Lethal Liaisons (Willful Women Assassins Series) (2 page)

“In their lawsuit
material?”

“No, in my life. I'm
tired of helping out the assholes of this world. I need to find
something more fulfilling. Don't get me wrong; the money has been
good. I can spend with abandon, I have all the material things I
want, but I go home feeling empty at night.”

“Maybe you just need
a good man in your life, Karlee. What does anything count for if you
have no one with whom to share it? You've followed my guidance at the
firm; follow it outside the firm, too. You need to take time to allow
romance to enter your life, then you will find that fulfillment,”
he said, trying to set her up for a more intimate involvement with
him. He came from a wealthy, but very conservative family. Karlee's
background was just the opposite.

Carlton was able to
persuade her to join him for an excursion on the family sailing
yacht, and later on some business trips that turned out to be more
focused on bringing them closer together than on work. Soon she was
invited to dinner at the palatial family estate to meet the parents,
Reginald and Beatrice. They presented themselves as something akin to
European royalty and had the snobbery to go along with it. She
learned later they were considered 'old money' people and that their
great, great grandpa had made a fortune as a rum-runner smuggling in
illegal goods. They had had the Midas touch with their investments
over the years and had parlayed those initial funds well into the
millions.

As the next few years
slipped by, opposites attracted and the two of them became engaged.
Carlton treated her like a princess and she loved that. He bought her
expensive jewelry and a sleek, all-black convertible sports car. She
spent more time with her car than her fiancé. He was clueless
as to her sideline activities, the advanced fighting and the
shooting, seeing her only as a potential trophy wife. Her sister Kris
had gotten the sought-after part on the TV show and was doing quite
well. One time, the two of them appeared together in an episode
called 'The Sinclair Affair' as long lost twins.

One of the law firm’s
clients had recently been acquitted on an embezzlement charge. Karlee
knew he was guilty, but because of the attorney-client relationship
was unable to say anything. Using the legal system gave her a
gratifying sense of power, but it wasn’t providing the results
she craved. She wanted more control of her environment; instead, it
was controlling her. One time in a class-action suit, their billings
had been so high that the plaintiffs got almost nothing after fees.
The firm was more interested in its reputation for their high
percentage of wins than in serving justice, and her work had been a
major factor in that outcome. Karlee thought it ridiculous and so
morally wrong and worried it could bring her bad karma unless she did
something about it.

She had been enjoying the
time with her fiancé. The sex was good, but not passionate.
She longed for prolonged orgasms like the ones she read about in her
romance novels. Frustrated in her job and frustrated in her
relationship, she yearned for a change. The chance came her way when
Carlton once again approached her in the office.

“Karlee, we've been
asked to settle the estate for our recently-deceased Secretary of
State. I need you to go to his home and go through his belongings,
cataloging everything for the heirs. He lived alone, so there
shouldn't be too much difficulty. Just itemize and photograph the
valuable items, and then we'll have the movers pack everything.”

The two sisters had already
made plans to spend some quality time together that evening, so she
stopped and picked up Kris on the way, figuring it wouldn't take too
long, and that they could do dinner-out afterward. Karlee read off
the items; Kris wrote them into the logbook.

“Are we done yet,
sis? I'm getting hungry.” Kris said.

“Yeah, almost, let's
do the closet stuff and then we're done.” She rummaged through
a few expensive Rolex watches and other jewelry items, then came to a
large, nondescript shoebox. Kris looked on as Karlee pulled off the
lid.

“Oh my God!”
they gasped in unison.

“I've never seen so
much money before!” Kris said, trying to catch her breath.
“Should we count it?”

When they finally finished,
they turned and looked at one another. The total had come to eight
hundred thousand dollars. Neither spoke for quite some time; each
just silently stared, waiting for the other to say something. Finally
Kris broke the silence.

“I never realized so
much money could fit into a shoebox. Who wudda ever thunk it? Do you
think he got it illegally, sis?”

“Yeah, I bet he
skimmed the state finances and kept it as a slush fund for payoffs
and retirement.”

“You know, if we turn
this in, it could impugn your client's reputation. It would be like
speaking ill of the dead. We could be doing him a favor if we just
kept it our secret.”

“You're suggesting we
simply keep it? That's
so
not you, Kristie! Besides, maybe
it's mob money. We could get ourselves into some deep shit.”

“Yeah, maybe so.”
They sat in silence awhile longer, then Kris declared, “Our
dinner reservation is at eight.”

“Oh, okay, let's go.”
They placed the unlisted shoebox into a plastic grocery bag and left.

Both had now crossed that
invisible line of ethical and legal integrity for the first time in
their lives. As the door closed on their history of honor and
morality, another one would be opening.

Nearly a month had passed
when the sisters were invited to join Carlton's family, the
Vanderfleets, for their Thanksgiving dinner. Karlee had commented to
her sister that his family was basically a bunch of snobby, stuffed
shirts that needed to be loosened up somehow. Carlton's cousins
Randolph and Janine would be there, too. They were brother and
sister. Karlee and Kristie had purchased similar new outfits for the
occasion. An hour of smalltalk in the family library preceded the big
meal, with various hors d'oeuvres and ice water with lemon slices
being served.

The sisters learned that Carlton had earned his law degree at
Harvard, Randolph had attended Yale, and that Janine had gotten a
business degree at Radcliff. Randolph was quiet, but intense and had
a short, well-trimmed beard. He was President of his father's
import-export business. Janine, in her mid-thirties, was a financier
who brokered deals and found places to invest for a cadre of wealthy
people. She had a background with New York investment houses, had
spent time in London working her way up the corporate ladder, and had
flown in from New York City to spend the holidays with family. Her
appearance was tall and leggy, with dark black hair and bright blue
eyes.

The butler rang a little
dinner bell and everyone adjourned to the spacious dining room. A
life-size portrait of grandpa Vanderfleet hung noticeably on the wall
behind Carlton's father as he prepared to carve-up the big bird.
Carlton and Karlee sat together on one side of the table; Randolph
and Kristie sat together opposite them.

“So tell us a little
bit about you, Kristie,” requested Mrs. Vanderfleet.

“Oh, I do some
modeling and acting, ma'am.”

“That's nice, dear,”
she replied in an aloof manner.

“I have a regular
role on one of the TV sitcoms.”

“Well, we don't watch
that
sort of amusement, dear. It's strictly educational
programs in our household. If it's not a show from which we can
better ourselves, we don't bother with it,” claimed the
matronly hostess. Then she added, “Please remove your elbows
from the table, Randolph.”

As she continued speaking
and as her husband carved, the waitstaff began serving drinks.
Instead of the conventional white wine being served with the holiday
turkey, the family partook solely of martinis, with no other choices
offered. The unusual tradition made it instantly obvious to the
sisters why no cocktails had been served earlier. Kristie looked over
at her sister as if to say, 'Oh this should get interesting'. Karlee
returned a smirk of agreement.

Taking her first sip, Kris
looked over at her neighbor and asked, “So Randolph, may I call
you Randy?”

“No,” he
brusquely replied.

She returned to her
cocktail, ignoring the perceived slight.

“Please ignore my
rude cousin,” said Carlton. “They don't teach proper
etiquette at Yale.”

Then Janine chimed in,
“Actually, I blame his personality on PTSD, Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder. He hasn't been the same since getting back from
Afghanistan. You'll probably get to like him once you know him,
assuming you ever do.”

“Well, thank you for
serving, Randolph,” Kris said patronizingly.

“He was in black-ops
there,” his sister added. “He never talks about it
though.”

“That's enough, sis.
I'd rather hear about the young lady's experiences as a model and an
actress.”

As everyone busily devoured
the turkey, the conversation droned on, and the martinis were
repeatedly refilled. Randolph reminded Kris of Dan, the young man
with whom she had once auditioned, and the drinks soon had her
imaging him naked just as Dan had been. The sisters once again
exchanged glances, and because each knew how the other thought, Kris
knew Karlee felt it time to loosen things up a bit. She leaned closer
to Randolph and spoke quietly into his ear.

“May I tell you a
secret, good sir?”

“Sure, Kris, I'm good
at keeping secrets.”

She slurred her words a bit
as she said, “My sister isn't wearing any paannteees.”

Startled by such a
revelation, he asked “Why ever not, dear girl?”

“Carlton told her
that since it's Thanksgiving and since they have a lot to be thankful
for, he wants to express his appreciation later tonight. She wants
him to do that by enjoying the special taste of her extraordinary
dessert, and doesn't want anything getting in the way. For her, it's
the price of admission, if you know what I mean.”

A look of astonishment
slowly evolved on Randolph's face as her comment began to sink in.
Both girls looked on at him with eager anticipation for the response.
They could tell he was getting some mental images in his mind as his
staid grimace turned into a broad grin. When Karlee winked at him
from across the table, the broad grin became boisterous laughter.

“What's so funny,
nephew?” inquired the aging Mrs.Vanderfleet.

“Nothing in
particular, Aunt Bea. These martinis simply have me feeling giddy.”

Randolph now leaned closer
to Kris and asked, “Why not just use edible panties?”

Although it wasn't true,
she whispered back, “Oh, that's what
I'm
wearing. Ya
know, my sister is more of a taker than a giver when it comes to
things like that. I'm more of a giver. Do you like that, Randy? Er, I
mean Randolph. I wonder if Aunt Bea is, too. I do love that name.
Let's ask her.”

He discretely muffled her
inquiry.

Once the dinner ended,
everyone moved into the parlor. Mr. Vanderfleet offered the gentlemen
cigars, but he was the only one to light up. Coffee was served to
alleviate some of the group's drunkenness. Karlee and Carlton sat
together on a sofa near the fireplace; Randolph became more attentive
to Kris and joined her on the loveseat. The others wandered about the
room chatting.

“From what your
sister said, it sounds like you had some intense experiences
overseas,” Kris remarked, probing for more information.

“I don't usually like
to discuss it, but I was the best sharpshooter over there,” he
bragged.

“Really? I've been
thinking about getting a rifle. Maybe you can help me find one that's
right for me.”

“What do you want to
use it for? There are different types for different uses. Most of
what I know is about sniper weaponry. I can hit a target from a mile
away!” He looked at her for some sort of approving
acknowledgment.

“That
is
impressive! So can you teach me to be a good sniper?” she
asked, implying it to be a jest. What she really had in the back of
her mind was one day doing the same sort of thing.

Janine came over and asked
if she might join the couple for a moment. They squeezed her in on
the loveseat.

“We haven't really
had any time to chat, Kris, but living in Manhattan, I'm familiar
with your show and its producers.”

“You are? Do you
handle their investments? That is so cool.”

“Actually I'm an
Independent Contractor. I do jobs for corporations, individuals, and
sometimes for the government, too. You'd be surprised at the variety
of contacts one gets in my line of work.”

As Kris looked into
Janine's bright blue eyes, she sensed a level of intensity higher
than Randolph's. She was prone to judging people by their eyes.
Randolph's were unreadable; hers had a look of innocence-lost. It
spooked her a little.

“I've followed your
career, Kris, and am hoping that the next time you're in Manhattan,
we can do lunch.”

“Gee, that would be
great.”

“Besides your
producers, I also know some bigger ones. Maybe I can help you out. My
friends would be impressed seeing me with a celebrity.”

“I doubt your friends
need any impressing, Janine, but that sounds fun.”

The evening soon came to
its conclusion, Carlton had gotten his just desserts, and the girls
returned to their respective hi-rise condos.

As the next few months
passed, Kris and Randolph spent an increasing amount of time
together. Unlike her sister, she found her affair to be one fueled by
more consuming emotion. She experienced her first orgasm. It turned
out that Randolph rode a Harley on the weekends, and one time they
even had sex on it. One afternoon they had been out for a ride in the
country and stopped by to visit Karlee on the way back. They found
her front door wide open and Karlee inside in tears.