Sharing the Sheets (13 page)

After talking to Tony and seeing the smut film he secretly created I was more than willing to do him any favor requested of me. If making some Realtor blush made his life easier then so be it. I made sure to set the appointment for during the day with the Realtor. Whatever Tony had with this guy, it was his business and none of mine. The only plot I was thinking of was Amanda's humiliation and the amount of money to sell it off for.

Amanda may have thought I didn't know anyone, but I had my own resources. Tony wasn't the only one helping me behind the scenes. There was a young twenty-year-old college dropout, Fenton, living next door to me who helped me out from time to time. He was the one who found Tony's address for me, so I could put my moves on him. It turned out Fenton was a genius hacker; he sold his talents for hire and buried his life in between codes and a select group of others like him. He was very isolated and socially awkward. I felt sorry for him and befriended him. He never had visitors and always had delivery service for everything. I believed I was the only one to enter his apartment. I thought his place would be smelly with empty boxes everywhere but to my surprise it was immaculately kept. I never saw him take garbage out or even get the mail. His skills provided me clues to Amanda's so-called untainted life.

It was just before noon as I waited for the Realtor to show me this place. A cab pulled up and a handsome, tall man hopped out.

“Hello, sorry for the wait.”

“Oh no, you're right on time. I'm Diana.” I extended my hand to greet him.

“I'm Mark Sands, it's my pleasure. Shall I show you the space?” He opened the entrance to the building.

I made sure to show my off my assets as I walked ahead of him to the elevator. “So tell, Mark, how many potential occupants do you have for this space?”

“Actually, this is the only space available. All other spaces have been contracted and have already moved into escrow. Are you looking for a client or yourself?” He pressed the PH button on the elevator as we entered.

“A client. He's very private and wants larger space. I'm surprised you haven't gotten a bite on this. I was sure when I made the appointment you were going to call me back because you found a buyer.”

The elevator chimed and the doors opened to the top floor. There were two apartments on the floor. We walked to the door labeled PH-A.

He took me through the penthouse showing me all the exquisite marbling, top-of-the-line appliances, floor-to-ceiling windows exposing all the views of the city's skyline. The place was staged with furniture so it wasn't hard to bait him into taking a seat next to me on the bed as he showed off the spectacular views.

When I looked out the window I spotted someone standing in a vacant apartment directly across. Then it hit me: Tony just wanted him in a compromising position. I lay back on the bed. “This feels good. C'mon, Mark, lay back and enjoy this small moment with me. I'm sure you don't get many breaks in your day.”

With much hesitation he lay back. We were looking up at the newly painted white ceiling when I made my move. I turned to the side facing him. “Mark, tell me, have you ever christened any of your places before?”

“What do you mean?”

I thought he was playing dumb. I pulled my front zipper down my dress to my belly button, showing my intentions. I guided my hand along his muscular arm and past his belt buckle. Before he could refuse I climbed on top of him. “C'mon, those marble counters in the kitchen would put you at perfect height.” I rocked back and forth slowly, then lowered my lips to his.

He grabbed my wrists and pushed me back forcing me to sit up.

“Don't fight it.” I kept moving my hands and inching forward to his lips.

“Stop it, please,” he yelled.

I kept rocking and fighting him to give in to me. I could see the flashes bouncing off the mirrored closet facing the window. I didn't think Mark even noticed until he pushed me off him with force.

“What the hell!” He quickly moved to the window. “What the hell is going on here?”

“I—”

“Who the hell is taking pictures? Who the hell are you?”

I got up from the floor and zipped my dress back up.

“I'm calling the police.” He reached into his blazer and pulled out his phone.

“Please don't. It wouldn't be a good idea. I'm leaving now.” I rushed out without looking back almost knocking a woman entering the apartment. I did what was needed.

 

 

It was my first day back at work since my meeting with Amanda and I was looking forward to it. I had a backup, thanks to Fenton, if my first attempt to collect didn't work. I typed on the keyboard and opened a new e-mail. I retrieved the flash drive I tucked away in my purse and plugged it in. The video Tony made was chopped into two-minute playbacks. I attached the first two minutes to the e-mail and sent it to Amanda anonymously. Fenton created a dummy e-mail account for me so she didn't know it was me. I also had him hack her account to copy her contacts on to the drive as well. I wanted her to think I was scared and wouldn't try to extort her with all the dirt she had on me.

I waited five minutes; then it became ten minutes. No response. I sent her another two minutes with a message:
Fifty thousand or the entire sixty minutes gets sent to all your contacts.

It was less than twenty seconds when the response came in.

Another response came in within seconds:
Who is this?
I decided on making her sweat this time. I waited ten minutes before sending my reply.

I figured jacking up the price would light some fire under her to ask the obvious, where and when, but it felt more like I was giving her too much time to have second thoughts. I scrolled through her e-mail contacts, selected her assistant's address and sent the first two minutes of the video. I CCed her on the e-mail expecting her to take me seriously. It worked because within seconds of sending the e-mail she responded,
Where and when? Cash in hand.

I smiled.
Yes, gotcha, bitch! Just wait for what else I have in store.
I made her wait for my reply. Revealing myself now would be stupid so instead I typed,
Washington Square Park by the fountain @ 10 p.m.
I figured the meeting place was perfect to get an edge on her. The night crawlers there always looked sketchy.

Suddenly, I received a text from Fenton. There was an attachment. When I opened it my jaw dropped; it was a picture of a young toddler.
Fenton came through all the way. One of these days I have to shake him off a little something
-
something just for being so good to me. This is going to be a bigger payday than I thought. Now I have proof, not just a birth certificate. This should make her ass squirm a little more.

How could I be so stupid? How could I not see this coming? It was too easy to have my way with him! I hated myself, now it was going to cost me sixty Gs to eliminate this threat. It was minutes after two and I still had one more client to meet with. The money was not the problem, but getting it would be. My safe at home held twenty-five tops and getting to the bank would be impossible to withdraw the funds before closing.
Shit!
My fingers tapped on the screen of my phone.
Fuck!

My assistant walked into my office and closed the door. I knew what was coming, but when I saw the video it was easy to mislead what she saw.

“Ms. Sutton, I . . . I . . . I don't know how to say this—”

I laughed to make it seem as if it was just a big joke. “Jeanine, I already know. Someone sent you a video of me in, well, let's just say . . . not a position you've seen me in before, nor would you want to.” I paused watching her body language. She sat up straight, her hands intertwined, twiddling her thumbs, right leg bouncing, eyes welling up with water. “First, it was not me in that video, she was an actress made up to look exactly like me. It was all staged.”

She covered her mouth and she bowed her head.

“It was brought to my attention that someone on staff has been exposing my strategies and client information. As you know all employees have signed a nondisclosure once hired. It's rumored you were sharing such information for money. Now because that video was sent to you ten minutes ago and you walked into my office to inform me, it tells me that you're not the one. With the cat out the bag, there has to be some secrecy with my investigation meaning if you discuss this with anyone within this firm or socially you can kiss your job and future good-bye.”

She started to cry. “Ms. Sutton, I . . . I . . .”

I grabbed some tissues and walked around my desk to hand them to her. I took the seat next to her and saw how shaken she was. I had to deceive her at every angle. She was young, not very confident in herself, was hired on a temporary salary for a full year and finally hired as a full-time employee as of a month ago. Now I had her scared shitless for her job and questioned her relationships personally. I needed her to be nervous if she wasn't already. “Listen, Jeanine, you've worked for me for close to a year. Soon I will be partner and in order for me to bring you with me I must know that I can trust you unequivocally. I can, correct?”

“Oh, Ms. Sutton, you can trust me,” she said through sobs. “I just opened the e-mail. I didn't even watch the entire video. As soon as I saw your face, I mean your impersonator, I . . . I closed it immediately and deleted the e-mail permanently from the server.”

I had her too terrified to say or do anything. “Jeanine, don't worry about anything. I see a bright future here for you. Why don't you take the rest of the day off, go to the spa on me, and let's just forget about this entire conversation.” I gave her a tight hug just to show her some compassion.

“Okay, Ms. Sutton.” She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to walk out with her head bowed.

I reached out to her. “Jeanine, remember this never happened. Keep your head up and game face on. You're my eyes and ears now, you have my undivided attention with any issues you have.”

She stood up straight, shook her head as she closed her eyes, put on a smile, and walked out of my office.

When Jeanine left the office I went straight to her desktop and opened the calendar with all my meetings. I scrolled back to that night and pulled the name of the restaurant I had dinner with Daniel. I dialed the number immediately. I didn't wait for the hostess to finish her greeting before I interrupted her. “Hello, this may seem strange, but I had dinner there a few nights ago and had dinner with Daniel Tatum. Do you remember?”

“I'm sorry, but I cannot say yes or no.”

“There's no restrictions on you giving me that information.” I tried to polite about it, but I wasn't going to go back and forth with her. “My name is Amanda Sutton, an attorney, and it's vital to an ongoing federal case that any information you have on Daniel Tatum be given. Unless you want an investigation into your establishment you better pass the phone before you lose your job,” I lied using my scare tactic.

“Please hold,” I heard.

The soothing music played in my ear as my annoyance of it all built inside of me. Suddenly, the phone clicked. I didn't know if it disconnected or was I transferred. I waited for a few seconds then said, “Hello? Hello?”

“Hello, I'm the manager. How can I help you?”

“You have a patron named Daniel Tatum who is involved in a federal investigation. Any information you have—”

“First, if you are a lawyer you should already know if you do not have a subpoena issued by a federal judge I cannot and will not give you any information. As an exclusive restaurant with scheduled reservations only we have that right.”

I paused in thought for a moment. Maybe I went about this the wrong way. Money always got people talking. “Don't be surprised when the investigation turns on you.” I hung up the phone contemplating if it would be worth the money to try.

I glanced at the time on Jeanine's desktop.
Shit, I'm going to be late!
I hurried into my office to gather my files of my next client and rushed out the office. My mind was in a whirlwind of contemplations and deceptions. I could go down there and try my luck or push my weight around until I got what I wanted. If I used my connections then I would have to come up with a reason. Did I really want all that trouble? If I could settle this tonight would it be over?

Connie did as she was told and sent me Mark's calendar with all his meetings with Vanessa and some with other clients. I had to call a friend. I walked out my home with mixed feelings heading to Mark's meeting at noon.
Should I even pay attention to Vanessa's advances? I shouldn't be threatened by her, after all I have the ring! But a conniving bitch will always be persistent.
I had to get something on her.

The cab arrived in front of the building where Mark was showing a space. As of late I'd popped up on all his meetings with Vanessa like clockwork. He may not have liked it, but secretly I knew he wanted it. Knowing all the wrong I'd done to him it would be very easy for him to slip into her arms for revenge just to get back at me. I took a deep breath and entered the building not sure if my pop-ups would cause more drama than I wanted.

I called the elevator down and entered, pressing the PH button. When the elevator arrived at the floor as the doors opened a disheveled woman came close to knocking me down. “Excuse me!” She didn't bother to apologize; she smiled and adjusted her dress. At first sight of her face I didn't recognize her, but after the elevator doors closed it hit me. What the fuck was she doing here? She was the hostess at the party Tony took me to. Was my mind playing tricks on me? Was I right about Mark all along? My mind was flushed with confusion. I didn't know if I should just pretend I never saw her, or confront him like an insecure dummy.

I knocked on the open door. “Hello, Mark?” Mark appeared upset as he walked out one of the bedrooms. I knew it was the bedroom because I saw the floor plan to stage all the furniture. Why was he so upset? “Mark, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, what are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe I could grab some lunch with my future husband. Was that a new client?” I decided to keep everything to myself and let him tell it.

“No, it wasn't. Where do you want to go for lunch?”

I fought the urge to expand on the no and put on a smile. “There's that Korean grill spot not far from here.”

“I'm good with that, let's go,” he said with some kind of annoyance.

I didn't want to rock any boats because we were in a good place. We hailed a cab and went to the restaurant. We casually talked about the wedding during lunch, but I felt there was something he was holding back from me. I chose not to elaborate on what I was feeling so I kept my mouth shut. Maybe talking about our trip to the doctor would put him in a better mood.

“So, Mark, when are we going back to the doctor? I can't lie, I was amazed by all the scientific breakthroughs and to know so many people had children this way. I'm very excited.”

He finally cracked a smile. “Yes, it's crazy isn't it? To have someone else carry our baby. I mean, our DNA, no one else's. Did you go through any of the potential surrogates' profiles?”

“I did, but I'm just not comfortable with a perfect stranger. Are you okay with that? I mean we won't know who she is, how she eats, who she hangs out with. Stuff like that matters. What if the person we pick looks good on paper, video, and over the phone, but maybe she's depressed for real?”

“Sounds like you're either having second thoughts or you have someone in mind.” He pushed his plate forward.

He was still smiling so that was a good thing. “No and yes. No to second thoughts. Yes to the idea of someone we know. Honestly Mark, I don't think as an expectant mother I would be comfortable with our surrogate living apart from us. Is that crazy?”

“No, it's not crazy, but having her live with us is a little weird. A stranger having access to our inner sanctum,” he said waving the waitress over for the check.

“Umm, I think you're forgetting the bigger picture, our baby. We can get a place out in California with some kind of extended space. Are you prepared to rent a house for an entire year? I know you mentioned getting something for six months, but—”

“Regina, whatever you want I'll make it happen. Now, I have to get back to the office for a meeting. Will you head back home or do you have to check on the building?”

“Actually, I'm going to try to meet up with Amanda. Hopefully she's available. See you later at home.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips before he walked out. I stayed seated at the table and pulled out my phone, scrolling through his calendar.
He doesn't have any other appointment. Why is he lying?
I dialed Amanda.

“Hey, chick, what's up? I'm on my way into a meeting.”

“We have to talk. There are some serious situations I need advice on. When can we talk?”

“I can't today. I have a thing tonight. How does breakfast sound tomorrow?”

“Are you sure you can't stop by tonight? It's really important. Can't you reschedule your little booty call?” I was disappointed by her pushing me to the side.

“I can't, Regina. Listen I have to go. I will call you in the morning.”

She hung up so fast I didn't get a chance to plead my urgency anymore. I tucked my phone back into my purse and left the restaurant. I wanted to head straight to Mark's office to see what he was up to, but decided on going home to finish up some paperwork on the new tenants who would moving into one of the buildings we owned.

 

 

It was six o'clock and Mark wasn't home yet. I decided on ordering in some Thai food. It was Mark's favorite. I had to make sure it was all perfect. Just then he walked through the door.

“Regina?” he shouted as he door shut.

“Hello, baby.” I kissed him on the cheek.

“What's this? I thought we were going out for dinner.” He placed his satchel onto the kitchen countertop.

I set the table and placed the food in serving plates. It was still warm. “I thought eating in would be better. It seemed as though your day wasn't going good when we met for lunch. Do you want to tell me what happened?” I didn't want to badger him with questions. I thought I would ease into it.

“What are you talking about?” I could feel the attitude building.

“I don't want to upset you. Why don't we just have dinner while the food's still warm? Here have a seat.” I pulled out a chair, took a seat, and started to dish food onto the empty plates.

“Thai food?”

“Yes, it's your favorite.”

“I know, and I also know if there's something on your mind we eat Thai food, especially if you're not certain of my reaction. So just go ahead and ask me.” He shoveled food into his mouth.

“I'm going to ask Amanda to carry our baby,” I said almost in a whisper.

He dropped his fork. His eyes widened. He stared at me as if I booked a one-way ticket to Mars for the both of us.

“Stop looking at me like that. It's not a bad idea.”

“Regina, you are crazy. I'm not having her carry our baby. That's like having Satan carry our baby.”

I was floored. I knew he didn't like her, but to think she's evil that was off the wall.

“She's not carrying our baby. She only cares about herself. She doesn't even have the instinct to be a mother. How could you even suggest that?”

“She's my best friend, Mark. It makes a lot of sense to me. I trust her. I don't trust those profiles. How is it so easy for you to pick a random stranger instead of someone who's close to me?”

He pushed his plate to the side. “Regina, if this is what you want”—he looked into my eyes—“I can't go through with it. Any of it.”

I was crushed. Tears formed in my eyes.
Any of it? What is that supposed to mean? No marriage, no baby? What?

“Mark, you can't be serious!” I said as tears rolled down my face. Had I now destroyed the only thing I ever wanted? “I thought you wanted all this. I thought you wanted me to be happy.”

“I do want you happy, but that doesn't mean I have to just go with whatever you want. Yes, I want to marry you. Yes, I want to have our baby. She's not the one. How do you not see that?”

I was crying like a baby. He came over to me, pulled me up into his arms, and held me.

“I'm going to tell you something. It's going to be hard to accept it. But I need you to stop crying. Let me open a bottle of wine. Go to the bathroom, wipe your tears, and meet me in the bedroom, okay?”

My body went numb. What was he about to tell me? Was it about Amanda or that woman I bumped into today? I was scared, but open to what he had to say. I nodded my head yes and walked to the bathroom in our bedroom. When I entered the bathroom I closed the door and looked into the mirror wiping my eyes. “Listen to him. Don't react. He's the man you're going to spend the rest of your life with. Be the good woman you want to be,” I said out loud and repeated in my mind when I walked out into the bedroom.

Mark was seated on the lounge in front of the fireplace with a look of defeat on his face. “Here.” He held the glass to me. “Have a seat.” His tone was upsetting.

“Mark, you're scaring me. You act as though you're about to tell me something awful. Please just spit it out!” My voice turned loud.

“Regina, know that I love you and will and have done everything for you. Amanda shouldn't be your friend or the woman carrying your baby.”

“Mark, I know you and she don't get along, but she's very opinionated and she just doesn't see things from your prospective all the time. You can't be mad at her for having an opinion, she's a lawyer for Christ's sake.” I laughed and moved closer to him.

His eyes were giving me a bad sign.

“Regina, I slept with Amanda long time ago.”

My heart stopped beating. My world was crashing before my eyes. Was I hearing correctly? Did he just say he fucked my best friend?

“First, I knew her before you met her at that party. When you guys became friends I didn't want to ruin what we had over something that meant absolutely nothing. It happened once. That is why we never got along. I never wanted her in the house when I was around. You may not believe me, but she's your friend because she wants to be you. She's jealous of you, what you have, and the life you live. I'm sorry, I should have told you that night of the party. I'm sorry, Regina.”

My head was spinning. My life was flashing before my eyes.
I finally decided on being the best woman I can be and he reveals this! What am I supposed to do now? All these plans, our future, is it over?

“Regina, say something.” He emptied his glass and poured another.

I couldn't. Words weren't forming. All I did was stare. Tears fell from my eyes.

“Regina, I don't feel anything for her. I never did.”

After minutes of just staring and tears falling my hand reached to his face smacking him.

“I deserved that.” He rubbed his face.

I said nothing. My hands were shaking. I put my glass down on the small side table.

“Regina, say something please.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “I can't lose you. I couldn't keep it from you anymore. When you asked for her to carry our child, there was no way I could move forward without telling you.”

“I can't believe you. If it happened before me and her were friends, why didn't you just tell me then? It would have saved me a whole lot of heartache and pain. You know I don't have many real friends, and for you to look the other way when I allowed her into my life, our life, how can I forgive you? I don't care about the sex. It was once and never thought about again. But you kept it from me even after you saw me and her becoming closer.”

“There's more, but before you start bashing me, which I deserve, you should know she's the one who told me you were seeing other men. Not one man, but men. Think of how I felt when I heard that.” He downed half his glass. “She still wants me and tries every chance you're not around.”

What the fuck was happening? I didn't know how to respond to the bullshit he was trying to feed me, but could it be factual?
Listen to him. Don't react. He's the man you're going to spend the rest of your life with. Be the good woman you want to be.
I took a deep breath. There was only one person to set this all straight.