The Love Of Money - S01 E288

Story 7 hours ago

The Love Of Money - S01 E288

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 288

Making Up For Lost.

Helen Returns; Bobbi Submits, Erin Stirs Tara's Desire.

Thursday, 6:21 pm

My phone rang as Helen and I rode the elevator to my apartment. It was Henry.

I answered the phone, "Psalter. What's the news?" I was on the proverbial edge of my seat.

"She's gone," he replied.

"Fuck."

"It's strange," Psalter said. "All of her belongings are still here. Her suitemate, Tamara, assumed she had spent the night at a lover's place or perhaps returned home."

"Do you think Roger has her?"

"I can't say for sure," Henry said, sounding pensive. "It certainly appears as if she disappeared suddenly, but Tamara said the last time she saw Ashlee VanCamp was Tuesday. It leads me to entertain the possibility that this has nothing to do with Roger."

That would have been the day after the board meeting… the evening I slept with Carla. "Do you think Tanaka has her?"

"It's a possibility," Henry admitted, but I can't fully understand why he would have cause to abscond with Roger's daughter… unless he was looking to leverage Roger against you somehow."

"Any way of tracking her?" I asked.

"We're working on it now," Henry said. "If she used any electronic payment, I'll know about it within twelve hours."

I pressed my fingers to my eyes, tried to contain my frustration, and remembered that Psalter didn't have a magic wand. Finding one girl on a planet of billions wasn't easy… even for a man with Henry's resources. He was incredibly resourceful, though, and if it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have been able to confirm Roger's involvement in my kidnapping. If there was a way of finding Ashlee, Psalter was my best bet.

"Okay. Thanks. Keep me in the loop."

"I will," Henry said and hung up.

"Ashlee?" Helen asked as she slipped her arms around my chest and pulled me back against her. I felt her lay a kiss on my shoulderblade.

"Roger might have her," I said, not wanting to expound further on it. No longer having access to Roger VanCamp, my next best course of action was to have Psalter's people grab Ashlee to interrogate her for whatever she knew. With Roger out of the picture, it was probably the best window of opportunity I would have to act. Unfortunately, someone had beaten me to it, leaving me with nothing.

The elevator doors rolled open, displaying my foyer/living room. I took Helen by the hand, and we walked into it; the lawyer immediately took a deep breath, and a gentle smile overtook her features. "It's good to be back here," she said.

"This is your home, now." I looked at her, dropping her hand to slip mine behind her head, directing her to me so I could kiss the newest addition to my apartment's residents. She came willingly and placed her hands on my chest as her lips met mine. They were warm, soft, and pliable for half a second until I could feel her smile into my mouth. Her tongue playfully flicked at my upper lip as we spent a few moments tasting each other now that we were safe within the confines of my apartment.

A squeal broke through the soft moment we shared. I broke off the kiss and looked around just in time to see Erin coming at us in a blur of motion. She launched herself at the two of us, wrapping her arms around us as much as she could as she buried her face between our bodies. Her dark, liquid eyes peered up at us, shining happily, and she wore an ecstatic smile.

"You're here!" She squealed as she attempted to squish us even tighter together. "Are you here for good?" She looked at me. "Is she here for good?"

Despite my frustration, I couldn't help but smile at my assistant. "Roger's gone. Helen's here for good. She's part of the family now."

My phone buzzed in my pocket again, and I pulled back from the pair to see who was calling. It was Chloe. Even though the paramedics were concerned that she might have a concussion, she wouldn't go to the hospital and threatened to fill more body bags if anyone tried to take her. Instead, she followed the police down to the station to give them a full report of what happened, all while coordinating the return of Emily and Natashya to my apartment. After what happened, I'd asked her to make sure Jonathan got the girls back here as quickly as possible since we weren't sure who took Roger or who else might be on their radar. Considering the fact that Ashlee was gone, I thought it was a good call.

The two women practically ignored me as I stepped away from them. Erin slipped into Helen's arms and cupped the older woman's face in her hands as she drew their lips together for a kiss. The pair immediately started to make out as I answered the phone. I watched them go at it, slowly rotating around each other as they held each other close, moaning and cooing into each other’s mouths as they engaged in sapphic affection. It continued without interruption, even as they slowly reached the nearest couch.

"Hey," I said, answering my phone, still watching the two women.

"Hey," Chloe said.

"What's the news?"

"Jonathan's on the way to the apartment with both ladies. Apparently, they decided to spend the day upstate, so it'll be a few more hours before they make it home. I sent a couple of others in another car to back him up just in case."

"Thanks. What about the cops?"

"Open-and-shut case of self-defense, so they didn't press charges against me. Vikram showed up to represent me. They asked a lot of questions about who I worked for, where I was going, etc. I told them I worked for you and that whoever hit me took your lawyer, so now they're looking for VanCamp, too. They didn't ask a lot of other questions. Rumors about your kidnapping have been circulating all over New York since you got back, so I think they assume it's just another attempt on a rich man's life, and the lawyer just got in the way."

"Good deal. Now, come home and get some rest.'

"I need to talk to Hannon Security and Henry," Chloe said.

"No. I have Psalter looking for Ashlee. As for your firm, that can wait till next week, or they can get a phone call since you're coming with me to the Catskills tomorrow."

There was silence for a long moment, and then she said, "Yes, sir."

"Thanks for handling this, Chloe," I said. "I'm glad you're okay. I don't know if I could have handled it if something worse happened to you."

More silence… then she said, "Thank you." Then she hung up the phone.

I returned to the two women, who were, to my amazement, sitting upright on the couch. The smaller Erin was straddling Helen's lap while the older woman talked to her so softly that I could only catch an occasional word. My assistant was being terribly handsy with her while listening intently.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Mmm," Erin said, leaning into Helen as she pressed her lips into the older woman's face. "She was just filling me in on what happened at the office."

The pair was a sight. Erin wore a simple summer dress; the skirt was hiked around her waist as she sat on Helen's lap. Her bare, golden brown shoulders looked inviting as she flashed her dark eyes over them at me. Helen's shirt was already discarded on the couch, and her bra strap was hanging off one shoulder. I wanted to take them both on the couch, but something was missing. Something important enough that it was worth staving off carnal pleasure for a few more minutes.

"Take her to my room, Erin. I'll join you in a few minutes."

Erin grinned and looked at Helen. "Shall we?"

"I'd love nothing more," Helen purred. The two of them rose to their feet and made their way toward the stairs. Helen glanced over her shoulder at me, giving me a genuine smile the likes of which I'd seen more on her in an afternoon than in the weeks I'd known her. It made my heart beat faster.

She really was an incredible woman. Fuck Roger VanCamp for never seeing that, but bless him for letting her slip through his fingers. His loss was my gain.

I headed down the hallway toward the dungeon, but not with that particular room in mind. Not tonight. Instead, I made my way to Bobbi's room.

Reaching it, I opened it and walked straight in. There was no lock on the door, and she wasn't allowed the privilege of anyone knocking. She had yet to earn privacy.

She was sitting in a plush chair in one corner of a room that would have thrilled any New Yorker. The room's window stretched from ceiling to floor, giving her a beautiful view of New York regardless of the time of day. A large rug was stretched across the hardwood floor, and a seventy-inch television stretched across one wall, displaying an animated kid's movie from VistaVision studios.