Chapter 9
BLAKE
It’s a perfect evening of snow flurries as I make my way up the sidewalk. Big snowflakes float down everywhere, giving the streets the quintessential postcard look people think of when they think of winter in New York.
Kind of ironic that all the Christmas cheer has left me. I’m on a mission tonight. A mission I cannot fail.
I stop in front of a grungy apartment building and check my phone. Yep, this is the one.
Kathryn gave me Francesca’s address. She said she’d be here. Apparently, she’s not that social and has no family.
A light glows from the bedroom on the second story, and I shake my head. Sitting at home after dropping a blackmail note off to your boss? Doesn’t seem like the right move to me.
Someone’s propped the front door open, so I slip inside and take the stairs.
Stay cool…stay cool…I keep telling myself. My blood is boiling, but for my plan to work, I’m going to have to relax.
My pulse beats harder, loud like a drum in my ears, as I approach the door to Francesca’s apartment.
She wants to hurt my queen. She wants to ruin her.
I draw my clenched fist from my pocket, take a breath, and pound hard on the door. “Here we go…”
There’s a soft gasp from inside, followed by the sound of footsteps.
“Yes, hello?” Francesca’s voice calls cautiously from inside. I turn my back so if she looks out the peephole, she won’t see my face.
Here it comes, the gamble that will make this thing work or not.
“I’ve got a delivery here for Francesca Morgan?”
“Oh, you can just leave it there, thanks.”
I smile. Like the rest of us, Fran is waiting on a last-minute Christmas gift to show up in the mail.
“Sorry, but I need a signature.”
She sighs, and I hear the door unlock. “All right, no problem—”
The door swings open, and I turn. She sees me, and her eyes go wide with shock.
She tries to slam the door on me, but I slip through into her apartment before she can.
“Help!” she shouts, screaming like a banshee. “Help me!”
“Fran, relax,” I say, putting some distance between her. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Like hell you’re not!”
She reaches out and snatches something from the counter and points it at me like she might beat me with it if I come any closer. A roll of wrapping paper.
I just look at it, and when she realizes what she’s done, she almost laughs.
“Fran, I know about the photo. The letter you gave Kathryn.”
Her face twists with confusion. “But…how?”
“Your reflection. I saw your reflection in the glass.”
A look of defeat comes over her. She drops the wrapping paper and leans back against a support column, closing her eyes.
“Shit…”
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “Kathryn doesn’t know. She’s talking to her accountant right now about the best way to wire the money to your account.”
Her eyes snap open. Suddenly, she’s interested in what I have to say.
“Seriously? Then what are you doing here?”
“Well.” I smile, taking a seat on a stool at the counter. “I wanted to ask you...why did you only ask for five million?”
Fran frowns, then slowly takes a seat beside me. I watch her facial expressions shift. It’s like watching a ticking clock—tiny, incremental movements that move with the passage of time.
“Why did I only ask for five million?” she repeats.
“That’s right.”
“I mean…it seemed like a good number. Five million is a lot of money.”
I nod in agreement. “It is, but Kathryn is worth a lot more. We could definitely get more out of her.”
“We?” Francesca asks, looking more confused than ever.
I’m grinning back at her now, feeling the tension rise as she starts to realize why I’m here.
Her leg is twitching now, her heel thumping on the floor. She’s excited. I can practically see the dollar signs in her eyes.
“As you saw from the photo, Kathryn and I have…a thing going,” I explain.
“Well, duh,” Francesca snorts. “I could tell by the way she was looking at you.”
“And that’s how you knew to take the photo, right?”
“Right.” She nods.
My hands are tingling. I think about Kathryn now, sitting at home on the couch, wrapped in her Christmas blanket.
If she could hear this conversation now…
“Well, Fran, did you not think to come to me before blackmailing Kathryn?”
Fran frowns again, processing. “Why would I come to you? You’re involved with her.”
I scoff. “Involved? Please. I’m with Kathryn for the same reason you are. Money!”
She stares back at me, and then finally, it clicks. There you go, girl.
“Wait, so you…you had the same plan as me?” I just nod. “To get incriminating photos and blackmail her?”
Again, I nod.
This time, Fran bursts into laughter. “Holy shit, dude! This is like…so fucking amazing! You want to like, team up and get more money out of the bitch!?”
Grinning, I lean closer. “I wanted to ask you, though—why blackmail her? She pays you well, right? And she has plans to promote you.”
You’d think I’d just asked the most ridiculous question in the world by Fran’s reaction.
She stands up and waves her arms around her apartment. It’s minimal but livable. And unlike me, she doesn’t have to share it with a roommate.
“Look at this place!” She sneers. “Have you seen Kathryn’s house? It’s like she lives in another universe than the rest of us!”
“Yeah, I see what you’re saying—”
“And sure, she gave me a nice Christmas bonus, but she could have given a lot more.”
She’s practically shaking with anger now and goes over to the table, picks up a plate, and throws it at the wall. It shatters everywhere.
“You know how many plates she could buy if she wanted? She could literally buy this building, and she thinks a Christmas bonus is enough?”
Again, I nod. “So you figured, why the hell not just blackmail her and get some more cash?”
“Exactly!”
“Smart.” I smile, getting to my feet. “Listen, I have to go now. I told Kathryn I was going to get some things from my apartment and she’ll get suspicious if I’m not back soon.”
“See?” Fran curses under her breath. “The bitch has you under control too.”
“Yeah…” I reply, trying not to smile. How wrong you are.
I open the door, but before I can step outside, Fran comes up beside me and grabs me by the arm. “So…I’ll hear from you? About teaming up?”
I never noticed until now just how short Francesca really is. “Yes, you’ll hear from me.”
Her eyes are shining as I close the door behind me—gleaming with thoughts of all the riches she’s about to receive.
Kathryn opens the door for me when I get back to her place. I take her into my arms and shake, covering her with snow.
“Hey!” she protests. “That’s not nice!”
We both laugh, and I lift her into my arms and carry her over to the couch. She looks up at me with hopeful eyes as I take off my jacket and toss it aside.
“Well?” she asks. “Did she go for it?”
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. The recording app is all queued up. Smiling, I press play.
“Wait, so you…you had the same plan as me? To get incriminating photos and blackmail her?”
Kathryn’s eyes go wide, then fill with relief.
“We’ll take this to the cops, and she’ll be out of your hair for good.”
She’s tearing up now, her arms out for me. I shut the recording off and lie down on top of her, pressing my hard body against her softness.
I could get used to this—lying here with her, feeling like we’re both ready to take over the world.
Nothing can stop us. Not now, not ever.
“Thank you, Blake,” she whimpers. “But…why?”
Her question startles me, and I give her a funny look. “Why? Why what?”
“I just…why would you do something like this for me?”
I can’t help but smile. Her eyes are so submissive—so sensitive. If there was ever a time to tell her what I’ve been wanting to say, it’s now.
“Isn’t it obvious, Kathryn? I love you.”
Her mouth falls open, and the softest gasp falls from her lips. I lean in and kiss them gently, a new type of kiss I’ve never given her before. This one’s filled with promises. A promise of forever.
“I love you too, Blake. I love you.”