"Lucky?" Mr. Thompson's voice rose, his face reddening.
"Lucky? I could have been caught! I could be in jail right now! You think this is a game?"
"You knew the risks," she said, her voice calm, almost bored.
"You agreed to the terms. Now, deal with it."
"Terms?" Mr. Thompson sputtered. "The terms were a fair split! Not this pittance!"
He gestured to the wad of bills in his hand. Elaine exhaled a loud slow breath her eyes narrowed.
"The terms changed, when we started having sex." she said, her voice flat.
"And you are not in a position to argue." She added
Mr. Thompson stood up, his movements abrupt and aggressive.
"Oh, I am not?" he said, his voice low and threatening. "You think you can just walk away with all the money? You think I will let you?"
Elaine met his gaze, her expression cold and unwavering. "Try me," she said, her voice a low, dangerous purr. "See what happens."
Mr. Thompson hesitated, the anger in his eyes warring with a flicker of fear. He knew Elaine was not someone to be fucked with. He had seen the coldness in her eyes, the ruthlessness in her actions.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles white. "You are making a mistake," he said, his voice strained. "You will regret this."
Elaine shrugged, a dismissive gesture. "Maybe," she said, her voice indifferent. "But I doubt it." She picked up her bag, her movements fluid and graceful. "Now, if you would excuse me," she said, her voice laced with a mocking politeness, "I have places to be." She pulled open the door, her back straight, her head held high. She paused, standing on the threshold her hand on the outer doorknob, and turned back to Mr. Thompson. "Oh, and Thompson," she said, her voice sharp. "Do not bother contacting me again. This arrangement is over."
She opened the door and stepped out, the cool night air a welcome contrast to the stifling atmosphere of the motel room. She did not look back. Mr. Thompson watched her go, his face a mask of frustrated rage. Mr. Thompson sat there for a moment, staring at the door she had walked through. The glow of the dying cigarette illuminated his scowl.
“Ungrateful bitch,” he muttered under his breath, stuffing the cash into his pants pocket.
He knew he had been played, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Elaine walked briskly to her car, the cold air now biting at here exposed thighs. She hopped in her car, swiftly blocking Mr. Thompson's number before zooming off. A sinister smile on her face.
***
Lila paced in her room, her mind still ruminating on her conversation with Victor. Tonight had just made her realize she was alone and Victor was going to use her and throw her under the bus whenever shit hits the fan.
With her chin resting in her palm she thought, "a distraction? What could I possibly do that would distract Clara?"
She stopped in front of a family portrait, when they were much younger. Her mind wandered, deep in thought. Her phone vibrated in her hand, the chime resounding in the room. She looked down at her phone a message from Victor,
"Don't forget about the camera." It read.
Lila stared at her phone, Victor’s last message a cold reminder of the dangerous position he had forced her into. The audacity of his demand, delivered with such disregard for her own fear, ignited a fresh wave of anger within her. He could sit on his high horse and dash out orders keeping his hands clean but making others do the dirty work.
"I am not some puppet you can just control," she muttered to the empty room, her fists clenching.
The thought of Clara’s increasingly probing questions sent a shiver of dread down her spine. She scrolled through her gallery mindlessly, while still seething in rage. Her eyes caught a blurry photo, she stopped and zoomed into it. It was one of the first blackmail pictures Victor had sent to her. She quickly deleted it annoyed at herself for still keeping it on her phone. But then, a different kind of thought sparked in her mind. What if she turned the tables? What if she created a distraction that not only pulled Clara off her scent but also painted her as a victim? Blackmail. Victor had essentially blackmailed her into this mess. What if she staged her own blackmail? If Clara believed Lila was also a victim, being coerced into some unknown scheme, it might explain any inconsistencies in her behavior and, more importantly, shift Clara’s focus away from Lila’s potential involvement in whatever Victor was planning. That was it the perfect distraction, now how would she accomplish it without involving Victor. She thought still moving about but with a slight jump in her step. Her excitement showing. She needed an accomplice, someone she could trust, someone who wouldn’t ask too many questions. Her fingers instinctively scrolled through her contacts, landing on a familiar name: Daniel.
Daniel. An old flame, a brief but intense connection from years ago. They had parted amicably, and he had always been an ass kisser, eager to please. He was also someone who would not pry too deeply as far as he could fuck her regularly. Taking a deep breath, Lila tapped his number. The phone rang a few times before a warm, familiar voice answered.
“Lila?" A groggy voice answered on the other end. "Why are you calling this early?" The voice asked.
Clara looked up at the clock, "wow, it was already 4am." She thought to herself.
“Daniel, hi how are you doing?” she asked trying to make small talk.
"I am doing fine Lila. How are you?" He asked back.
"I am doing good." She said nodding on her side of the phone.
"That is greaa..." Daniel said as he was cut off by Lila.
"Daniel let us get straight to the point, sorry this is totally out of the blue but can I see you this week?" Lila asked.
"Wow." Daniel said sounding more awake. He let out a breath that fizzled through the phone speaker to Lila.
"Yes you can, you know I would never pass up spending time with you. What time this week?" He answered.
Lila rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at flirting. "Preferably tomorrow." She said, the words flying out of her mouth in a rush.
"Oh okay, that would be great." He answered agreeing.
"Good, it is a date then. I will text you the details later today." She told him.
"I can not wait to see you, it has been such a while." He told her trying to reminisce on previous times.
Lila ended the call as he was still speaking her message passed across. Next action on the plan, how to get Daniel into bed with her without pushing him away with this weird plan of hers.