Travis pressed his lips together and shook his head from side to side. “That’s what Mr. Harrington was afraid you’d do. That’s why he tried to mandate that it wasn’t possible. He was so close.” Travis stood. “I’m not leaving. You’re not firing me, and if you’d use your fucking brains half as well as you’ve used your pussy, you’d want to know more.” His glare bore through me. “Oh, fuck it!” He stood and turned toward the door. “It’s no goddamn skin off my back. Personally, I’ll enjoy watching you fall off your fucking high horse.”
“Don’t you fucking leave this office,” I proclaimed with rising volume. “I asked you a question. How did you make me believe it was Stewart?” I refused to dwell on the fact that he’d watched me have sex with Peppermint Man. I doubted it was the first time. There probably had been cameras there longer than I even knew. My stomach lurched. “You used his recorded voice. Didn’t you?”
“You just fired me, Mrs. Harrington. I don’t need to tell you a damned thing.”
“Where are they? How many recordings are there? Are they only audio or are there video?”
His lips quirked into a slimy, lopsided grin. “Just imagine, you could see all the faces of the friends.”
I hated that fucking term. There was no such thing as a friend! “What do you want? Is this blackmail? Do you want money?”
Looming taller, he sneered. “No, I don’t want money. I have money. Mr. Harrington made sure of that.”
Fucking déjà vu hit like a sledgehammer. Stewart’s words from ten years ago came crashing back to me: I have money that I can lend. The thing is I don’t need it. Therefore, I decided that in exchange for the money, I wanted something else, something less conventional in return.
I jumped to my feet. “There is no fucking way I’m going through that again.”
“Like with Stewart. I’m not doing that again.”
Travis’ brows furrowed. “I don’t want to marry you. Hell no! Don’t flatter yourself. However, you’d be wise to learn that there’s a lot about your deceased husband that you don’t know or understand. He’s made deals, many involving you. If you believe you’ll be able to walk away from those deals without repercussions, you really are more pussy than brain.”
“I made a deal with my husband, not with anyone else. I’ve fulfilled my obligation.”
Travis shrugged. “I guess you’ll find out more when you talk with Mr. Craven. I thought you might want to go into that conversation informed.” He cocked his head. “My bad.”
I closed my eyes and gathered my strength. Sitting back down I calmly repeated, “I asked you a question. I’m sure it was you yesterday. As your fucking employer, I’m asking you how you did it.”
“You just—”
“Tell me and we’ll discuss the future.”
Travis came back to his chair and sat. Taking out his cell phone, he did what I feared most: he opened an app and held up his phone.
“I’m here, darling.” Stewart’s voice came back from the grave, taunting me. Travis pushed the button again. “Nod if you understand.”
Swallowing my contempt, I asked, “Only audio or video too?”
“This one is only audio. I recorded key phrases. It took me a while to find the one for you to take him in your mouth. That’s why it seemed like dear old hubby wasn’t paying attention.”
Again, my stomach twisted and neck muscles tightened in a familiar way. “This one?” I asked.
Travis cocked his head to the side and raised a brow.
“You said that this one was only audio. I’m assuming you have more.”
He nodded.
“You don’t want money? Everyone wants money. How much will it cost me to make this all go away?” I looked at my watch; Parker Craven was due to arrive in less than fifteen minutes. “How much will it cost to have you tell me what you know?”
“I told you, I don’t want money.”
I leaned back. “How do I even know you have more information or videos or anything? You may have just shown me all you have.”
“I might have. Is that a chance you’re willing to take? Did you know about the change Mr. Harrington tried to make in his will? I bet not. But if you did, you’d know that the reason it didn’t happen wasn’t because he died. It was because Parker Craven was stonewalling. He personally wanted what Mr. Harrington wanted me to have.”
“Me?” My voice sounded too meek for my own ears. I sat straighter, my tone more confident. “I did know about it. I also know that you can’t fucking will another person. I’m not a damn car or a pet. I’m a person.”
Travis’ eyes widened. “Oh, the bitch is better informed than any of us knew.” He shifted in his chair. “He wasn’t willing you, only your contract. If you’d open your fucking eyes, you would’ve realized he was doing that for your own damn good.”
I blinked, trying to follow his words. “My own good? Bullshit! There was nothing about my contract that was for my good. It was all about him.”
“You’re a fucking hot piece of meat. I’ve watched everyone from investment bankers to politicians fuck your brains out.” He lowered his voice. “It’s true that I wanted my fucking turn. I’ve waited a damn long time, but first, listen, and listen well. Mr. Harrington believed your contract was in better hands with me than with Parker Craven. So when he walks in here and tries to convince you otherwise, keep this in mind: I know all of Stewart Harrington’s dealings, not just the ones that have been legalized by Craven and Knowles. There’s more to Harrington Spas and Suites than meets the eye—much more. There’s a whole world that your dear old stepdaddy knew too well. Those men that Mr. Harrington told you about are more than some obscure force: they’re the living breathing underground of Harrington Spas and Suites.”