Time for Revenge

"Juno speaking."

"Juno, I have astonishing news. As soon as I identified the property to Mr Rich and stated that his grandfather once owned it, he asked me to be shown through the property at 8:00 tonight and asked could the so-far undisclosed seller be there to negotiate."

"Great work Jennifer but I won't be there. The instruction I gave at the time of listing the property for sale was there would be no negotiation. Either interested buyers agreed to the asking price of $11.3 million that is halfway between two appraisals by the two most reputable companies in the city in commercial building and business appraising, or they go and look at other properties. Just tell Mr Rich it's a forced sale because owner has increasing business commitments. Being a businessman, he'll understand why the seller is being bloody-minded."

"I'll follow instructions, Juno."

"Thanks Jennifer, with that great charm of yours I think it's unnecessary for me to wish you good luck. Call me back whether or not you have anything to report after his inspection."

As Juno stashed away her phone Ryan began unbuttoning her short skirt. "I have rather a good feeling that your house sale will trigger a great evening and so let's start with sex.

Juno trembled, her gaze giving him the look he wanted to see. He took his time undressing her, licking, kissing and stroking, working her into a high state of excitement.

When completed, he ripped his clothes off and carried her triumphantly to the shower and within five minutes they were on towels on the bathroom floor working to release almost a month of frustration and sexual tension.

As Ryan headed to the kitchen to fetch cool drinks, Juno's phone went.

"It's Jennifer with great news. May I come to wherever you are for you to counter-sign; it's a done deal."

"Congratulations, Jennifer. Well done. I'll drop into your office at 9:00 in the morning and then you'll need to collect Raymond Rich's signature. Oh, before he signs, disclose that I own the property and tell him the date when I purchased it from the monies I inherited from my parents' estates which was before he met me."

"I'd rather collect the signatures this evening."

"And be guilty of prolonging coitus interruptus?"

"Omigod Juno, I'm so sorry."

"No harm done, we're momentarily apart for a bathroom stop."

Jennifer launched into uncontrollable laughter as she ended the call. Juno blushed, scarcely believing she'd said those words to her real estate agent.

She gave Ryan the good news when he returned to bed with refreshments

After six hours' sleep, they were at it again as if there was no tomorrow.

Juno couldn't believe how gentle and communicative he was, except when launching into his releases.

He told her he was amazed by her physical flexibility and how compliant she was in allowing him complete freedom and meeting his every move in her complimentary role playing.

"God, you can fuck," he murmured crudely into her ear as they lay in near exhaustion.

The alarm went at 5:30 and he was off to the gym and to swim his sixty laps. He asked her to be ready to walk out to breakfast at 8:00.

After showering and returning to the bedroom to dress in the same clothes she'd worn the previous day, Juno noticed for the first time a framed photo of an attractive woman hanging just above his bedside dresser. She unhooked it and flipped it over. The notation in light pencil read, 'My mom, Adair Henny Tennant taken when I was 10. Regrettably she's now Mrs Raymond Rich.'

Tears came to Juno.

Little wonder he knew so accurately what she was going through in her marital breakdown. He'd had a similar experience aged only fourteen when his mother was divorced by his hard-hearted father.

She dried her eyes and placed the photo back on the wall, knowing also she had positively established the link between Ryan and his target he wished to knock out of business.

She had no idea when Ryan's bitterness over his mother being stolen from him had led to him conceiving this exceedingly elaborate and cunning plot but it had been a long wait for Ryan to come this far - twenty-six years, in fact. She was curious why he'd waited so long - why hadn't Ryan acted much sooner, say as an 18-year-old?

Perhaps she'd never know the answer.

Over breakfast he surprised her, saying he'd found the perfect location for the company HQ.

Recovering from the shock, Juno said if she agreed with his choice, it was amazing. She'd been working with two firms supposedly being top-dogs in commercial real estate and neither had yet managed to show her properties that really appealed.

Biting into toast, Ryan adopted a small boy look.

"I apologize for interfering because we'd agreed for you to scout for suitable premises. I had the thought that in seriously launching into publishing, we should not only take our closest rival on head-to-head but we ought to fix Raymond Rich Publications in our sights constantly. Well I think I've found the way to do that."

"How?"

"Eat your breakfast and I'll take you there. I've taken a week's option as I need you to have time to think about this while not feeling under pressure."

"Why is it I'm not mad at you?"

"Because at times I rather appeal to women," he said, looking even more boyish.

Juno felt her heart flutter and would be prepared to swear that her nipples were stiffening. But not only that, she knew the understandable sinister edge to this guy smiling at her would drag her into situations and confrontations of the likes she'd never experienced before.

He was not only pulling her out of the hole dug for her by her heartless husband, but he was also quietly engaging her into a joint power game that promised to topple Raymond.

She sighed, thankful that there had been another wife between the ultimately ejected Adair Tennant and herself as that meant she couldn't be held accountable for Raymond's heartless treatment of Ryan's mother Adair. She thought, what an all-round mix of deceit, plotting, wife dumping, intrigue, planned revenge and goodness knows what else.

They chatted to Susan, the restaurant owner, and then walked off.

"It's close enough to walk to work," Ryan said encouragingly.

She thought he was so smooth, like a master manipulator.

Juno's eyes were caught by gowns in a store window as they entered the building and so she wasn't really aware of where they were. They rode the odourless lift with its spotless carpet to the sixth floor and that earned approval from Juno and she said so.

Ryan scratched behind his ear and said strangely he'd noticed little about the interior. They entered the huge expanse.

"The occupants who've vacated to move to a new office building beside their plant operated 'open plan' but we can fit-out to our preference, at our expense of course. But we get the customary first month rent holiday to allow for any fitting-out and other customizing."

"But it's too big. God, at present there's only you and me on the company payroll, commencing on Monday next."

Ryan smiled as said he better begin recruiting people fast then; their start-up establishment was ten personnel including themselves.

"Let's bump that up to twenty."

"Why?" Juno asked.

"You're concerned about the space not being filled. I'll fit out large offices for you, me and the financial controller. All other offices will be smaller; I don't like open plan layout, women stop work too often to gossip."

Juno sniffed and said it was called inter-action and more often than not the conversations could be task-related.

"Oh yeah, right."

"Look, we suddenly seemed to be winding up to start at a gallop," Juno worried. "Isn't that a recipe for disaster?"

"Oh, come on woman of little faith, we have a strategic plan and a business plan."

"Strategic plan? I've not been involved in that."

"Ah, um. Well, nothing to worry about; it's in my head and the fundamentals are incorporated in our business plan as otherwise how could we have written performance guidelines and performance measuring steps without having targets? Those targets I laid out for us came from my mental strategic plan and Tom, our man with a professional finance and legal mind and fellow director, had no trouble comprehending my concepts and to my knowledge has not expressed misgivings to you."

"No, his only real comment was that in you I'd found a really switched on guy who led like a professional."

"Huh? Well, there you go, Juno. Oh, I've also taken an option on the floor below to house our marketing and distribution department. The present occupant is dithering about his rent renewal increase and his tenancy expires in three months. Building management advised me that possession is as good as ours because that tenant appears to be involved in flogging a failing business."

Juno frowned. "Which is where we shall be unless someone takes the reins."

Ryan hugged her, grabbing her as she attempted to elude him.

"It's okay baby, why loll around; there are advantages of hitting the throttle and bursting on to the scene in publishing because it signals aggression from an outfit in it for the long-haul."

As he released Juno she looked out the window and said, "Omigod."

"What?"

It all became sense to Juno: she was looking straight across the street to the headquarters of Raymond Rich Publications Limited. She could see the back of Raymond in his office: the conniving scumbag was easily in her sights.

"This location is perfect," she purred, now a woman on a joint mission. "I see Rich Publications right opposite us. If we progress as aggressively as you've promised me, I'll enjoy looking across and seeing the Rich empire shrinking and panicking faces looking in our direction."

"Please locate my office at the far end of this expanse; that will prevent me to look directly into the office of the man who has spurned me. You're a real darling Ryan."

She added cunningly, "If I didn't know better, I would have suspected this was strategically planned."

Ryan whipped around to look for panic flowing from Juno, but was met only by a relaxed and innocent smile.

"Juno, the plan is to grab market share and if that means snatching business from Rich Publications for the first book we publish, then so be it. Further, should we really go on attack we might topple that scumbag over there sooner than either of us believes possible, that is, if you approve and can stomach taking some risks."

"Oh Ryan, you have my permission to send a rocket under his chair providing you don't criminally harm him. Indeed, how may I help?"

"Let's go back to the apartment. I'll contact an appropriate recruitment agency with a long list of job-seekers on its books. I'd like you to contact key personnel who'd left Rich Publications during your time there who were dissatisfied with their bullying executive-chairman plus noting people still working there who you suspect may be interested in crossing the street. Be careful what you say; give them the impression you are setting up a small company to publish, um, travel and food books and invite interested individuals for a drink and chat with you, confidentiality guaranteed."

"That's a good idea, but what if your endeavours clash with any people I line up?"

"No problem, we are doing this to target the best candidate. Our activity is publishing, not to operate as a Dear Hearts Club."

"Yes, of course. I almost lost focus there. I must always pass on the ruthless decisions to you to handle."

"You've hit the nail, baby. Let's go."

* * *

Despite the cheerful walk back to the apartment with Ryan in a playful mood, Juno sat down to make some calls feeling a confusing mix of excitement and doom about the new venture. It was being launched with too little preparation, too fast and with too few persons involved in an advisory capacity. It seemed all wrong; at the same time Ryan seemed to have a ton of confidence and gave the distinct impression he was in go-forward mode.

Using her old publishing contact book, she called eight key personal from her past who'd left Rich Publishing in the latter years of her time there. To her astonishment four expressed interest, three expressed no interest and she found the eighth person was no longer in the country. She considered that an excellent result.

However, suspecting Ryan would challenge her and asked why hadn't she attempted to locate that person no longer in the country, Juno took the steps to track her down.

Kitty was in Hong Kong and sounded mournful.

"Juno, is it really you? Thank God for a friendly voice."

They conversed. Kitty had become pregnant but had a miscarriage in the eighth week. The guy had abandoned her and she was half-expecting a dismissal notice because the magazine she was working on as deputy-editor had just been sold to a rival chain.

They chatted until Juno calmly said: "Come home Kitty; I'm launching a publication company, initially to produce fiction novellas for the mass market. Resign and be here within seven days from now and you will take up the position of senior-editor on a five-year contract."

Ryan arrived back with a light lunch in containers. He told Juno they could eat it beside the building's rooftop pool because he'd like to swim with her.

To show his superiority, she thought.

Ryan did no such thing. In the pool, he pushed her a bit but not passing her and then rumbled her into a type of pool frivolity one might conceivably perform in front of one's parents but certainly not one's grandparents.

Drinking light alcohol wine, Juno reported on her attempt to chase down ex-Rich Publications personnel.

"Three wish to be interviewed and I tracked down one other in Hong Kong and appointed her as senior editor if she arrives her within seven days."

"Without my approval," Ryan said, studying his wine.

"Without your approval," she said, turning steely-eyed but the look was wasted because without looking at her he refilled her glass and said, "You must have had your reasons; well done. You best phone in and cancel that advertisement for a senior editor if you'll sure the Hong Kong babe is booking her seat home."

"Omigod, yes, excused me, the phone number is in our bedroom. "You'll be offered more than a smile from her if you call her babe, Kitty is fifty-five."

He laughed and Juno walked away grinning but in the lift the grin turned to 'grim' when she realized they had their company, a tiny board of three directors, one of whom was chairman/CEO and the other was director of operations, their premises and their senior editor but nothing to publish and no management-production-distribution-return of damaged/faulty product system in place, not to mention personnel for a small legal department and proof readers to name a few more,

She'd unwisely fallen under the persuasive influence of a guy who'd formed the framework of a cart but still not produced the cart and there was no horse. That was a very-old fashion way of describing it but as sure as hell, she knew what she was on about. Juno fumed and swore aloud in a most unladylike fashion. Fortunately, no one was in the lift with her.

Juno entered the apartment and found a note dropped on the floor.

Check your emails.

Now what game was he playing?

She'd not checked her emails for two days. Since the split with Raymond her email traffic had virtually evaporated.

"Hello, what's going on here?" she asked aloud, finding ninety-six emails were awaiting attention.

She opened the first one, still suspicious that Dickhead was being childish.

Dear Sir/Ma'am

Please accept five previously unpublished manuscripts that I believe fit your criteria. Thank you for this opportunity. Emily White, Cork, Ireland.

And the next one was similar.

Thank you for the invitation to submit. I hope at least one of these manuscripts of my work that has been rejected by other publishers will appeal to you. I have had thirty-three novels published but for reasons unknown to me, these three failed to appeal to commissioning editors. I write in English. Armelle Bonnet, Le Creusot, France.

Juno opened one of Armelle's attachments titled 'The Poppy-picking Innocent' and read the first chapter. She heard Ryan come in and stand behind her but leavewithout further disturbing her.

My God," Juno said aloud, closing the file. "It was rejected because it's only 38,000 words. Those stupid editors rejected it because it didn't fit their rigid formats. Thank you for coming to us, Armelle. We place quality over word-count every time."

Juno saw that Armelle had attached the call for submissions that Ryan obviously had engaged someone to place on websites servicing authors. The call for submissions read:

Juno's Blue Cover Fiction Books are about to burst on to the publishing world. We need submissions desperately in the romantic genre 30,000 to 55,000 words. Our primary requirement is modern sexy romances not necessarily with a wedding at the end providing passion is foremost. No cruelty or deviant sex. Constant happy relationships preferred but, of course, there has to be conflict, oodles of it. This is a hot opportunity for previously unpublished writers or published authors with a manuscript that has been inexplicably rejected, perhaps several times over. Payment for manuscripts we publish as 'Juno's Blue Cover Fiction Books' for the low-price market is US$0.04c a word.

Commissioning Editor

Juno's Blue Cover Fiction Books

The email address was provided.

Two more responses sampled were dismissed as 'amateur rubbish' by Juno who felt her enthusiasm ebbing. She couldn't believe Ryan had the foresight and initiative to have done this; there was a little Black Mark, however. He'd failed to consult her on such a major move, but he was forgiven although she would have to grabble about his audacity in tying her to a blue cover book concept without consultation.

She decided to sample just one more.

Hi, I'm Lisa Whitney-Ellis, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. My grandmother, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, has been ailing so I spent months talking to her about her life. Although I write poetry, I thought I should record her story. It comes out at almost 60,000 words but you are free to edit to length. Bless you for giving me this opportunity. I hope I receive a complimentary copy of 'A Grandmother's Love Story' to read it to her.

Juno's hands were shaking as she completed the first chapter. "Ryan!" she screamed, and printed out the chapter. He came running, thinking something was terribly wrong.

"You're a good boy doing this," she said, kissing him. "Sit down and read this."

Ryan read quietly as Juno made files to place the print-out submissions in various categories.

She then called four former editors from Rich Publications who'd retired in the time she'd worked for the company and three of them were excited to be asked to act as first stage approval editors. Juno's suggestion of an hourly pay rate was accepted and she said she would have the scripts printed-out and couriered to them. She'd visit each of them when they were finished and discuss their appraisals.

Ryan was waiting to talk to her.

He handed Juno the printed-out chapter.

"It's a bit girlie for me but it's great, isn't it? The writer has an excellent command of language and manages to flow the story beautifully. I can almost see the characters as I read their story. Sadly, it doesn't fit into our categories that we discussed tentatively."

"You sound suspiciously like a professional book critic," Juno laughed. "I was hoping you'd see what your dragnet has produced and I think there will be more. We must always operate open-minded editorial policies and avoid regimenting purchasing profiles designed for the convenience of editors."