manager, on our way to the lounge in the elegant new boutique hotel. When I had greeted him, he had almost growled his reply while staring daggers at Serena.

"Nate is one of Harvey's closest buddies," I reminded her. "He probably knows what you did, even though I don't."

Serena let out an exasperated sigh.

"All right, Reese, I'll tell you. It's not a big deal. I told Harvey he was a pathetic loser and needed to get hormone injections because he had no balls. I said I was tired of dominating him, and he needed to find someone who would enjoy having a submissive wimp fawning over her."

"You didn't!"

I almost fell off my chair.

"Your shock shows why I was right in getting rid of him," she said. "I didn't do anything to him in public. It was his idea to tell his friends what I said."

"You verbally emasculated him!"

"I just told him what he needed to hear. It was for his own good. Maybe it will help him change so he won't let women run all over him."

"Like you did?"

She pretended she didn't hear me and kept talking.

"I heard he's recovered and dating again, so maybe it worked. I hope so. He's a great guy in many ways. We had some wonderful times together."

Her voice had become softer, and the look on her face was no longer one of stubborn superiority.

"Yes, you sure did him a big favor."

I exaggerated the sarcasm in my voice hoping she would get it.

"After four months of heavy therapy and medication, he's no longer suicidal. No wonder Nate looked at you like that. All of Harvey's friends must hate your guts."

Serena didn't reply. I looked at her face. She no longer seemed sure of herself.

I hesitated for a moment, but I was still seething about what she had said to Harvey, so I let loose.

"For a woman who always knows what's best for everyone, you certainly messed up, Serena. How could you get him so wrong? All the people he works with will tell you the same thing. He's one of the most macho guys there is.

"He's drives himself hard, and he's willing to do anything short of being sleazy or unethical to come out on top. He doesn't put up with crap from anyone. That's why we were amazed that he took what you dished out."

Serena crossed her arms and opened her mouth as though to speak.

I held up my hand. She'd had her chance. Now it was my turn.

"His only weakness was that he was hopelessly in love with you. Whatever you did, he defended it. Even if you weren't around and someone said something that might be interpreted as being slightly critical of you, he'd jump on the person."

She pressed her lips together as I continued.

"Harvey's not stupid. He knows the real you. But he forgives everything you do. Even things he'd never let anyone else get away with.

"I can't understand how you could have misjudged him so badly. Every woman who knows him, including me, was envious of you. You took him for granted. One thing I'm sure of: You're never going to find a man like him again."

As I finished, I noticed Serena was listening closely and looking thoughtful. She was quiet for a few moments before she spoke in a quavering voice that I had never heard from her before.

"Listen, Reese, I have been thinking about what happened. I agree that I was too hard on Harvey. Once I work up a head of steam, it's hard for me to stop. He didn't deserve what I did to him. I really loved him for a long time. You know what? I still love him. I realize that now, and I wish I could undo what I did.

"You're right. I'll probably regret what I did for the rest of my life. When you see him again, please tell him that I'm sorry about everything."

She paused, and I could see her expression changing as she struggled to take hold of herself. She shrugged off her feelings, and when she spoke again, her voice had changed back to one of condescension.

"There's no use crying over spilled milk. I squashed him like an insect, and there's no way he can get past that. I need to move on. That's why it was exciting to meet Blade. He's so different from Harvey. Maybe it's a rebound thing, but it could be just what I need right now. I've got to go to the ladies' room."

As I watched her walk away, I thought about "Blade" again. The same bad feelings came back. I decided I would say something. When I saw her coming back, she was talking to someone on her cell phone. As she approached, she told the other person "Goodbye" and put the phone away. I could tell she was a better mood.

"I've got to go in a few minutes," Serena said.

"Was that Blade?"

"Yes."

"Promise me you'll be careful? I think you're vulnerable right now."

"I will."

After that, we talked about other things until we paid the check. She kissed me goodbye and left the lounge through a different exit than I was going to take.

About ten seconds after Serena walked away, it hit me. Blade! My friend Helen had told me about a friend of Harvey's named Blade. She knew both of them growing up, and Blade and Harvey were like blood brothers, even after Blade had moved away. Blade was the sensitive type and was known for being out there and extreme.

Harvey must have told Blade about Serena because Blade had called Helen. She said he had been almost unintelligible, but some things he'd said had sounded vaguely like threats. She had a hard time calming him down.

Was this the same Blade that Serena was tarted up for? Was she walking into a trap?

I went after Serena and saw her at the other end of the lobby. I ran as fast as I could, but the lobby was crowded. She had disappeared by the time I reached where she had been standing. I looked around, but all I saw were elevators to the hotel rooms and the entrance to the lounge.

When I walked back into the lounge, I spotted her sitting at the bar talking to a tall, good-looking guy in a turtleneck. I had noticed him before walking back and forth not far from our table, behind Serena's back. He must have been watching us.

I started toward them, but he had taken her hand and was leading her around the tables back toward the entrance again. I rushed back the way I had come, and I saw them in front of the elevators. They seemed to be deep in conversation. As I ran toward them, they got into an elevator full of people. I was too late. Just as the door was closing, Serena saw me and stared at me in surprise.

The display above the door showed the elevator was stopping at every one of the fifteen floors. What could I do? I stood frozen, and then I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

"Hi Reese."

It couldn't be! I turned around.

"What are you doing here?"

Before Harvey could answer, I said, "Wait. Tell me later. I think Serena's in trouble!"

"What? How?"

I thought he sounded surprised, but I couldn't be sure. I looked at him and wondered how much he knew.

"Did you know she was seeing Blade?"

His mouth fell open.

"What? Blade is in New York. What's going on?"

I decided to trust him and spilled my guts. Even before I'd finished speaking, he grabbed my hand and pulled me after him as he rushed to the front desk and demanded in a loud voice, "Where's Nate?"

The woman behind the desk dispatched a bellboy to find the general manager. While we waited in Nate's office, Harvey paced back and forth, stroking his chin. I thought about what might be happening to Serena and wondered what was going through Harvey's mind.

When Nate arrived, he called up the guest register on his computer screen so we could pour over it. Blade wasn't registered, and the hotel was nearly full. We narrowed the possibilities down to about fifteen rooms. Harvey wanted to knock on each door, but Nate said that was impossible. We couldn't disturb the guests on a hunch. We would have to go through each of the reservations line by line looking for clues.

It took a while, but we finally narrowed it down to two men registered by themselves. Neither one had listed New York as his home.

More than a half-hour had passed by the time Nate knocked on the door of Room 618, our first choice. Harvey and I stood behind him.

When the door opened, Harvey yelled, "Blade! What's going on?"

Blade looked shocked to see him. He was dressed as I had seen him downstairs. He made a move to block the doorway, but Harvey pushed him aside and charged forward. Nate and I were right behind him.

I had to blink as I stepped into the room. It was as bright as a summer day. When I squinted, I saw two figures getting up from the couch. One was a man and the other a woman. Both of them were naked. The woman suddenly ran past me to the other side of the room. It was Serena.

She ran to a chair with clothes draped over it, grabbed them and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door.

I turned around and stared at Harvey. He had started to follow Serena, but when the bathroom door closed, he turned back to me. We both saw the naked man pull on his pants and run out of the room holding onto the rest of his clothes. Nate shut the door behind him.

The bright lights were dimming. When I could see better, I realized they were studio lights and had been arranged around the couch. I also saw a camera on a tripod aimed at the couch from about ten feet away. Blade was turning the last of the lights off when Harvey grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"What's going on here?" Harvey demanded.

Blade's voice was controlled, but I could tell that anger was bubbling under the surface of his cool answer.

"I wasn't going to hurt her. I hate her guts, but I was doing this for you."

"Doing what?" shouted Harvey into his friend's face. His hand was still gripping Blade's arm.

"Let go of me and I'll be glad to tell you, Harvey," Blade said coolly.

When Harvey released him, Blade took one step back and then stood his ground facing Harvey as he made an announcement to the room.

"She's a stupid slut. I wanted to make sure you and everybody else knew it, so you could forget about her and find a decent woman."

Harvey stepped toward Blade.

"Don't!" Blade said sharply. "I know you're furious right now because you think you love her. But I'm going to say this in front of your friends, and you're not going to stop me unless you smash my mouth in. She's not what you think she is. She fooled you."

"Shut up!" Harvey yelled.

"I won't shut up," Blade said. "No matter what you do, I'm not going to let you back into her clutches. You stopped me before I finished, but I've already uploaded all the photos into the cloud. Unless you kill me, they are going to everyone on her cell phone's contact list, which I also have in a safe place. Now sit down, and I'll tell you everything."

Harvey started to say something, but he stopped and slowly turned around to find a chair. Nate and I sat down on the couch where Serena and the naked man had been. Blade sat on another chair and began speaking in a firm, clear voice.

"When you told me what she had done, I knew she was a filthy bitch, but I had no idea how quickly she would fall for my line. She thought she was dressing like a whore tonight because a famous artist told her how great she'd look.

"When I told her I wanted to take some art photos of her, she was eager to be my model. As I shot her, I asked her to take off more clothes and pose in ways that were more and more sleazy. She was thrilled. At one point, when she had her legs spread and was holding her pussy open with her fingers, I could tell she was aroused and moist.

"When my model who booked the room for me showed up, she was hesitant, but only for a second. We were just getting into some simulated sex shots when you interrupted. In a few more minutes, I would have had her having sex with him in all kinds of kinky positions, including lots of anal. She would have eaten out his ass, sucked him and taken his come all over her face. Everything would be on video in high resolution and slow motion.

"All it took was a little flattery. I had the bitch convinced she was going to be admired and envied as one of my favorite models. She thought everything she was doing would become great erotic art once I worked on it with Photoshop.

"She is a skank to her rotten core. She just needed someone to bring out her true personality. Don't you see? That explains why she couldn't understand a man who thought love meant treating a woman with respect."

"Stop!"

Harvey stood up as he shouted. He was shaking.

We all heard something and stood up to look where it came from. It sounded like a sigh. I didn't see anyone at first, but then I saw behind me the bathroom door was open and the light was off.

Serena's crumpled form was on the floor behind Blade's chair. She must have come out after she dressed and heard him. I started toward her, but Harvey got there ahead of me. He gently gathered her up in his arms and lay her on the couch. I got a wet washcloth from the bathroom and gently wiped her face with it until her eyes opened.

When she came to, she sat up, but didn't say a word. She closed her eyes and shivered.

No one had spoken since we found her, but now Harvey addressed Blade, whose demeanor had softened and who looked as concerned as the rest of us.

"I don't know if I ever want to see you again, Blade. The only reason there's even a chance is that I know you were doing this sick thing because you care for me.

"By trying to degrade her, you degraded yourself. Some day, she might forgive you for what you've done. But I'm not sure I ever can."

Before Harvey finished, Serena was sobbing. Harvey sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She looked down and continued to sob.

"I'm going to take Serena home now," Harvey said. "You've succeeded, Blade, because after that, we will never see each other again. She knows what you were doing was because of what I told you about her. All I can hope for is that someday she'll find someone worthy of her who can bring the happiness I couldn't. Maybe then she'll forgive me."

Holding onto Serena, Harvey helped her to her feet and guided her out the door. Just before the door shut behind them, Harvey turned to Nate, Blade and me and spoke sharply.

"Stay here!"

Nate and I sat in stunned silence looking at Blade, who seemed more uncomfortable than we were.

"I'm going to destroy all the photos," Blade finally said. "I know you both hate me, but I hope you will tell Harvey what I'm going to tell you now.

"When we were growing up, I was the kid from a troubled family who was different. It never made any difference to Harvey. Later, when I came out, it still didn't bother him. He loved me like a brother. And I loved him the same way. He was the one pure love of my life.