Part 47: The Spider and the Fly-2

"I don't want to go anywhere or do anything with you. I'm leaving as soon as we land, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He sighed. "Really, this is getting tiresome. I told you before, I always get what I want. And I want you. I have a party planned tonight at my villa; a very special kind of party. I don't expect you to feel the same way I do right away, but you'll come around. In the meantime, we are going to enjoy ourselves. Or it's Quinn who will pay the price." He finally laid his cards on the table. This was it. "What exactly are you threatening him with?" "Nothing. I'm threatening you. I can't physically stop you from leaving once we land. But there is that awful business with the sex tape. The one Natasha made without Quinn's consent. She was only too happy to sell it to me, and I'll release it far and wide if you leave before we've even had a chance to get to know one another better. We all know how much pride the big guy has — I'm not even sure he's aware that it exists. She's a sneaky one, that Natasha, and quite hungry for fame." Her gasp was genuine. He had to be lying, even Natasha wouldn't do that — would she? "I don't believe you." He shrugged. "You don't have to believe me. I have it, I've seen it. If it makes you feel any better, he looks distracted throughout; like he's phoning it in. Meanwhile, she's doing all the theatrics of a cirque de soleil performer," he laughed. "Poor Quinn looks quite baffled by the whole thing. It's most amusing, but horribly embarrassing for our mutual friend if it ever got out. As we both know, his reputation is everything to him, and he'd never get over this. You saved him once, dear girl, you won't be able to save him this time." She felt violated on Quinn's behalf; that something so private would be exploited for money. She had to make this plan work and stop that tape from getting out. And he must never, ever know about it. "Oh dear, you're shaking, and you've gone quite pale. Can I have Kurt bring you some water?" "I'm fine. So, you're a kidnapper, then. And a rapist. Good to know what I'm dealing with here." Now it was his turn to be shocked. "I have never, ever forced myself on a woman in my life!" "You don't use your money and influence for coercion and control?" He chuckled. "Oh. I do that all the time." "I can't believe you're that ruthless. Somewhere inside, there's some good in you, Lex. I've seen it," she said, getting desperate now. "You can't really mean that if I don't sleep with you, you're going to release a sex tape recorded without Quinn's knowledge or consent? That's extortion!" He smiled. "Something else I do all the time." "You can't get away with something like that for very long." "Oh, but I have," he said. The floodgates opened and he began to talk. And talk. She had gambled correctly, he was incredibly pleased with himself and longed for someone to know the true depths of his depravity, and all the things he'd gotten away with over the years. She couldn't have planned it any better. Lucy leaned back in her seat and let him blather on. It was over — at least her part in it, anyway. She had done her best and she prayed it was enough. Finally, the cue she'd been waiting for. The pilot came on the intercom for an announcement. "I'm sorry Mr. Brady, but we're having a slight issue with one of our engines. It's nothing to worry about, but we will have to stop in Germany briefly. No more than an hour. We're about to begin our descent." "Well, this is quite inconvenient," Lex muttered, shaking his head. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, the Senator. Now, his particular kink was something most vile. That man has some serious issues..." "I've had enough," Lucy said, gathering up her purse. Her heart was jackhammering. "I'd like to say it was a pleasure knowing you, but that wouldn't be quite true. So I'll just say goodbye." His look was one of pure shock. "Didn't you hear me? If you don't come with me, I'll release that tape. Quinn's most private, personal moments will be on every TV screen around the world, for everyone to see!" "That will be really horrible. But not as horrible as spending one more minute with a tedious scumbag like you." His face clouded over, and she felt a sharp fear of what he would say next. It was the look she'd seen a hundred times before, the face of a man about to say something awful. He didn't disappoint. His rage was swift and ugly. "Do you even know how lucky you are?" he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Can you imagine all the women out there who would kill to be in your place right now? Beautiful, famous women — international models, movie stars. They would give anything to be with me, and I chose you. Everything I did was so we could be together, and this is how you treat me? You're an ungrateful bitch, Lucy. An ungrateful, fat bitch." Ah, there it was. The last resort of the petulant man who was denied a woman's time, attention or body. Go for the insults. "That's right, Lex. I'm no size 0 model, I'm just me. I'm flawed, I make bad choices, I don't trust my gut and I crave approval, probably because I've got daddy issues galore, as your investigator likely found out. I assume this is why you promoted me, made me feel like I was valuable and good at what I do. You knew that was my particular pressure point, not money, not compliments about my looks. You like to think you're the master of the universe, pulling all these strings and making everyone dance. But really, you're just a frustrated little troll, hiding in his cave." They had landed with a bump and the grinding of the tires as the plane taxied to a stop. He twisted his face to say something back but within seconds, it sounded like an army was pounding up the stairs. Police in riot gear stormed in, semi-automatic weapons drawn and pointed at Lex. Kurt came from the back blinking in shock and fear, with his hands up. He was promptly wrestled to the ground. Lucy pulled her phone out of her purse. Attached to it was the ultra-sensitive external microphone she bought for capturing and recording clips for her social media campaign. It was designed to help amplify the voices and muffle background noise, so she could record the chefs talking over the whizzing, stirring and other kitchen sounds. Flavor Bites really was a great idea; too bad she wasted it on this douchebag. Lex was hauled to his feet and placed in handcuffs, rather roughly, she observed. She felt like she could finally exhale. A tall man with dark, curly hair in a severe black suit stood in front of her, extending his hand. "I'm Agent Colton," he said. "Are you alright, Miss? We heard everything, thanks to your cop friend in Boston. We have the last bit of evidence we need to put this guy away for a very long time. A lot of people in New York will be breathing easier, knowing their secrets are safe." She nodded. "I suppose you'll need this," she said, handing him her phone. "What about Quinn's tape?" "It'll be labelled as evidence, and it'll stay under wraps, and eventually destroyed." She breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. "We do have some questions. Could you follow me?" He led her off the plane and she followed slowly into the crisp morning sunshine, her legs shaking like jelly as she descended the stairs. On the tarmac, the police were dragging Lex away as he screamed for his lawyer. Red-faced and shaking, his shirt had become untucked and his carefully styled hair was completely dishevelled. "Hey, Lex" she called. The cops paused and allowed him to turn his head. His face was ashen, and to her satisfaction, she saw genuine fear in his eyes. There was just one more thing she needed to say to him. "You can go ahead and kiss my fat ass."