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CHAPTER 17 - REVENGE OF THE CRONE AND HE IS FAMILY


ERIC TRENCH, MICHAEL’S ATTORNEY 


ERIC


It’s been a couple of hours since the revelations. The fact that he has been having me dug into is annoying, especially after that diner debacle his gutterhole of a mouth got him into. I’m heading to my car when I hear my name being called. “Oh, I am going to enjoy this!” I wait for her to get her breath back. “Mrs Novotny...”


“I need to show you this.” She hands me a box, inside are sheaves of our stationery. 


“Where did you get it?!”


“In Michael’s office.”


“Let’s get inside.” I growl.


“So what is this?” She gestures at the stationery. 


“I’m not sure...” We both jump when my phone rings, it’s him. “Mr Novotny, how are you?” I put him on speaker.


“Oh, just great. Am soon to be free, which is the reason for my call. Lindsay and I are getting divorced. Thankfully, she doesn’t want anything to do with Rage PR, which saves me explaining why it and the clubs were never in her name in the first place. That crone is …” He snickers. “...hang on a second. Hey, just go through there, won’t be long. Yeah, so that’s easy enough; can you draw up the papers and I’ll get her to sign them and bring them over? We're meeting at some point in the week; she’s taking the main house and a chunk of change.”


Shaking, she puts a document wallet on the desk. “Mr Novotny, could you hold a moment?”


“Okay.” 


My heart pounds as I read. “I never drew this up.”


“What about the others?” She hands me her phone. As I flick through, I shake my head. 


“Let me get rid of him!” I declare. “Sorry about that, Mr Novotny…”


“Call me Michael.” He states. “So when I bring the paperwork around, we can discuss you representing me alone and…”


“You’ll both come to the office to sign it.”


“Both of us? She’s going on a cruise for six months. It will be quicker if I…”


“Then I’ll wait for her to come back.” I state firmly. “Now I’ve got another client meeting.”


“But I want to be free of the old crone. Oh, speaking of which, one second. Hi, Lindsay, I’m just talking to our attorney now…” We listen disgusted at his antics. “...well he wants you to be there. Hang on, will you accept an email from her stating that she’s happy for me to bring them?”


“No. I need to witness her signature.” I hang up. “What do you need me to…oh piss off will you?!” I fume, sending him to voicemail. “As I was saying, what do you need me to do? Miss Peterson, are you okay?” She’s still, quiet and pale. “Miss Peterson!” 


“Why?” She whispers, staring tearfully at her phone. “I’ve never done anything to him. Okay, I wanted him to be better socially, he’s a gibbon at the best of times, but this, he knows how important it is, and to…” I exchange her phone for tissues. “...let me explain. Justin Taylor is an artist who has offered me a spot in a show he’s doing. Michael emailed him to cancel my participation.” She clears her throat, her eyes bright with anger. “Is there anything I can do to get my fair share?! I helped him build this company, and…”


“...you'd face potential misrepresentation too.” I glance at the papers. “Because that is what this could be.”


“I…”


“Got away with the house and a chunk of change As he said, you aren’t anywhere.” Her expression melts into relief. “Let him…actually, do you have to be elsewhere after this? I would really like to look at these properly, unless you could forward them to me?”


“No and I have a better idea.” She starts to grin. “May I use your computer? He and his fantasy guy hate admin, so left it mostly to me - I just want to check if I still have access to it?” I roll back enough to give her room, but remain close to the off switch. A minute later, she’s giggling. “First, change the password, then we can work on the contracts. You know, do…”


“...unto him what he did to others? Absolutely.”


TED’S HOUSE - SAME TIME


KITCHEN


TED


I feel his gaze in my soul. “Can you repeat that?” 


“I. Love. You.” He smiles. “Problem?”


“But it’s…we’ve…”


“Only been a few weeks and we’ve just had fantastic sex. Irrelevant, this is how I feel.” 


“Oh thank God! I love you as well, it was kinda at first sight. When we cuddled, it started then.” 


“Great. Shall we get business out the way, then consummate our declarations?” 


“Definitely. Now what are we going to do about Blake and Leon’s…hang on. Hi, Mel, yeah, sorry I missed your call, Ben and I were…”


“Making then declaring love!” He whispers loudly in my other ear.


“One second…now on speaker, Ben and I missed your call because we were making then declaring love.” I’m thankful due to the screaming and whooping that it was. “Who else is there, apart from Emmett!” I laugh, leaning into his chest.


“My dulcets are memorable!” Emmett sniggers. “Well that’s two of us paired up, hopefully Pheebs has worked her charm on Gamps and Jaybay…”


“No need for her, Brian bottomed.” Ben smiles.


“He…he did?” Emmett stammers. “How do you know and I don’t?!”


“You are the most inept checker of messages on your other phone!” Ben gripes, I grin as since we’ve been together that’s been a constant refrain about him.


“One minute and silence whilst I read!” He orders.


“This will take a while, get another drink, people!” Ben declares. He’s not wrong, it takes at least ten minutes for the sniffing to start. “Ems, stop weeping and reply for goodness sake!” 


“Another minute!” He wobbles, then awwws at the same time as Ben. 


“Are they china bumps or bantu knots - and who did it?” I smile at the picture of Pheebs, looking very pleased with her hairstyle. 


“Brian.” Ben chuckles. “He’s the only one who she will let do that.”


“Sweet. So the call was about?” I have a pressing, in my butt, need to wrap this up.


“The NDA that you’ve signed wasn’t written up by any attorney,” Emmett crows. “So you can say and do whatever you want.” I’m stunned and furious. All these years, why oh why didn’t I check it? “Don’t live in the past, learn from it. You had no reason to suspect otherwise. Let’s talk tomorrow. Ben, go cheer him up!”


“Yes sir!” He laughs. It turns into a groan as I grind back against him. “You trying to make me cum in my pants?”


“In and out.”


“Bedroom!” 


MICHAEL’S HOUSE - TEN MINUTES LATER


LOUNGE


PATRIC


This is ridiculous. I check the time again, he’s still on the phone. Sighing, I head to his drone-moan. “Michael, I really have to go, can you deal with that after?”


“Go? I thought you were coming to cook me dinner?” He frowns.


“No, I said I needed to talk.”


“I thought that was a code for me to plough your grateful and beautiful ass because you were in The Dome.”


“And that's why you never will again!” I snap. “My gut was right about you! You’d never let me forget how you ‘saved’ me. I can have less mediocre and more meaningful sex from someone who doesn’t control my pay packet.“


“I am not bloody mediocre, how fucking dare you?! Who’s been bad mouthing me, and why not tell me on the phone?!”


“Because I’m going home, I live nearby.” I scowl, putting his keys on the table. “Club is closed…”


“You don’t close up my club like that!” 


“I didn't, the health inspector did.” He gulps. “I figured you didn’t want me telling you that on the phone.” He’s silent. “You’re welcome! Here's his card, he said to call him in the morning.” 


MICHAEL 


“You’re not getting severance!” I snap, frog marching him to the door. “Don’t come back begging me for anything!”


“I quit, idiot. I won’t be the last. Babylon opens next Friday. You’ve already lost Ralph, he was your best doorman!” I slam the door on his fading laughter, grabbing my phone. I pace whilst it connects. “Jeffers, it's Michael Novotny. Why didn’t you tell me about the inspection? Hold on…” I wrench open the front door. “...I knew you’d come crawl…” I gape, standing there smiling coldly is Blake! “I have to call you back.” 


“You’ve been looking for me.”


“Well come in.” I snarl quietly. 


“I would rather be where I can be seen from the street. You need to do right by Ted...”


“Fine.” I breathe deep then smile. “In the meantime, I need you to…”


“I will not be signing a retrospective, no doubt doctored afterwards NDA, nor will I be giving you an address or email. I know where you are, always have. I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to pay you back for what you did to us.”


“It’s just a book! It’s not as if he didn’t get paid!” I fume. 


“But if he had just said yes, then you wouldn't have crapped on him in the first place. I saw that look in your piddling little club. I laughed so much when Ted told me how he turned you down, ‘I would prefer to keep this relationship strictly business’.”


“I was an upgrade from you, drugged up, twinked out…”


“You should be thanking Lindsay that your attempt on Officer Sapperstein was written up as a misdemeanour and not attempted prostitution.”


“What?” I whisper. “How do you…”


“Do right and I’ll get it reopened. If not, I go for the rest of your little empire.”


“Get what reopened?” 


“Don’t be obtuse. You know Jeffers, I know his boss. You have until Friday. Goodnight.” 


I wait a few seconds before following him down the path. 


BLAKE


I feel his fury boring into my soul. I smile as the car approaches; embracing him warmly as he gets out. “Thanks for picking me up.”


“Anytime, now put this on!”! He hands me his jacket then gets in the driver’s side. “This is not the area he gave us!” He growls and glares. I watch a pale and, no doubt, gut punched Michael retreat. “Will deal with that later. Are you warming up, need the heating?” I nod. “Not going anywhere till you call Leon.” I do as I’m told and he starts to relax, but I know him too well. “Can we swing by the station? I need to update some records with this new location.”


“Of course, Officer Sapperstein.”


“Cut that out!” He laughs, then cuffs my chin. “Seriously, Uncle Gary, you saved my nephew, so it’s Uncle Gary.”


Chapter End Notes:

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