The Love Of Money - S02 E169

Story 2 months ago

The Love Of Money - S02 E169

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 169

Around the time when I was in Vegas. Fucking goddamn Amber… she was there. She was the one questioning me, and having Carla as an alibi wasn’t going to persuade me otherwise.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“Why do you—”

“What did you talk about?” I repeated, trying really hard not to lose my cool.

“We were with some others! We were talking about bad relationships! I had a lot to drink and I said a lot of things I don’t remember. They all said I should leave Hiro, but I couldn’t! Marcus, that man if a fucking monster! Please don’t send me back—”

“What did Amber say?”

“She didn’t say anything! She was just sweet and supportive! She bought me a present!” Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks, coating my fingers; it was like I’d just washed my hands in them.

I released her face, stood up, and tossed the phone to Chloe… excited we were finally getting somewhere and a little disgusted that I’d made her cry so much.

“Did she tell you she was kidnapping me?” I asked her. “Did you have anything to do with it? Did Hiro?”

Carla suddenly looked horrified and shook her head as much as she could while bound to the pillory. “No! I didn’t know anything about that!”

“You sure?” I asked. “I’m starting to wonder if this whole thing you’re doing is an act!”

“No! I—”

“You’re telling me that you’re friends with my kidnapper—the very same one who visited your house the day before our vote—and you didn’t know anything about what happened to me? Then the very next day after you pull that stunt, your husband declares war on me.”

I hunched over and put my hands on my knees so I could look her in the eyes.

“Tell me in what world that doesn’t look suspicious as fuck, Carla.”

“I don’t know! I don’t know! I don’t know!” Carla screeched. It was loud enough that I actually took a step back from her.

“I thought you wanted to know about Hiro... I can tell you whatever you want to know about Hiro,” she sobbed openly. It was pitiful.

I sighed. This wasn’t going to be the sexy interrogation I’d expected it to be.

I turned around and raised my hands slightly toward Helen and Erin. My lawyer looked thoughtful; my assistant looked troubled. Neither of them offered any suggestions.

I spun back around and studied the woman trussed before me.

Why hadn’t I used this tactic before? Carla had crumpled before I even walked in the door. Simply being bound and deprived of her senses had been enough to completely break her. Had she really fooled me into thinking she was that strong-willed? After pulling that stunt in the boardroom, I’d just taken it for granted that she was some kind of mastermind with a will of iron.

In reality, she was just a good liar. A con artist.

No, the deciding factor in my decision to take this avenue with Carla was my anger. Before, I’d been unsure. I’d been afraid that I still needed her. I didn’t want to lose that edge. I also didn’t want to lose her because being in possession of her pissed Hiro off.

The possibility of her double-cross had made me so angry that I’d acted without thinking.

Maybe I needed to be a little more ruthless—shoot first and ask questions later. I had plenty of people to warn me if I was getting too close to an edge or making a rash decision. My hesitance often proved to be my worst enemy. It nearly cost me Natalie. It definitely cost me Ashlee. If I’d been quicker to react when I found her in my house that night after the party, I could’ve kept her here and possibly learned things that took months longer to uncover. Hell, I might even have Roger Van Camp in my possession right now.

Ryo and Roger could’ve been roommates. The thought made me chuckle.

I’d become better at making quick decisions, but this situation with Carla was another example of how I needed to take charge. I needed to be more demanding—with people other than Bobbi.

With that in mind, I crouched in front of Carla.

“What are we going to do here, Carla?”

She snuffled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t know that I want you in my house anymore.”

Her eyes went wide. “What?”

“I’m not happy with you. I certainly can’t trust you. Why the fuck should I keep you around?”

Carla looked at me pleadingly. “Like I said—I can tell you so much about him.”

“And you’re going to,” I said. “I want to know what kind of stocks he was interested in. I want to know how often he brushes his teeth. I want to know everything he’s ever said about his son. I want to know his mother’s maiden name, the street he grew up on, and the name of his first pet.”

“Okay,” she sniffled. “What... what do I get?”

Fucking Carla Tanaka. This girl would always try to get something… even when she’s bound like a medieval peasant.

“What do you get?” I repeated. “I don’t feed you to your fucking husband. I let you stay in my apartment. I keep paying you a salary. I keep letting you eat my food. That’s what you get.”

“You feed me information, and I keep you safe. But none of this boyfriend crap anymore. That ship sailed. You and me? This? It’s transactional. That’s it.”

I stood up, turned, and made my way over to Bobbi. I grabbed her by the ponytail and tugged it downward, making it even more difficult for my little pet to stay aloft over the A-frame.

Looking back at Carla, I said, “Lie to me, and you’ll look like her. Lie to me again—and after you look worse than her, I’ll send you back to Hiro in a bow.”

“But what if I tell you everything I know and don’t have anything else?” she asked, pitifully.

I released Bobbi. “Can you dance?”

“Dance?”

“Yeah. Like a stripper. Lap dances? Poles?”

“I—yes.”

“Good to know,” I said, beginning to haul her off the device she was struggling so bravely with.

Carla watched me in silence until I finally had Bobbi standing beside me, her arms still bound behind her back, breasts sticking out proudly.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Walking back to Carla, I bent at the waist, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look up at me just enough so I could find her mouth with mine. It was a quick, messy kiss that was over before she probably even realized what I was doing.

“I’m not going to punish you tonight.”

I straightened and returned to Bobbi, grabbing the bindings at her wrists and turning her toward the dungeon door as I escorted her out. My pet threw a glare over her shoulder at Carla as we walked away from her.

“But you’re not leaving this room until I’m sure I believe you.”

And then we left, the other three trailing behind.

I was a little disappointed. I really wanted to hate-fuck Carla, but any move like that right now would probably be more upsetting to both of us than anything else. Hell, fucking a sea sponge would probably be more pleasant right now—at least it wouldn’t be crying.

At least, I had other options.

“I’d love to hear your thoughts,” I said to the other three women.

Erin held up her phone, which was lit up. “I need to take this. Give me fifteen minutes?”

“Sure,” I said. “Meet me in my room.”

“I need to talk to Karl,” Helen said. “See you there?”

“Yeah.”

As they were leaving, I turned my attention to Chloe.

“Hey. I need you to do something for me…”

***

“Sit,” I said as I pointed to my bed.

Bobbi stared up at me with those bright gray eyes—equal parts questioning and accusatory. When she didn’t move fast enough, I snapped my fingers, more insistently this time.

“Sit.”

She did it, turning and easing herself daintily onto my mattress. Grace had nothing to do with it. Her ass was three shades of red, thanks to Helen.

As I started walking away, she snapped, “Why the fuck did you have her do that to me?”

“What?” I asked, already heading into the master bath.

“She fucking gave it to me. The works! And I didn’t even do anything! What—so Bimbo Barbie gets a little visual lesson?”

“Probably,” I called out as I rifled through my medicine cabinet.

“What!? You didn’t tell her to do that?”

“I haven’t told her what to do with you in a while,” I said, speaking a half-truth. I told Helen to bring her—I didn’t give instructions about what to do once she got there. In truth, I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted from Bobbi in that room. Some half-baked idea of using her just as she accused me of... a visual aid to make a point to Carla.

Only, Carla’s complete breakdown had been a total mood killer.

“I just don’t—”

“Bobbi,” I said, snatching a tube of ointment off the shelf and leaning against the door so I could look at her. “Shut up.”

The use of her actual name came as a surprise to both of us. I suspect that alone was what shut her up more than the command.

I approached her, took the cap off the ointment, and squirted a healthy dose into my palm. “Lie back.”

“Why?”

Still pissed off from the ordeal with Ryo and Carla, Bobbi bore the brunt of my lingering irritation. I closed the distance, grabbed her ponytail, and yanked her head back hard, bringing my face close to hers.

“Are you fucking serious right now? I thought we were past this. You do what I say, when I say it. Period.”

That got her attention. The usual edge in her eyes dulled, the bratty gleam still lingering like the faded ghost of chalkboard scrawl. I doubted her spirit would ever truly fade.

Truth be told... I didn’t want it to.

Never in a million years would I admit it to her, but I was starting to like Bobbi. Her submissiveness, threaded with that undercurrent of ferocity... fuck, it made my dick hard.

I let go of her hair, keeping my face close as I growled, “Now. Lay down.”

She fell back onto the mattress, her bound hands tucked against the small of her back—an angle that did incredible things to her body.

Ointment in hand, I pressed my palm to the flat of her belly, where red marks ran in chaotic lines.

Bobbi let out a hiss but otherwise stayed silent, not speaking until spoken to.