Kimberly’s vehement expression about evidence incriminating Giovanni made me believe it was about more than an affair with a model. I considered asking her not to reveal the information to me because I didn’t want to be tempted to use it.
I hoped that Giovanni would get over the incident at the show and tell me to return to work. We’d continue my employment as if nothing had happened. But if he didn’t do that and I had damning information about him, I could seek retribution. I wasn’t vindictive, but suffering financially could coax a dark side of me to emerge.
“I thought you should know this information, Liam, especially after the way Giovanni treated you. And even if he had been good to you, you deserve to know who you’re working with,” said Kimberly.
I dreaded hearing the information that she had. Although I knew Giovanni had several character flaws, I didn’t want to be persuaded to abandon him.
“What do you know?”
“Remember Olivia Schneider? She interned three months ago as Giovanni’s personal assistant.”
“That slim girl with glasses?”
“That’s her.”
“What about her?”
“She was sexually involved with Giovanni.”
I rolled my eyes. Oh, God. What groundbreaking news she shared. What next? Is she going to tell me that she knows another model that Giovanni slept with? Two women that Giovanni cheated with on his wife? No way? Colour me blind.
“What?” she asked.
I snorted a laugh. “I’m not surprised.”
“You know about their affair?”
“No, but I know that he’s slept with most of the female staff.”
“But something happened to Olivia. Remember that she took leave and then never came back? Giovanni told us that she called him while away and handed her notice”
“Yes. I remember that.”
“She took leave because Giovanni wanted her away from the company and his wife. Apparently, she had information about him that could ruin his business and put him in jail.”
My eyes narrowed, wondering if the story had any validity.
Kimberly added, “Olivia was close to Giovanni, and she found data that Giovanni hadn’t shared with anyone. He told her that he would take her on his yacht. So she went on leave and then he joined her that weekend.”
I shook my head, sneering, my eyebrows raised. “And?”
“Last month, her body was discovered, washed up off the coast of Cannes.”
I wiped the smirk off my face and stared at Kimberly. “What happened to her?”
“The details are sketchy. The police distributed very limited information about her death. She was the only child, and her mother passed away just before she started working for Giovanni.”
“She doesn’t have any close family?”
“Not ones that are prepared to invest in detectives to find out what happened to her.”
“What’s the cause of death?”
“Police said drowning. She partied on a yacht, fell over and couldn’t swim in her state. They say that happens frequently during peak seasons when everyone is sloshed and drugged up.”
“Okay, then, case closed,” I said.
Kimberly shook her head. “Something’s not right. Even if she accidentally fell overboard, why didn’t Giovanni mention that?”
“Kimberly, we have no idea that her death was linked to Giovanni. Her body was discovered last month. We last saw her three months ago. She could’ve gone to Cannes plenty of times after she resigned.”
“With what money?”
“Some rich guys could’ve invited her.”
“I don’t think so, Liam. Something’s not right. My gut’s telling me that something bad happened between those two.”
Great. A conspiracy theorist is sitting on my couch. I would have preferred a cheap whore who was prepared to open her legs for me. Instead, I have to listen to a story about a woman’s intuition.
I never thought I’d wish for Kimberly to leave me alone, but I wasn’t in the mood to discuss a premise for a thriller novel.
“All right,” I said, dropping my gaze to the floor.
“You don’t believe me?”
“That Giovanni murdered Olivia, is that what you’re asking me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what are you saying?”
We stared at each other for some time. I noticed sadness in Kimberly’s eyes. She didn’t seem disappointed about my disbelief in her theory, but rather that she offered companionship, and I was uninterested in entertaining her.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that,” I said. “But you have to understand how this whole thing sounds. There are too many pieces missing, and you’re filling in the gaps with assumptions and intuition. Surely you can see that?”
“I know I don’t have evidence, but I thought that you should know about this.”
My lips curled. “I appreciate you telling me this. I really do. And even more so, I’m grateful that you’re here. You’re just the person I need at this moment.”
Kimberly smiled, and the glitter in her eyes reappeared. Seeing her up close accentuated her beauty. Having her on my couch made me get hard. I wanted to grab her ankles, part her legs and stick my dick inside her.
I assumed that she had a tight vagina, which I would stretch with my girthy dick. Her beauty would keep me hard after cumming, enabling me to prolong the pleasure. I figured that I could last three rounds with her before completely depleting my ball sack.
We’d have sex in doggystyle, missionary, reverse cowgirl and any other position that I wanted. Admiring her beautiful face while thrusting would spur me to cum. But I wouldn’t desecrate her beauty by giving her a facial. Besides, I figured that cumming in her wet pussy would be more satisfying.
While giving it to her in doggystyle, I would be tempted to stick my dick into her ass. I seriously doubt that anybody has entered her rear. She seems too innocent for that brutality.
After fulfilling my fantasies with her, I’d make love to her for hours. To thank her for the intimacy, I would have no qualms about spending my last cent on lavish gifts to spoil her. She is worth spending every cent that I’ve saved.
I considered kissing her, but I didn’t want to potentially ruin the special moment we shared. Her companionship could’ve stemmed from kindness and not attraction for me. If I tried kissing her and she felt awkward, I could even ruin our friendship. Perhaps I needed to wait for her to give me a sign.
“You hungry?” I asked.
“A bit. You?”
“I can definitely eat something. Was waiting for you before ordering.”
“I only eat healthy.”
“There’s a great Hawaiian joint across the road. Delicious wraps.”
“Sounds good.”
I grabbed my phone off the kitchen island and ordered four wraps. I could eat two, and the spare one was for Kimberly. If she couldn’t, I would eat it for lunch the following day.
She didn’t say a single word while she ate the wrap, and I didn’t want to disturb her.
After I finished, she asked, “How was yours?”
“Hmmm. Awesome.”
“I enjoyed mine as well. Thanks.”
“It’s my pleasure. Thanks again for coming over.”
“No problem. I had to share with you what I knew and see how you’re doing. I didn’t mean to make you feel worse.”
“Thank you. I know your intentions are good.”
“But you don’t believe my story has any credibility.”
“I don’t know. It’s a bit out there.” I frowned. “By the way, where did you get this information from?”
“Olivia’s friend, Jess.”
“You spoke to her?”
“Yes. Olivia and I were friendly. When she left, I had an awry feeling in my gut. At first, I convinced myself to ignore it. But it kept gnawing at me, and I decided to look into it. I remembered Olivia mentioning Jess, saying that she was like family. When I spoke to her, the poor girl looked completely spooked, out of her wits. She also felt that something was off about Olivia’s disappearance.”
I looked down briefly. Kimberly noticed it and said, “Should I carry on, or have you already dismissed her story as complete nonsense?”
“No, please. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just wondering how you linked all of this to Giovanni.”
Kimberly glared at me briefly and then said, “I was getting to that.”
I pursed my lips. “Sorry. Go on.”
“As I was saying, Jess told me all the details about the last time she saw Olivia. It was when she went to Cannes during her leave. And Olivia told her that Giovanni had invited her.”
“Okay. But that still doesn’t prove her death was linked to Giovanni.”
“I don’t have proof of anything. I only have Jess’s story and a gut-wrenching feeling. You do with that what you will.”
Kimberly reclined on the couch, folded her arms and looked at the blank TV screen.
“Look, I’m sorry,” I said and placed my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll look into it. Thank you for telling me all of this. I really do appreciate it. Sorry if I seemed dismissive of the story.”
She tilted her head slightly and looked at me from the corner of her eye.
I added, “Are we good?”
“We’re fine, but I don’t think you will be if you return to work with a murderer.”
I snorted a laugh, and Kimberly uncrossed her arms, leaning forward to reach for the water.
“I said I will look into it. Giovanni might not even bring me back.”
“Even more reason to look into this. He can’t get away with this.”
“We don’t know—.” I chose not to complete the sentence to avoid aggravating Kimberly further. Instead, I said, “You’re right. There might be something to that story. We’ll see.”
I was dubious that her theory had any merit. Although infatuated with Kimberly, I always believed that she had a flaw I couldn’t see. It became crystal clear. But I wasn’t going to hold that against her. Nobody was perfect, but Kimberly was the closest to it.
I wanted to sleep with her, and nitpicking women’s flaws would guarantee that I would remain single.
“There’s another wrap for you if you’re still hungry,” I said.
“No, I’m fine.”
“You wanna go for a walk? There’s a cool park a few blocks away.”
“Sure.”
In front of the building, we crossed the road, looked at each other and smiled. Leaving the tension behind in my apartment felt like a fresh start. I hoped that she wouldn’t ruin the mood by bringing up her crazy theory. Her smile gave me hope that she wouldn’t.
At the park, a girl got off the swing as we arrived. I looked at Kimberly and said, “You wanna go for it?”
“Go for what?”
“The swing. I’ll push you.”
She giggled. “You serious?”
“Of course. We’re all little boys and girls inside. Come on,” I said, waving her over to the swing.
She sat on the wooden plank and gripped the chains.
“Hold on.”
I grabbed the bottom of the chains and pulled her back, then released her. Kimberly stretched her feet, smiling, just before the momentum pulled her back. I pushed her again harder, and she swung higher, emitting a slight screech.
After two more pushes, Kimberly swung back almost in line with my head. I noticed that she was excited but slightly jittery.
She swung back, and I allowed the momentum to carry her.
As her swing shortened, I jolted her aggressively. She screamed, and I laughed.
“You’re not getting off that easily, missy.”
“Liam, don’t. I’m going to fall.”
“You’ll be fine,” I said, pushing her again.
As she reached the incline, she reclined and lifted her legs as she squealed.
She swung back to me, and I grabbed the bottom of the chain and held it firmly, then slowly stepped forward with the swing, bringing it to a complete halt.
Kimberly exhaled a breath of relief. She stood up and jabbed my shoulder. “Don’t do that ever again.”
I chuckled.
We looked at each other intensely. My heart bashed against my chest, signalling to me that the moment called for me to make a move. If she rejected me, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t mine. But she could be if she accepted my advances.
I stepped towards her and cupped her face. She tilted her head slightly to the left and closed her eyes. I knew that it was time, so I pressed my lips against hers. She puckered her lips, and I slowly slid my tongue inside her mouth.
Our tongues slithered against each other, making me hard. I badly wanted to grab her ass and pull her towards me, but I felt that the environment wasn’t appropriate for such behaviour.
I pulled back. Kimberly slowly opened her eyes, looking disappointed.
“Why’d you stop?” she asked.
“Let’s go somewhere more private.”
I grabbed her hand and led her to my place.
In my bedroom, I peeled off the straps from her shoulders, and her dress dropped to the floor. My gaze dipped to her chest before rising to her eyes. I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me, my boner poking her.
Our tongues slithered against each other, and I grabbed the back of her hair and yanked it. She raised her chin, and I bit her neck while caressing her tit.
She reached for my zipper and pulled it down, pulling my dick out as I ravaged her neck.
Kimberly sank to her knees and shoved my dick into her mouth, engulfing it as she bobbed forward. I put my hand on top of her head, closed my eyes and stretched my lips, feeling her soft lips and saliva.
Her blowing skills revealed that she was experienced. I didn’t care. As long as she was pleasuring me, I wasn’t concerned about how many men she had blown.
I murmured as she tickled my balls while slurping on my head. I considered Kimberly to be the type to be intimate only in relationships. But she proved me wrong, and I didn’t mind. After all, she was a fashion model, and most of them have a promiscuous reputation.
Considering my mood, I was relieved that she was with me. If I had discovered that she was the biggest whore, it wouldn’t have deterred me from escalating the physicality.
I wanted to taste her pussy, but I was more eager to stick my dick inside it. Although without time constraints, I felt an urgency to seize the opportunity before it evaded me. I wasn’t certain whether insecurity or lust had spurred me to act promptly.
“Get on your hands and knees,” I said.
Staring at her ass, I bit my bottom lip and shoved two fingers into her pussy. She lowered her head as I drilled her pussy and intermittently gasped.
The noises she emitted made me think that she would release more of her pleasure with my dick inside her.
I slid my head into her pussy, and with a gentle push, it nudged inside of her. I grabbed her small waist and thrust fast. Her moaning encouraged me to speed up the pace so that she could unleash optimal pleasure.
I grabbed her shoulder with my right hand and pulled her hair with the other hand. She rattled as I kept up the aggressive pace. My dick had swollen up to a size it had never been before, and my ball sack was extremely tight. I felt that I could cum at any moment.
Not wanting to spoil the fun, I pictured an ugly woman at the moments that I thought I would ejaculate. I was glad that Kimberly’s blonde hair had covered her face. Seeing her beauty would undoubtedly propel me to shoot out my entire load, emptying the last drop.
Several minutes into the intimacy, I felt that I had control over my ejaculation. I wanted the sex to last for at least an hour so I could pleasure Kimberly the way she had never felt.
My momentum dipped slightly as I panted after about fifteen minutes of fast thrusting.
I slowed down, maintaining a steady pace to give us a chance to catch our breath. Sweat beads had formed on my forehead, one trickling down my face and eventually dripping off my jaw.
I stopped. Kimberly lowered her head, her shoulders rising before she exhaled deep breaths. I ran my hand over her back, then reached for her shoulders, massaging them.
We swayed slowly, amping up the lust while we re-energised.
My chest expanded as lust heated my chest. I grabbed both of her shoulders and thrust fast and hard, unfazed about keeping my load in my balls.
Kimberly screamed as I rapidly collided with her, my thrusts short and fast. I felt a level of oxytocin I had never experienced. I wanted Kimberly’s body gliding up against mine as we smothered each other’s lips, and our hands covered every inch of the other’s skin.
As I thought of that, I froze abruptly and then twitched, my load shooting into her. My forehead wrinkled, and I opened my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut.
My chest contracted as I exhaled after the last bit of semen spilt out of my dick. I raised my chin, looking at the ceiling. Nothing else could’ve soothed my depression more than sex with Kimberly.
I felt upbeat, hopeful and rejuvenated. I was amazed at the power that a woman had over a man. She could help him reach new heights of spiritual awakening with her touch, sound and movement. A woman who strived to control a man wouldn’t need to overpower him with her masculinity. All she needed was to allow him to bask in her femininity.
Her feminine energy would grip him and control every fibre of him, forcing him to completely surrender to her. How I wish that more women knew this. If they understood the power they held, they would unleash it more frequently, making men voluntarily fall at their feet.
Kimberly rested her head on my shoulder as we lay in bed. I caressed her hair and kissed her forehead. Having her by my side made me feel that I could solve any problem. Challenges are easier to overcome when you have someone supporting you and dispensing valuable advice.
If it weren’t for Kimberly, I never would’ve thought about doing a background check on Giovanni. It’s important for employees to know everything about their bosses. I never imagined Giovanni implicating me in any nefarious activities. But then again, I never thought he would place me on involuntary leave.
The following morning, Kimberly stepped into the shower behind me. She placed her hands on my shoulders, and I looked at her. She lowered her hands to my waist and kissed my cheek. I faced the tiles, and she kissed my shoulders and back.
I bowed my head, resting my forehead on the tiles. Kimberly’s touch extracted the torment from my mind and the tension in my body. It was more effective than any massage.
Spending time with her made me forget about work. I only thought about my “temporary firing” once. It was ridiculous to be in this situation, considering the effort I had exerted to develop Giovanni’s business.
I wanted our time together to be perpetual, but she had to go to work. I missed that feeling.
“You gonna be okay?” asked Kimberly.
My lips curled, and I nodded. She placed her hands on my shoulders and smooched me.
She added, “I’ll call you after work.”
I walked Kimberly to the door. She asked, “What are you up to today?”
“I’m gonna look into what we spoke about.” She smiled. I added, “Even if your story turns out to be invalid, I want to find out more about Giovanni.”
“Good. I’m glad. Let me know how you come along and if I can help.”
“You’ve helped enough already. Thank you. But I’ll keep you updated and let you know if I need your help.”
“Great. We’ll chat later.”
I sat on the couch and thought about where to begin my investigation. I didn’t want to spend money on a detective, so I figured that the best option was to speak to Jess. She could’ve omitted information when she spoke to Kimberly.
I texted Kimberly to send me Jess’s number. She replied with the number and, ‘See? I knew you would need me. Wink emoji.’
I called Jess and arranged to meet her during her lunch break.
She told me the same story as Kimberly.
“Did she mention feeling in danger or anything to that effect?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “But she was acting kinda weird just before she left.”
“What do you mean?”
“At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but after her death, I thought about her behaviour, and I recalled that it was odd.”
“In what way?”
“She seemed to be holding something back. Almost like a secret that she wanted to share with me, but something prevented her.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
“I did. And she said that she was fine. Her response made me more suspicious.”
I looked into the distance and wondered if Jess’s death was linked to Giovanni. I couldn’t believe that I even considered it. But she was his personal assistant and mistress. She must’ve had access to company information that other staff didn’t. Or maybe, she had dirt on Giovanni.
How come Giovanni knew of Olivia’s alleged resignation before Jess? Surely, Olivia would’ve told Jess about it? They are best friends. Even if she chose to inform Giovanni about it first, she would’ve told Jess eventually. Why didn’t she? Because she was dead.
Something was amiss.
“Do you know any of Olivia’s family?”
“She had a cousin she was close to. Richard.”
“Do you have his number?”
She gave it to me, and I told her to call me if she thought of anything relating to Olivia.
I called Richard, and we agreed to meet for drinks after work.
I explained to him my position at Abbati Designs and my desire to help him uncover the reason for Olivia’s death.
“Jess tells me that you and Olivia were close,” I said.
“We were. Her parents died when she was young, and my parents took her in and looked after her.”
“That was nice of them.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know anything about Olivia’s death?”
He looked at his beer glass and remained silent for some time. I figured that he contemplated whether it was safe to share the information he knew.
“She called me when she was on the yacht with Giovanni and wanted to tell me something.”
“What?”
“She didn’t finish her story. I heard somebody say her name, and then she said that we would talk later.”
“Was it a man?”
“Yes.
“And did she call you later?”
“No. That was the last time we spoke.”
“She never came back from her trip to Cannes with Giovanni?”
“I don’t think so. She would’ve called me.”
“But is it possible that she went somewhere after her trip with Giovanni?”
“She called me wherever she went to let me know where she was. Olivia was a sweet girl, but she felt unsafe. I was the only male figure in her life that she trusted to protect her.”
“Right. Did Olivia give you documents, information or anything like that?”
“No.”
“Do you know if she kept anything hidden?”
“Her landlord called to tell me that I had to move out her stuff.”
“What did you do with it?”
“I sold all her furniture and kitchen appliances online and packed the rest of her stuff into a box.”
“Where is that box?”
“It’s in my garage.”
“Would you mind if I looked in it?”
“Not at all. You wanna check it out now?”
I followed Richard to his house, eager to rifle through the box.
He offered me a drink, and I politely declined. He escorted me to the garage and grabbed Olivia’s box off the shelf.
“Here you go. Feel free to look at whatever you want,” said Richard.
“Thanks.”
He went back into the house, and I took out one item at a time. I placed the framed paintings against the wall and read her diary. No mention of Giovanni. She journaled feeling alone and desiring a man who would make all her wishes come true. I rolled my eyes while thinking about Giovanni. The only dreams he cared about materialising were his.
After I took everything out, the only item that remained was a space case. I opened it and saw pens, pencils, Sharpies and a flash disk. Why is a flash disk here?
I went into the house and asked Richard to use his computer. He plugged in the USB, and I opened the file with the abbreviation G.A.D. The letter G made me think of Giovanni, and I assumed that the A and the D were for Abbati Designs.
I double-clicked the folder, which contained images. I clicked on them and saw hand-written cash receipts. They totalled several million dollars. I frowned, uncertain of why Olivia would photograph them.
Of course…I realised that the transactions probably weren’t recorded in the books and no tax was paid for them. The only reason Giovanni kept the transactions was for inventory management. He was pedantic about keeping a trail of every dress that he designed.
I wondered if Olivia had blackmailed him with the photos, and he killed her. Even if he didn’t kill her, I’m certain that he committed tax evasion. I wondered what other information she had about him.
Richard kept looking at me as I stared at the monitor, contemplating how to deal with the documents.
“Do you mind if I keep this flash disk?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I was glad that Richard didn’t ask me what I planned to do with it because I didn’t want to lie to him. The right thing to do was to hand it over to the authorities.
At home, I thought about the consequences for every scenario in which I could use the disk. I also wondered if I should consult Kimberly about it. Maybe it was best that she didn’t know about the evidence I had.
I knew that Kimberly would advise me to do what was legally and morally right.
“Hello,” said Giovanni.
“Giovanni, it’s Liam.”
“Yes, Scooby. What can I do you for?”
I gritted my teeth and shook my head, wishing I could reach through the phone and grab his neck.
“What’s going on with my leave? When do I come back to work?”
“I’ll let you know.”
“What do you mean, you’ll let me know? Surely you have a date in mind, or am I on indefinite leave?”
“I’m busy right now, Scooby. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up.
I screamed at my phone and chucked it onto the couch. Luckily, my anger hadn’t driven me to bash it onto the floor.
I paced in the lounge, thinking about the effort I had exerted for the last decade, and he had no respect for me to give me a straight answer.
He’s not going to ask me to come back to work. If he did, he would’ve said so. His plan is to keep stringing me along until I give up and hand in my resignation. The bastard probably doesn’t want to have a lawsuit on his hands by firing me, so he’s trying to take the easy way out. The hell he will.
I won’t be surprised if he eventually stops taking my calls. Fine. No problem. We’ll play it your way, Mr Abbati.
I pressed send.
Two minutes later, Giovanni called me.
“Where did you get those photos?” he asked.
“Don’t worry about that. Or maybe you should be worried. I found them amongst Olivia’s belongings. Funny how she mysteriously never returned from leave, and you were one of the last people who saw her. Not even her family or friends heard anything from her about her resignation or after her trip with you.”
“You don’t want to mess with me. You have no idea what kind of trouble you’re looking for.”
“Who the hell are you to threaten me? If anything happens to me, these pictures are going to the police. I’ve already instructed my associates to inform the authorities about looking into your involvement with Olivia’s death. Those allegations, along with tax evasion, will crumble your so-called empire to its ruins. If you don’t believe me, maybe you wanna call my bluff.”
He remained silent for some time. I knew that he was considering his options. But he and I knew the inevitable conclusion.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I want two million dollars. Consider it as my severance package for all the years I gave everything to your company. I want you to put up a tombstone for Olivia and pay her uncle a hundred thousand dollars. He deserves more for taking care of her, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate your donation.”
“How do I know you won’t hand over the images after I do all of that?”
“You’re just going to have to trust me like you did all these years. I’m a man of my word. You deserve to be in prison, but that’s not going to help the people who took care of Olivia. And to be completely honest, I won’t get anything out of that except satisfaction of knowing that you’re getting banged in your butt by some scary dudes.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Giovanni.
“I’m not concerned about your thoughts. I want the money by tomorrow. Otherwise, kiss your life goodbye. And remember, if anything happens to me, the information I have is going out, and you’ll be on the hook for two people and tax evasion. Choose your poison carefully.”
Three days later, the money cleared in my account.
I gave fifty thousand dollars each to Jess and Richard for being Olivia’s friends. Richard’s parents received two hundred thousand dollars; the additional hundred thousand was a donation from me.