Their Way - Andrea and Jay Ch. 08

"Why are you all helping me? I screwed up... and dirtied my family name."

"Well," Jill said nodding. "You did do some of that, didn't you?"

Leslie looked down and nodded.

"I won't excuse what you did," Jill said then smiled politely.

"Then?" Leslie responded. "What is this about?"

"Let's say young lady that I and others in this country are not appreciative of the methods and message of the anti-war types. We think they used you and you have to come clean to me. Were you wrong or do you still believe in what they say?"

Leslie tried to reply, but Jill raised her hand.

"Before you answer, I need the truth. No lying and no holding back. If I see bullshit in what you say, this will not go well."

Leslie looked down ashamed of herself. She didn't hide it or shy away from it. She just didn't know what to say or how to say it. But she had to say something.

"I was wrong ma'am. No question about it. I betrayed my father, and all he stood for. He wasn't perfect in his personal life, but he was a patriot who died for his country. I was mad at the world. Mad at everyone that he died. And I let that professor and his bunch use me. But you know all that don't you? So now what?"

Jill stared at the seemingly contrite woman for some time assessing her honesty. Leslie knew it and feeling the shame wanted to look away but realized that looking back at this woman in shame was part of her atonement.

"Feel shitty about it, do you?" Jill said. It was no question really. It was a statement of fact.

"Yes," Leslie replied trying not to lose control of her emotions and cry. But it was becoming harder and harder. She stifled a sob and looked away.

Jill felt she had pushed her, but she had to be sure.

"It's not easy for a person to admit they screwed up Leslie Mayers. But if you want my help to make things right with your family and others, I need you to show me that you mean it."

"What do I have to do?" Leslie asked exasperated.

"You have to openly refute everything you said in that tv interview. But that will come in time. Until then, I need to ask you one thing. What would your father had wanted of you and your brother to do the most to avenge his death or stand up for his beliefs?"

Leslie thought about it for only seconds as she knew the answer.

"Join the military. Fight our enemies and speak up for our country."

"Hm," Jill said. "And what do you think you should do to make up for what you said?"

Leslie gulped and nodded.

"I understand."

Jill kept looking at her with the same hard gaze. The guilt of what she had done bore into Leslie's soul. But inside her she knew she had to atone for what she had done. It wasn't just this woman's accusative gaze. Leslie knew she had to step up and do what was right.

"I'll go to a recruiter and enlist. I'll be quiet about it, so I won't cause more problems."

"Not a chance," Jill said shaking her head. "That's an easy way out."

"What do you mean?"

"You will volunteer to serve alright. But in a manner befitting your father, not in obscurity. You will not hide it but do so openly. And you will do so as an officer if you pass the tests. I and my brother have contacts in the US military. We have already discussed it with the Air force Chief of staff."

Leslie's jaw dropped at that revelation. Jill waved it off.

"Our company does a lot of work for the services. Much of it is above the contract stipulations because our troops need the stuff we make now, not whenever. So, he owes us a favor or two. He will let you join as if you never said anything to the TV people on the condition that you refute everything."

Leslie stared back at her in shock.

"So," Jill continued. "I have a statement for you to read and sign. It will be on four newspapers by morning. Then you will go get a physical in DC tomorrow morning."

Leslie nodded in agreement then wondered how all this was to happen.

"How do I get there? I don't have the money to..."

"You'll fly out with us and stay in an apartment we own in our building. One of my guards will take you for your physical tomorrow and stay with you until you are done. But in the meantime, you will meet my brother who is CEO of Xenos Corp, and we will have a talk about you, and your father."

Jill could sense some lingering apprehension by the young woman.

"You still have problems coming with me? Because from where I am siting, we are your only hope of fixing this mess. One you got yourself in. The only hope for mending fences with your mom and brother as well."

Leslie flinched at the mention of them.

"Listen here Leslie," Jill said leaning in and staring at her with a harsh look. "You have made a mess of things and need to un...mess them. I am offering you a chance to do that. For the sake of your family and everything you hold dear, I suggest you cooperate."

Then she looked around then back at Leslie.

"I don't see anyone else falling over themselves to help you get out of this mess, do you?"

Leslie shook her head in acknowledgement of Jill's statement.

"Good," then you will go with Shawna Gills and get your things. She will be attached to you at the hip. You don't go anywhere without her. In an hour, she and you will be at the airport. Don't be late. Now scram."

Leslie knew when she was dismissed and moved to the door where she found Shawna Gills waiting for her. Shawna was not what one would call physically stunning in the looks department. In fact, she was a very fit version of the girl next door that never got the beauty that went with the body. Yet her job was to protect and guard. And her demeanor and looks fit that purpose to a T. Leslie felt comfortable with Shawna and let the woman guard escort her to a black SUV where a male driver in a black suit and sunglasses was the driver.

In less than an hour they were on the tarmac at the airport by a very expensive looking private jet. Leslie found herself excited at the thought of flying in it. She wondered what it would be like to fly one. Flying had always been a goal and dream of hers; wishing she could afford flying lessons after she got a decent job.

Jill was seated already and looking over some files. A young woman, who looked like her assistant was sitting next to her pointing to places Jill had to sign. Jill appeared to be working, so Leslie let Shawna lead her to an empty row of seats in the back where they belted in waiting for takeoff. She had a window seat and wasted no time looking out.

"We're ready to go when you are, Mrs. Stein." The pilot said from the flight deck.

"Go for it, Captain," Jill replied.

The takeoff was exhilarating to Leslie. After they were up and above the clouds the pilot came on the intercom.

"You are all safe to move about as needed. Please keep your belts on when you are siting for safety sake. Thank you."

Leslie turned toward Shawna and noticed that the female guard was nodding off.

'No conversation I guess,' she thought, but then she didn't know what to say to her female guard. The woman already knew her most intimate secrets and indiscretions. She turned toward the window to look at the clouds below when she heard a female voice. Turning she saw Jill's assistant standing by their row of seats.

"Mrs. Stein will like to talk to you."

Leslie stood and walked around Shawna Gills to keep from waking her, then walked to the two rows of seats facing each other up front. Jill was sitting on the window seat facing backward looking right at Leslie with that same severe look. The woman had presence Leslie realized. And she was used to having authority. What would it be like to be like her one day?

"Sit," Jill said pointing to a seat across from her. "Relax."

Leslie did.

"I have that statement for you to read over and sign. If you see any glaring mistakes on the narrative, please make notes in red on the margins and give it back to me. I'll have my assistant revise it. We have the gist of what happened to you down from our investigation and your debriefings with Gill's people. But it never hurts to make sure of accuracy. It will be on the news tomorrow with your signature on it. So, read it and let me know if we need to revise it."

Jill passed her a rigid meeting folder with a document in it.

"Do you want me to go back to my seat?"

"No, you can do it here."

Leslie did as Jill asked again. The statement basically went over the events of her and the anti-war group. How they had found her at the worse possible moment in her life and manipulated her. She found no mistakes and reached for the pen Jill offered her. Leslie signed it at the bottom without hesitation. Everything in it was true and it felt cathartic to agree by signing.

Jill took it and waved it in the air for her assistant to come and take away.

"Good, that's out of the way. You'll get a copy when we get to DC. She pointed to water bottles on the small table. "Get something to drink."

It sounded like an order, and Leslie took a bottle and drank a bit.

"Now, tell me exactly what your relationship was with your father. And don't skip a thing."

Leslie had never told anyone about her sexual relationship with her father. As far as she knew no one knew. But for some reason, now that he was dead, she felt like confessing. She couldn't understand why, but she was compelled to. Jill was acting like her guardian angel. If that was to hold up, she needed to know.

"I have something to tell you. Something private, that you may find distasteful."

"Humor me," Jill said and sat back.

"I hope this stays between us and not make it to my family or the press."

"Depends on what you tell me, but for now yes, just between us. As for the press, I'll give them nothing derogatory about your dad or your family."

Then before Leslie could start speaking raised her hand.

"Wait, I and my brother, who are your benefactors at the moment, don't have secrets. He will know. Trust me, he is 110% trustworthy and a gentleman of the highest order. He will keep it to himself unless you tell us otherwise. So, go on."

Taking a deep breath, Leslie told Jill how she and her father began their sexual relationship.

"I was always closer to my father than my mother. She was infatuated with my younger brother. I guess she always wanted a boy and I gravitated toward my dad. Him being away a lot with the army made me look forward to seeing him. As I got older, I developed a daughter daddy crush. He was everything special to me. So tall and handsome. And he would look at me with those eyes setting fires in me that I was too young to understand.

"As the years passed and I became a young woman, the feelings in me intensified. I dated, but no young man could compare to my dad. Near the end of senior year, I decided that enough was enough. I was going to have my dad. Seduce him... whatever.

"I had proceeded to tease my father to see if he was interested. I wore less around him and made sure he saw me bending over and seeing what I had. Everyone says I'm a younger version of mom, and mom is drop dead gorgeous. I could see in the mirror that he would find me attractive, and he did. A girl, even one at my age then could tell.

"Daddy would look and when he saw I was looking would smile and turn away. He was almost telling me he was interested, but we could not. But I conspired to make it happen. I had to figure out a way to get us alone and I did when my mother and brother went out of town to a school trip she chaperoned.

"Daddy was at some exercise out of state and called to say he was coming home early. I took the call and told him I would pick him up. He asked where mom was, and I told him. He got quiet then said he was glad I was picking him up.

"I didn't tell my mother. I just let her be and drove to pick up daddy. I'll spare you the details of how we seduced each other, but it happened in the car on the way home. Only we didn't go home. We stopped at a hotel and got a room.

"When we went in the room it was nothing but the next step. The most erotic and life changing night in my life. There has never been another man that comes close to him and has not since. Not boyfriends for sure. The professor looked like him but was more direct in bed. Where my daddy took his time with me and loved me, the professor took what he wanted. It was not a bad experience, but it left me wanting. And looks wise, there is only one other person that I find attractive."

"That being?" Jill asked.

"My younger brother. He looks like dad and has some of his mannerisms. The eyes and the... way he carries himself is eerily similar. But having had my father, I have made no moves toward Jay. I don't want to mess that up any more than it is. And the way things are between us, that is not even in the cards."

Jill sat back with a polite interested look, but inside her she was ecstatic! Leslie had admitted to incest in the family without her having to do a thing.

"We continued the affair all summer until I had to go to college. And even then, daddy found a way to meet me so we could have sex. I had seen him fucking mom once. Compared to what he did with me, that was mere fucking. He made love to me. It was intoxicating.

"Then he left for the last time." she stopped for few seconds and resumed. "I hoped he and I would keep things going after he came back. But as you know, he didn't. I never told my mother or brother any of this. And they would not understand. I'm on their shit-list as is."

"Why did you tell me?"

Leslie looked up for a minute asking herself that as well.

"You are trying to help me. You asked about mine and daddy's relationship. I just wanted someone... just one person to know. To know how loving he could be. I've heard he was not perfect and had his issues. Lord knows my grandmother hates his guts to this day. I guess she has her reasons but has never said what they are. But to me he was everything and more. It about killed me when he died. And I had no one to tell and share the pain with."

Jill looked at Leslie in a different light. Leslie was not just anyone anymore. Leslie was one of them. Her and Jack and Brad and Janet. Others like them who had tasted the touch and physical love of a family member.

"I had really no one to confide this after he died," Leslie continued. "Mom was near destroyed after and Jay..."

"What about him?"

"Jay aged ten years when daddy died Jill. Daddy's death did a number on my younger brother. It's like he is a grown man now. You can see it in his eyes and ways. It's even worse since he looks older than he is. Yes, it's the eyes. And he has become harder. There are times I see a dark side to him. I can't explain it any other way."

Jill said nothing, but it fit the assessment of the Andrea and Jay surveillance team and the psychologists. Both Andrea and her son had become tougher from the experience. She was more focused and productive at work and her son a better student and more mature by the day.

Jill had a thousand questions to ask about the Mayers family. But they would have to wait. She had what she needed.

"OK, let's stop for now. I need to make a call."

Leslie smiled politely and returned to her seat.

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Mid-June 2006 Washington, DC

They landed after thirty more minutes and deplaned. As everyone else went to the SUV limo waiting for them, Jill dialed the first number on her speed dial and waited for an answer.

"Jack!" she said excitedly when he answered. "I have confirmation. The daughter and the father had an affair."

"How do you know?" he replied.

"She told me," Jill said. "She just told me on the flight up here."

Jack smiled at that and nodded.

"OK, get her here and we'll explore this."

"Love you," she said.

"Love you too babe."

Jack sat back in his office chair nodding. The Mayers and Cruz families were incestuous as he had expected. He had a nose for spotting it and his intuition had proven him right again. All the waiting and surveillance had been expensive, but worth it in his mind. The question now was the mother and son.