Betrayal (29 page)

“Maybe he’s at dinner.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Speaking of dinner, are you hungry?”

“I’m getting there,” he responded, rubbing his stomach.

“Why don’t I go see what I can scrounge up,” Ariel said, and disappeared into the kitchen. Twenty minutes later, she reemerged with a silver tray full of sliced apples, grapes, a small wedge of Brie and crackers. “This is all that I could find. Seems like Preston hasn’t gone
grocery shopping since I left,” she said, setting the tray on the cocktail table.

Trey reached for a grape, and popped it into his mouth. “Don’t worry; this is just fine.”

Ariel glanced at her watch. It was eight-thirty. “Preston should be coming in soon.”

“The sooner, the better. I’m ready to get this nightmare over with. The suspense is starting to get to me,” he confessed.

“Yeah, me too.”

They chatted and munched for another hour, and Preston still wasn’t home. Ariel looked at her watch again. “I wonder what’s taking him so long. I’m starting to get worried.” She reached for the house phone and called his cell, but it went straight to voice mail. “His phone must be turned off.”

“Maybe he’s at a dinner meeting and doesn’t want to be interrupted.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

Another hour went by, and still no Preston. Ariel tried his phone again, and again it went straight to voice mail. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait.”

“We’ve waited to tell him the truth for over a year, so a few more hours won’t hurt,” Trey reasoned.

Ariel got up and began to pace. “Of all evenings, he would be out to dinner instead of ordering take-out. This anticipation has me on pins and needles.”

“Calm down; he’ll be here soon. Maybe we need a drink to calm our nerves.”

“That’s a good idea.” She went over to the liquor cabinet and was going to pour them a glass of scotch, but the bottle was practically empty.
That’s odd
, she thought. Preston rarely drank more than a shot at a time.
He must have had the senator over for cigars and scotch
, she reasoned. “The Johnnie Walker is almost gone; how about some brandy?”

“That’s fine.”

Ariel poured the drinks, handed Trey a snifter, and sat back down. They sipped and waited anxiously, wondering when Preston would come walking through the front door. Would the revelation of the truth be the beginning of a clean slate, or the beginning of the end?

FOR THE
first time in months, Senator Robert Oglesby had dinner without his customary extra-dry double martini. The pressure of keeping the press from finding out about his wife’s and Preston’s involvement in the Black Door was enough to cause him to drink—heavily. Now that Preston was confirmed and no longer an object of media attention, and he knew exactly how to please his wife, Robert put the bottle down. Tonight his mind wasn’t fuzzy from overindulging. The experience with his wife and Christy had been a sobering one—in his wildest dreams he could never imagine having a threesome with Angelica and another woman—and he wanted to remain clear and conscious from here on out. He wasn’t a hard-core alcoholic, but when he found out about Angelica’s involvement in the Black Door, he nearly lost his mind. He was too embarrassed to discuss her cheating with anyone. The only solace he could find was in a fifth of Belvedere, so he turned to drinking to dull the pain of his wife’s infidelity. Robert had no idea that Angelica detested having sex with him. She had commented on his small penis, but obviously faked orgasm to please him. Had he known that he didn’t satisfy her, he would have bought a strap-on years ago. It
wasn’t until the night he caught her with Christy that he learned what she really liked.

When they had first met, eons ago, he knew that she was a free spirit. Back then, she had planned to backpack through Europe for the summer, and then enroll in culinary school in Paris, but her father—also a politician—had other plans for his daughter. He wanted to tame her wild ways, and persuaded her into marrying the promising young junior senator. Their life together had been like a fairy tale. Her family had clout, and so did his, which put them at the top of the A-list. They attended every major social event in Washington, from presidential inaugurations, to charity balls, to private dinners at the White House. They were childless and used their freedom to travel abroad. They would spend weeks in Capri and Monaco one summer, and the next year, charter a yacht and sail the Greek Isles with friends, or lounge on the shores of Fiji. Robert also spoiled his wife with luxury cars, designer clothes, and expensive furs. He gave Angelica everything she desired, including an extravagant, six-figure diamond necklace for their anniversary. He gave her everything except an exciting sex life. After being married for so many years, he thought that he knew everything about his wife, but apparently not.

“So … how long have you been into women?” Robert asked his wife, who sat across the dinner table from him.

“I had my first encounter in college and didn’t indulge again until I met Christy,” she answered casually, taking a bite of salmon.

“Oh, I see.” He raised his eyebrow. “I had no idea that you were bisexual.”

Angelica didn’t think that it was a big deal being with a woman. “I wouldn’t say I’m bisexual. I’m just exploring different options, that’s all.”

“And I take it one of your options was membership at the Black Door?” He was too stunned to ask her about the club when he had first found out. But now that the secrets were on the table, he wanted to know everything.

“The Black Door gave me fulfillment that I couldn’t find at
home. At first I was an occasional member, but over time, my visits became more frequent.”

“I wish you could have been up front with me. Then I would not have been blindsided when Preston’s son blackmailed me. I was never so shocked as when he showed me the membership list with your name prominently at the top. You could have bought me for a penny. At that point, I had no other choice but to continue to endorse Preston, since I didn’t want your business spread across the headlines.”

Angelica reached her hand across the table and touched his. “Honey, I’m truly sorry for embarrassing you. I had no way of knowing that my membership would be used to extort a favor from you,” she said sincerely.

“I’m sure you didn’t. But remember, what’s done in the dark, usually comes to light at some point in time. So, how long have you been working at the Black Door?” he asked, turning to Christy. The three of them were having dinner in the hotel suite, as if they were old friends. After two nights of nonstop sex, they were finally sitting down to talk.

“I’m new. I’ve only been there for two months,” she said, sipping her dirty martini.

“Do you know Trey personally?” Robert asked.

“No, I don’t. I only met him once, and that was during the interview process, but he seemed like a cool guy. Why do you ask?” she wanted to know.

“I’m trying to get a read on him. I met him a few times. Once in New York, at dinner with his father and Ariel. He lied then, and told me he was into real estate and the stock market, and then again at his dad’s engagement party. Of course I saw him at their wedding. By then I knew the truth, but it was too late to stop the blackmail scheme. Each time we met, I got the impression that he was a stand-up guy. Boy, was I wrong! He’s quite a shrewd businessman. After giving in to his demands, I was going to try and shut down his club, but it’s totally legal. And besides, he has some pretty impressive people in his corner. So, shutting him down wasn’t an option.”

“Why would you want to shut down the Black Door?” Christy asked.

“I wanted to hit him where it hurts. I hate being bullied, and that’s exactly what he did by blackmailing me.”

“Well, if you want to hit him where it hurts, why don’t we open a club similar to the Black Door, and really give him some competition?” Angelica said.

“That’s a brilliant idea! Since I work there, I know how the theme rooms are set up, and could help you with the layout of your club,” Christy said, with excitement in her voice.

“Opening an erotica club is not the answer,” Robert said. “When I said hit him where it hurts, I was thinking more of closing him down. Besides, I know nothing about running an erotica club.”

“What’s there to know?” Angelica asked. “I think it’s an excellent idea. We have the resources; besides, Christy can help since she knows the business. I’ve been looking for something to occupy my time, and I think that this is the perfect solution.”

Robert shook his head back and forth. “No, Angelica. What if the media finds out that I own a brothel? I’d be crucified in the press, and would probably have to resign my position. No, it’s just too risky.”

“First of all, it’s not a brothel, and secondly, we could conceal our ownership behind a few offshore corporations,” Angelica said, trying to convince her husband.

“Why can’t my wife pass her time entertaining and doing charity work like most politicians’ wives?” He sighed.

“Because I’m not like other politicians’ wives,” she snapped. “I need some excitement in my life, and owning a club like the Black Door is just the type of stimulation that I need.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but the answer is still no,” he said, adamantly. “I can’t risk losing my career by being involved in such a risqué venture. Angelica, I’ve finally accepted the fact that you need to indulge in some extracurricular activities every now and then. Isn’t that enough? I’ve known some husbands who have left their wives for less than that.”

Angelica gave him an “I don’t care about other wives” look,
turned her head away from him, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was pissed and didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She was used to getting her way.

Robert took one look at his wife’s body language and knew that she was upset. He usually gave in to her pouts, but not this time. Opening a club like the Black Door wasn’t even an option. He had experienced enough grief from being semi-associated with the club, and intended to put the past behind them once and for all. “Angelica, I know when you have your mind set, it’s hard to dissuade you, but this time I’m putting my foot down. There is no way we are opening an erotica club, and that’s final.” Though Robert had a little dick, he had finally found his balls!

PRESTON HELD
Michele by the elbow as they made their way to the front door of the town house. She had drunk too much red wine at dinner, and didn’t want to get behind the wheel. Preston took her car keys and insisted on driving her home, but Michele begged him not to. She didn’t want to enter her building intoxicated. She lied and told Preston that the doormen at her complex spread rumors about the tenants, and she didn’t want to be labeled a wino. He took pity on her and agreed to take her to the town house so that she could sleep it off.

Michele staggered and nearly twisted her ankle. She pretended to be inebriated but was as sober as a saint. She lured Preston out to dinner with the promise that they would drive separately, and go home separately. Well, she kept part of her promise, but had no intention of letting him go home alone. Michele needed to fuck him one more time before Ariel returned. Tonight she planned to really get buck wild. She was going to start by sucking his dick and letting him cum down her throat. Most men loved cumming in a woman’s mouth, and she was sure that Preston wasn’t an exception to that rule. Then she was going to let him butt-fuck her again. He seemed
to really enjoy that the last time; from the way he came, she was sure that Ariel hadn’t let him through the back door. And then she was going to flip the script, and eat out his asshole. She was going to stimulate his prostate with her tongue and finger so good that he wouldn’t desire anybody else but her—including his wife. Yes, Michele had plans and couldn’t wait to get inside the house to put them into action.

Preston opened the door.
I don’t remember leaving the lights on
. He didn’t think much about it, since he left them lit on occasion. Michele leaned into him with her eyes half-closed as if she were too drunk to stay awake. He put his arm around her shoulders to steady her, as they walked into the living room.