Trigger (12 page)

“Chauncey.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She holds out her
hand. He’s as gentle and warm as Clarence. “I’d love to meet your
Mother. She must be a wonderful woman.”

“Yes ma’am, she was.”

“Bummer.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The gentle giant opens the tallest door she’s ever
seen. “Good luck Judy.”

Simon’s father is sitting behind a huge antique desk
that she thinks is bigger than her office. He’s reading something
and for some reason doesn’t seem to realize she’s here. She walks
across the thick Persian rugs and can’t even hear her own
footsteps. She sits in one of two elaborate chairs placed in front
of his desk and waits.

She doesn’t count the minutes, but it’s less than
five and more than three before he looks up startled to see
her.

“I told Chauncey not to let you in.”

“Yes, sir. I know. He said you told him that you’d
rather die than see me, so I thought I’d watch.”

“Watch what?”

“You die.”

His face turns red then white. She can’t help but
feel guilty about threatening an obviously ill man, but quickly
remembers that he’s trying to prevent her from legally, and
honestly acquiring businesses that would make Stalwart Company
grow. He’s deliberately putting people out of jobs and they
probably loose their homes and have their cars repossessed.

“Get out!”

“No. I’m going to sit here until you tell me why you
are interfering with the growth of my business. Stalwart Companies
is no threat to you or the Perry empire. Mr. Wade and Mr. Shockley
want to sell to me. I’ve offered them good money and a promise to
take care of their employees. I see no reason why you would prevent
that from happening.”

If he could walk, she’s sure he would be rising from
his seat to threaten her with the police. “That’s none of your
business now get out of here.”

“That’s where you are wrong Mr. Perry, it is my
business and you are the one who is interfering.”

Mr. Perry glares at her. “My son thinks he wants to
marry you, Miss Mason.”

Didn’t expect that, but there’s no time to dwell on
it. At last she sees a way to get Mr. Perry’s cooperation.

“I won’t let that happen because you are nothing but
poor, white trash.”

“Yes. You’re right there, I am.”

She’s watches in slow motion as his mouth drops
open.

“If I promise that I won’t marry your son, will you
allow me to buy Mr. Shockley’s and Mr. Wade’s companies? Tell you
what, I’ll write a statement now and sign it, saying I will not
marry Simon and you will never see me again. I want nothing from
you, Mr. Perry, other than to allow Mr. Shockley and Mr. Wade to
decide for themselves if they want to sell to me or not.”

He’s looking at her, like she’s the most evil woman
he’s ever met. She can’t help the shiver than runs from the base of
her spine up to the back of her neck. Goose bumps cover her
arms.

Don’t back down
. Steven’s words pound in her
head over and over and over, while she holds Simon’s father’s
eyes.

“Oh and one other thing, I’ll put in the note that
I’m not interested in any company records for Mr. Shockley or Mr.
Wade that are more than five years old.”

She had to look carefully, but it was there. He
flinched.

“I intend to take the companies just as they are
today – the past stays in the past.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“Yes sir. The cost is a phone call to Mr. Shockley
and Mr. Wade, releasing them from your influence.”

He doesn’t respond.

“I’ll wait.”

She and Mr. Perry stare at each other. Judy holds
his eyes, but in her mind she sees Steven looking hard at her
during her third workout session and hears his voice as he yelled
in her face. “You blinked and you stepped back, Judy, your attacker
now knows you are vulnerable. You’re dead.” Steven threw up his
hands and walked away from her. “I don’t work with dead
people.”

We stare at each other and now its Gerry’s voice
that floats in beside Steven’s face. “That should be your first
shot Judy, not your last.” She went for the shot between Mr.
Perry’s eyes, because everyone at Stalwart is counting on her not
to fail. She’ll wait until the sun goes down and comes up
again.

Mr. Perry’s shoulders drop and his eyes fall to
stare at his hands. She reaches over and takes a piece of fine
letterhead from his desk and a gold pen and writes that Judy Ann
Mason consents to never marry or otherwise engage in any
relationship other than that of acquaintance with Simon Andrew
Perry IV from this day forward for the remaining years of her life
and if this promise is broken Mr. Simon Andrew Perry III has the
right to sue her in a court of law or justly take whatever action
he determines to be equitable.

She signs her name, dates it and then below writes
that the business records older than five years from this date for
Mr. Shockley are to be sealed and denied to her or anyone in
Stalwart Company.

She signs it, dates it and carefully places it in
front of Mr. Simon Andrew Perry III.

“I’ll wait while you make the phone call, Mr.
Perry.”

He reads her handwritten page at least two times and
maybe more.

“I’ll agree to any additions or changes, Mr. Perry.
Just let me know what you would like to change.”

He reaches for the phone. His thin, knotted fingers
tremble slightly as he dials. “Give her whatever she wants.” He
yells into the phone and then slams it down.

She gets up and looks down on the elderly man. She’s
never known any of her family other than her Mom, Dad and brothers.
She can’t help but wonder what it would be like to part of a family
that has generations to know. There are probably, uncles, aunts,
and cousins somewhere, but she has no wish to ever meet any of
them.

“I wish only happiness and peace for you sir. I will
not disturb you ever again nor will I ever cause you any trouble.
I’m gone from your life and you are gone from mine.”

She turns and quietly walks out. Chauncey is waiting
for her. “He didn’t die Chauncey. Go on check on him, you’ll see. I
can find my way out.”

She and BB are pulling out when a black Mercedes
flies past her and comes to a screeching halt. Simon jumps out and
starts running after her. She hears him calling “Judy, wait. Damn
it wait!”

She and BB speed up, but not before she notices the
license plate of Simon’s car. It is the same as the car that kept
cruising by her as she ran that night. It was the car that scared
the crap out of her.

“Do you think Simon has been stalking us, BB?” He
doesn’t know or care because he says he’s faster than any wimpy
Mercedes.

Franklin is grinning at her, while she shakes Mr.
Shockley and Mr. Wades’ hands and apologizes for being late, saying
that she had an important errand she had to take care of.

“We heard, Judy.”

“Okay then, will you still sell to me?” She stands
tall in front of Mr. Wade and Mr. Shockley giving them time and
space.

When she and Franklin returned to the office, the
staff was ready and waiting, excited to know everything that
happened and to confirm when the sale would be completed. She told
them what she wanted to them to know and went into her office to
call Steven.

“Are you okay, Judy? I’ve been worried about
you.”

“I’m fine now that I’m talking to you. I don’t have
anything to say. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

He laughs.

“I love that sound, Steven and I’m fairly sure I
love you. Are we still on for tonight?”

“Yes. I’m glad you called. The governor came for his
first workout today. He said to tell you hello and he really likes
my place. He’s made a schedule for the next three months. Simon was
here a little while ago and he was worried about you too.”

“Simon?”

“Yea. He and I go way back . . . grew up together .
. . like brothers. He’s my partner in the club. He’s a great guy .
. . my best friend. He keeps me in the loop about all the troubles
you’ve been having at work. He’ll pick you up at 8:30 and we’ll all
have dinner together. There’s a lot to talk about between the three
of us.” Steven’s voice is happy and his words are thrown at her
casually like she should be happy that Simon is going to be part of
her first date ever. Steven didn’t even ask her, he told her.

Judy’s brain vibrates with a recurring shockwave.
Steven’s wife walked out the door, it closed, the lock clicked, he
died. The sound of her phone quietly hanging up triggers that
moment for her. She’s not meant to love or be loved. She always
knew it. Steven told her earlier to go to work. Work is good for
you he said. How could she have been so foolish to interpret her
first kiss this afternoon for anything other than what it was –
indulging a customer?

It’s been almost a year
and a half since the Shockley/Wade buy. Judy was frantically busy
for the first three months, but she’s proud that she got things
settled down quickly. Dion is amazing and she’s finding it
challenging to keep up with his pace.

DeShaun is director of finance for the bigger
Stalwart Companies and he and Rosie are expecting a baby in the
spring. She bought three more companies. One came with an
incredible office building. Glass, modern with eight floors and
it’s filling up fast. The new Stalwart Company sign was erected
yesterday and the governor came to launch it. He was very pleasant
and she and his wife, Grace, hit it off immediately. The last thing
she said was, she’ll call and we’ll do lunch.

The saddest part of growing Stalwart is when old
friends leave. Evelyn isn’t getting better and Franklin wanted to
spend all his time with her. Judy calls every day or so and usually
stops by on Sunday’s, but they’ve been traveling quite a bit
visiting all the places around the world that Evelyn always wanted
see.

Evelyn will die before the year is out. Her heart
shutters with pain.

Charles didn’t want to leave when she found him an
incredible job with a rising technical company in California even
though they were thrilled he was joining them. She pushed him out
the door saying that he’s learned everything she has to teach him,
so go kick some ass. He had worked harder than any P.A. she ever
had and he would be greatly missed by by Stalwart’s and everyone
who works here. But that’s the deal. Take away what has been
learned at Stalwart’s and spread it around.

When she handed him her contract bonus-plus he
looked sad . . . insulted and for a moment she thought he was going
to refuse. It was enough to set him up more than comfortably in any
business venture or life he wanted.

Judy knew the money wasn’t Charles’ motivation. “I
believe in you Charles. You are the best P.A. Stalwart’s has ever
had. I’m so excited for the future that is waiting for you outside
that door. Go and make great things happen I’ll always be here for
you . . . anything you want and need . . . anytime. You know
that.”

Judy used her brightest, warmest smile and held out
her hand. “I look forward to working with you again Mr.
Waverly.”

Charles was impossible to replace and she
interviewed for months until her staff was screaming at her. No one
measured up to Charles. How do you replace a brother?

However, life has to evolve and her new P.A. is fond
of short skirts and stilettos and she’s had to talk to Candace
twice already about not wearing club-flashy clothes in an executive
environment. She just smiles at Judy, flashing her dimples and says
she’ll find her niche wearing what she likes. She’s only two years
younger than Judy, but Judy feels like she is forty years older
than Candace.

Brilliant and gutsy but fun it’s hard to get upset
with her. Maybe Judy should relax and try to learn something from
her. Ginny’s trying but her navy blue suits are still her
favorites. In her new three bedroom condo in the twenty-fifth
floor, her walk-in closet is mostly bare.

However, her shoe racks are filling up nicely.
Obsessed, Charlotte teases her every time she walks in with another
new pair of shoes.

She hasn’t spoken to Steven since that phone call.
He called for awhile, but gave up about a month later when she
never returned his calls. She runs into Clarence every now and
again and he told her last week that Steven and Deidre are planning
to get married and he’s opening his third club in December just
before their wedding.

She must be the girl that made him too tired to spar
with her. He mentioned to her once that Deidre saw the video
footage of when she waved her gun at the security guard on You
Tube.

Steven was her first and only kiss. He was so tuned
to her and she can still remember how it felt to melt into him.
When the memories of that kiss and all the others she wanted from
him but would never get overpower her, she has to get out of bed
and run until she can’t anymore.

Those few hours with Steven were the best of her
life. Steven told her once to go to work. Work is good for you he
said. He knew her better than she knew herself. She didn’t know him
at all. She still feels the hot blush of embarrassment that she
told him all about Simon and her family that day she cried so hard
into his chest until his shirt was wet.

Steven didn’t say anything about knowing Simon, or
the fact that they talk about her behind her back. Let it go. Men
are who they are, but she’ll never be thrown away in a
garbage-filled alley because she wasn’t wanted or useful
anymore.

Jose is her private trainer and they use the
athletic facility in her condo building. Jose brings in sparing
partners from time to time and she always has a good time, even if
they aren’t particularly challenging. At least they don’t get
personal.

After opening their third shooting range and
training facility, Gerry wants to retire and focus solely on his
Olympic hopefuls. His son, Brandon has possibilities for taking
over the management, but twice she walked in and found him more
than flirting with giggling female customers.