A Fool and His Money

Marcus spoke up, "Her company is in deep shit, Jake. It looks like Doug was draining the company, using her laptop. She is going to be investigated."

"The hell she will! Those two are going to pay."

"Damn right they are," Marcus mumbled.

Nothing was happening on the screen. I activated the webcam and microphone, then hit record. At least they weren't engaged in any sexual activities. The screen showed them sitting on my couch, drinking wine. It came across loud and clear, and I was just in time to get their confessions.

"I have wiped out the company. You need to finish your end." Doug sounded proud of his accomplishment.

"As soon as I get back from California, I will move the rest. Jake's bonus is going to come in on his next deposit. A week from now and we are set for life, honey."

"We have been set for quite some time, Amy. You are the one that kept wanting more. We have plenty in each of our accounts, baby."

"Tomorrow, you go home and I go to California. For tonight, take me as you wish, my love! We will have the rest of our lives together by next week."

Ok, I had seen enough. I let it record but I wasn't sure why. I clipped it right after that and uploaded the video to the cloud.

Marcus said he would continue to investigate while I went to meet Cat. I think he wanted to watch some live porn or maybe he just wanted to stay anonymous. He didn't know Cat and he was always leery of new people.

************

The Waffle House wasn't too busy. Usually this time of night produced a decent crowd. It was just after midnight when Cat walked in. The years had been good to her. I stood as she approached.

Her long slender legs always caught my attention back in college. Her breasts had filled out nicely, unless she had them worked on. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, showing off her lightly painted face.

With a hug and a kiss on the cheek, we said our hellos. Her deep blue eyes were red as though she had been crying.

"I'm sorry, Cat. I didn't know any other way to tell you."

"Your wife and my husband are fucking each other?"

"Actually, yes and no, Cat. I just found out about all of this today. I hope you are ready for this." I sucked in a big breath and held it for a moment before slowly letting it out. "You are not legally married."

"What the hell are you talking about, Jake?"

"Long story short, Cat, they are married to each other. They married in college and never divorced. It sounds like they came up with a plan to each find someone else to fund their retirement."

"What are you telling me, Jake? Doug married me for my money? I don't have much he can take!"

"According to your taxes, the company has been losing money for the past ten years. Does that sound right?"

"That sounds about right."

"How was the company doing prior to that?" I asked, trying to paint the picture.

"It was in triple digit growth."

"And what caused it to start losing money?" I pressed.

Cat looked like she was trying to remember. She wasn't fooling me. She remembered and was trying to figure out how Doug was taking money from its coffers.

"Cat, he used your laptop, and you made him CFO that same year."

"Son of a bitch! I'm going to kill that mother fucker!"

"Ok, now that's out of the way, I will show you what I got tonight." I pulled out my phone and had the video streaming.

The waitress came by and we both ordered coffee. Neither of us was hungry. We just needed a place to chat.

"So now what, Jake?" Cat was fuming. Her demeanor said that she wanted his ass in a sling.

"How much trust do you have in your management team? To be honest, others had to know what was going on. Either they turned a blind eye, or they are stealing as well."

"Fuck me!" Cat said, a little too loudly. I think she had at least three volunteers.

"Your command is my wish," I joked.

If she had laser beam eyes, there would have been a hole right through my head.

"Just playing, Cat. I think your product is damn good. I have actually used it when other programs didn't work."

When I told her how he had embezzled her money, and how it looked like she had been the one stealing the funds, the resignation on her face said it all.

I sent Marcus a text asking him if I could bring Cat by. He agreed within a minute. That was strange. No smart ass remarks or threats to me if the person turned out to be law enforcement. I told Cat to follow me to his house.

Cat didn't know where we were going when we left. I made sure not to lose her. When we arrived at the house and parked, you could see the awe in her eyes.

Marcus met us at the door. At least he put some clothes on. When I introduced Cat to Marcus, I could not help but notice a blanket of tension that seemed to surround us. After a brief and awkward silence, Marcus reached for her hand and kissed it. Cat turned beet red and thanked him for helping out with our problem.

I thought to myself, what just happened? I could swear they wanted to rip each other's clothes off. Brushing off that thought, I told Marcus I needed to get online.

Marcus got all dramatic with the introduction to "Inception." Once inside, it became all business. He was showing Cat what he had uncovered in the last couple of hours.

I connected to Amy's laptop. The camera and microphone didn't pick up anything. I pulled up the browser, Doug's emails were still up. After a few more clicks, I was in his bank account.

I showed Cat the history of the deposits and let her look around the account. I asked Marcus if we could leave Cat alone for a few minutes. I just wanted to have a conversation with him away from Cat.

"How would you like to work with Cat and help build a company, Marcus?" After watching his reaction to Cat, I formulated a plan. Everyone would win as far as I could see.

"I don't do well taking orders, Jake, you know that."

"If you ran the whole thing, would you consider it? The only person you would answer to is Cat."

"Man, she is something else, Jake. You have no idea!"

"I'm damn sure she is going to need a new management team if her company is going to make it. I'm thinking we could build the biggest, baddest, antivirus software company ever. I am going to propose you take over as president, and I would be your executive VP. What do you think?"

"Jake, this is crazy, man. I'm pretty much retired and I'm at a comfortable place in my life. I have to admit, I do get bored here at home. Fuck it, see what she says."

"I figure we all love what we have done with computers. I've been sitting in my company as an engineer with no room for advancement. Let's see what she says."

Cat had printed up every deposit as far back as the bank would let her. Marcus pointed out the bank was offshore.

"Cat, I have a proposal for you. I will be getting all of your money back, regardless of your answer, so please make your decision based on what's best for you and your company."

I could see her wheels were spinning as I outlined what I had in mind. Cat concurred, the rest of the current management had failed. She brightened up when I proposed that Marcus be named president, while she retained CEO. I told her I was willing to take the executive VP position. She asked why I didn't ask to be CFO. I explained to her that I could best contribute to the company in the position I asked for.

"Anyone else need a drink?" Marcus asked.

"Hell yes!" Cat said with an elated grin. I could not help but notice the sparkle in her eyes.

What the hell was going on between these two? I had to know. Marcus poured us all an expensive single malt. He had a wide variety in his bar, only the best would do for him.

"OK you two, spill the beans! Ever since you two laid eyes on each other... I would bet money that if I wasn't here, you'd be fucking like monkeys."

Marcus glanced at Cat and said, "Up to you, boss."

Now we were both staring at Cat. The affection behind those eyes spoke volumes as her full eyelashes batted a few times.

"Jake, my real name is not Catherine Means. Twenty years ago, Marcus set me up with a new life. College, I did on my own, but prior to that, I just wanted it erased. Marcus knows my story and promised it would never be repeated. I owe him my life, Jake!"

"That's not true, Cat." Marcus chimed in. "You did all the work, baby girl."

"Baby girl, Marcus? Really? You two had a thing back then, huh?" I wasn't sure, but I wanted to know.

"Yes, but we should have had so much more. It might have saved me ten percent of everything I owned," he stated dramatically, as if acknowledging the relationship had set him back.

"Your lifestyle scared the shit out of me, Marcus! I knew the FBI couldn't hold you for anything. I had to get away, my nerves were shot and my collegiate life was deteriorating," she said. "Want to hear something stupid? I told you I wanted to be with someone else. I sort of lied. I wanted a different lifestyle, one where I wasn't always afraid of going to jail. The guy I started dating was Jake."

This just got more bizarre as it all unfolded. The look Marcus gave me, told me he was pissed. I had no idea of her previous life.

"Don't be upset with Jake, he had no idea, Marcus. I only took ten percent to get me through school. You know damn well I could have wiped you out. It broke my heart leaving you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Marcus finally had answers. He knew Cat had issues with his line of work back then, he just didn't know how to do anything else. He was one of the best in the world at what he did.

"I've missed you, Cat," Marcus uttered softly.

"Nobody ever made me feel the way you did, Marcus." She reached out to hug him.

"Break it up you two. We still have a lot of work to do. You guys can catch up and reminisce in a couple of days."

Reluctantly, they separated, smiling like they won the lottery. We hatched a plan with a fitting end for Amy and Doug. It would kill whatever investigation had begun on Cat. We shut it down for the night. I was happy Marcus set me up in a bedroom downstairs.

************

The morning sun whispered a new beginning. Watching the sunrise had a peaceful and promising effect on me. Sleep was minimal as the sounds coming from upstairs echoed through the halls and filled my ears.

My first task of the day, texting Amy.

"Good morning, sexy! I should be finished up here by noon. Meet you at the hotel. Have a great day!"

Tomorrow would be my anniversary. The present I am planning on giving Amy will be unexpected, to say the least. Cat had her role to play and would have her own surprise for Doug.

An anonymous email to the FBI was next on my list. That should get their attention if they were indeed looking into Cat's company.

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. I raided the fridge and gathered the essentials. Eggs, bacon, hash browns, and butter. The meal was a complete work of art.

Marcus and Cat walked down the stairs, hand in hand. They looked good together.

"Smells like a country diner in here, Jake," Marcus said, stating the obvious.

"Need any help?" Cat asked.

"Grab the orange juice and set up the coffee, please? Marcus, get the toast."

We sat down to a delicious, down home, breakfast. Our conversation turned to the old days and how much had changed, and how much had stayed the same. We discussed the future of computing and all the ways our industry would evolve over the next five, ten, twenty years.

Cat started a conversation about the management team she had in place. I showed her some figures they had reported. Growth showed a substantial nosedive, from triple digits to single digits, in two short years. Renewal rates plummeted twenty percent at the same time.

"Have you looked at your competitors lately? I know for a fact they couldn't have improved that much over the past five years without help. I'm willing to bet someone has been selling your code."

Cat smiled and said, "You're hired, Jake. When did you become so smart?"

I grinned and replied, "You just never noticed because you were so critical of me back then."

I told Marcus to setup a dummy corporation so I could transfer the funds out of Doug's account.

You two need to get going soon. I haven't got a text back from Amy yet but I'm expecting it shortly. I will go check her laptop and see if anyone is up yet."

Marcus and Cat went to take a shower after he setup the offshore account. They had a performance coming up and they needed to put on a good show.

My next task of the day, I called Madeline on her cell phone.

"Hey, Madeline, it's Jake Paxton. You can stop the papers. Well, basically, I'm not married. No, seriously. She and her husband are still married. Doesn't that make ours null and void? Yup, fraud. Same thing I said. Not entitled to anything, right? Madeline, you are the queen! Yes, we should have lunch sometime. Sure. Sounds fun. Have a great day, Madeline. Thanks for all your help!"

The camera and microphone were still on. I hit the record button when I saw Amy's tired and worn out morning face staring at her screen. I switched views so I could see what she was looking at.

Monte Carlo looked to be her next destination. She was checking out the hotels and casinos. Maybe she was looking to find new clients for her new life.

I saw her pick up her cell phone and start typing. A minute later her response to my text came through.

"Hey, handsome. I'm taking the afternoon flight at four. See you soon!"

I took a selfie and embedded a nasty piece of code to it. I replied to her text. In exactly twelve hours, after Amy clicked the pic, her phone would be useless. I watched her smile when my pic came through. She clicked it and turned her phone sideways to make it even bigger.

I watched her lean back on the couch, spread her legs, and take a picture of her used pussy. She went to typing again. Her pussy showed up on my phone. "It's all yours!"

At the same time, her voice came over the laptop, "Yours for one last time."

Marcus and Cat came downstairs after their shower. Cat needed to do the same thing I had done. I told her to make sure she sent a naked one so he would click it to make it bigger. She blushed but took my phone and did what was necessary. She sent the pic to her phone and then sent it to Doug. She didn't click it so the program wouldn't harm her phone.

We deleted them after they were sent to avoid any accidents.

Cat got a text back from Doug. "Miss you too! Can't wait to play with you. See you when I get home."

"That won't happen, asshole!" Cat hissed.

A reply came through from the FBI. They wanted proof of the claims I had made. I sent them a reply and told them to do their own jobs. If they wanted proof, they could get it at the time I told them.

I spent some time analyzing the company's numbers. It appeared as though every department went to shit when Doug became the CFO. We would need to interview everyone in the top management positions, or get the truth out of Amy and Doug.

I asked Marcus to find out what he could about Jasmine. I didn't see any harm in trying to locate her. Something about the way Marcus connected with Cat made me hopeful.

It only took a few minutes to locate Jazz. She was an MIT graduate and was working as a financial consultant in Los Angeles. She has a Master's degree in Business Management and Accounting. Interesting, indeed.

I had her email and cell phone number within minutes. God, I love Inception! She still had her maiden name. How could she not have married?

I picked up the burner phone and sent something she would recognize.

"What's better, Tap or Jazz?"

She would always respond, "Jazz, of course."

Tap was a high school slut, short for Tina Ann Peters. She tried to get my cock in her many times. I always declined, knowing her reputation.

Waiting for a response had my stomach twisting in knots. What the hell was I thinking? We weren't in high school anymore. We were full grown, middle-aged adults who haven't seen each other in twenty-four years.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I said aloud.

"Not so stupid," Marcus replied.

"Jazz of course, unless you like sluts," exploded on my screen. It made me jump and my heart pound.

"What are you doing in Los Angeles?" I texted back.

"I'm not in Los Angeles, I'm about three hours north of it," Jazz replied.

Shit just got real. She was probably within an hour drive.

"Have a few minutes for an old friend, Jasmine?"

"Absolutely, Jake!"

"What is your schedule like?" I was hoping we would have more than a few hours.

"I just cleared it."

I was sweating profusely, as though I had just sprinted five miles.

"Hold on a second. Be right back." I had to ask Marcus about bringing her here.

"I've waited this long, another minute won't kill me."

I explained to Marcus who Jazz was to me, so long ago. He asked me if I could trust her.

"With my life, Marcus."

I wanted Marcus and Cat to meet her, not just to get their opinions about her, but with her background, she may be able to help us. Marcus gave me the go ahead without any reservations.

I texted Jazz the address. She told me her GPS had it pegged at forty-three miles. I told Jazz that I needed her for a situation I was having. She told me she has been waiting twenty-four years to hear that. I told her I would see her shortly. She texted me back, "Thirty-nine miles." I sent her the gate code and ran to the bathroom like I had a jalapeno up my ass.

I needed a shower and a shave, and fast.

************

The late model red Porsche GT, sitting in the driveway, told me Jazz was doing well for herself. The woman stepping out of the vehicle, was definitely not the girl I remembered.

The petite frame glided gracefully towards me. The once wild hair had been tamed. The business attire hugged her shapely hips while the top failed to disguise the fullness of her breasts.

I held my arms out and walked towards her. Without a word, we fell into each other's arms and bodies. We held each other and slightly swayed together. I had to break us up. There was work to be done.

"We need to get inside, Jazz. I have a situation that is very fluid."

I held her hand as we walked inside the mansion. I watched her as she took in the enormity of it all. "It's not mine," I said with a hint of envy.

I couldn't help myself as I came to the double doors. "Welcome to Inception," I said, with as much dramatics as I could muster.

Those beautiful hazel eyes sparkled in the lights. Jazz was taking in the seemingly simple yet grandiose technological marvel.

Marcus and Cat smiled as we approached. After our brief introductions, I filled Jazz in with the pertinent information needed to get her up to speed on Cat's company. Cat asked Jasmine plenty of business related questions. I think she was feeling her out for the CFO position that was surely up for grabs.

Jasmine was not only good, she was remarkable. She identified every area that the company could be losing money.

The icing on the cake was when Jasmine told Cat that she would be able to rip apart her competitors' software and find out if they had indeed stolen the code and had marketed it as their own. If they had, they would be paying millions in lawsuits.

Cat offered Jasmine the CFO position on the spot. I felt like we were making progress and would soon have everything in place to turn this company around.

Jasmine kissed me on the cheek and whispered, "That was intense, but not the reason I came here." Then she bit my earlobe and kissed my neck.

Cat and Jasmine seemed to get along great. That was a good sign in my book. Jasmine asked about the fraternization policy.

"I will be burning that on Monday. There is no way in hell I'm not going to be fucking the president whenever I feel like it." Marcus's eyes darted up and to the left. I think he was imagining all the places he and his minx would be having fun.