18 - Corporate Espionage

Katelyn looked at the empty seat at her elbow. Kirk’s largesse gone to waste. She feared it would have been hard but her husband had been talked out of the trip almost before she could suggest it.

“You think I want to waste one brain cell congratulating that fucking sadist?” He had said the moment she had opened the exit in his conversation. He didn’t attempt to talk her out of it. He muttered something about Katelyn’s need for closure.

That wasn’t it. Her teeth were on edge. She turned her head and looked over the sleeping man in the window seat. She could’ve used her husband’s seat. The man on her right slept fitfully. She clenched her teeth and saw nothing but clouds. The plane was approaching Halifax.

She balanced her backpack as she walked through baggage claim. She hadn’t taken much. A change of clothes, a trashy dress, her most expensive lingerie, winter necessities, toilet and makeup, and her tablet. She crossed out of the claim and saw Val sitting with one leg crossed over her knee. Frieda sat two seats away, hunched over her spread knees, madly using a phone the way only a high school girl could.

Katelyn zipped up her parka and squared her shoulders. The last time she had seen Frieda, the girl had been 12. She wasn’t much taller, the girl had sprouted like a weed at 10, but she was completely different in the way she carried herself.

Val ... Kirk’s choice. Katelyn hoped Kirk’s divorce wasn’t so bitter but she had only truly known his ex-wife. This woman was more attractive, short red hair, clear curves, confidence. Katelyn hoped Kirk’s younger woman was older than herself. She at least hoped she looked it.

Katelyn’s stomach churned as it armed her butterflies. She felt greasy, she hated the ‘is she prettier than me?’ bullshit her brain got up to every time she saw a woman near her age. Katelyn was in great shape. She couldn’t afford the same yoga and spin classes she used to prefer but she hadn’t let poverty hurt her. She looked her Metis heritage, dark almond shaped eyes, and a light brown complexion. She forced herself to smile.

A few young men coming off the plane checked out her ass as they walked ahead of her. The three of them checked out her front too. She made eye contact. Luckily, none stopped to talk to her. Katelyn had needed the pick-me-up and hated herself for it.

She felt strong enough to approach Val.

“Aunt Katelyn!” Frieda hopped up, seeing the arrival first. All of Katelyn’s confidence eroded with the honorific and looking into the face of the teenager. Frieda had cute freckles, a little wild hair, bad dress sense. She was a beauty without effort.

“You’re here.” Val looked up. “Let’s go. You’re going to fill my tank on the drive home.”

“You’re staying with dad,” Frieda arranged herself to talk Katelyn’s ear off and keep a woman between would-be step daughter and mother. “But we haven’t told mom yet. So, you get to use my room and I get to go to Owen’s for the next two nights.”

“Owen, he’s the--”

“He’s the one who owns our asses,” Val said. The three stepped out into the winter. Katelyn took a deep breath of air. They call this winter? It was a tropical paradise compared to Alberta. Frieda yanked her gloves on tightly and dragged her toque down to her eyes. Val jogged across to the parking lot.

“Tell me about Owen, Frieda.” Katelyn prompted.

“Oh my god!” Frieda lit up like fireworks.

“Jesus fuck...” Val muttered. “Well, I better learn about this man too. Stick to the important facts.”

“What’s important?” Katelyn asked Val. Frieda turned in hope for an enlightening answer.

“How well does he eat pussy?” Val asked. Katelyn slumped.

“Oh, um, he has, uh, other girls for that,” Frieda said.

Val slumped and Katelyn pantomimed the same displeasure. She looked at Frieda though. Was Frieda one of these ‘girls for that’?”

Pancakes. Owen felt better than he had in a long time. Hell, even the shiner he had, weeks away from being fully cleared up, looked better than it had yesterday. It still looked very bad. He forked a sausage off of Tamara’s plate.

“Dude, take Jewel’s food. She’s the fat one.” Tamara kicked her nemesis under the table.

“I’m going to claw her eyes out eventually,” Jewel warned Owen.

“Don’t mess up my stuff,” Owen said, sweetly. He leaned his head on Tamara’s shoulder and smiled. “And Jewel, give Tamara a strip of bacon.”

“Ugh...” Jewel moaned.

Brandy and Barbara morosely drank their tea and picked at their little fruit cup. Brandy was livid at her sister. “Oh, shit, if I start on waffles I won’t stop until I’m a blimp!”

“Then don’t start!” Owen suggested. Of course, she had to share twin genetics with her sister. Fucking bitch! Brandy smiled wanly. She swirled the leftover juice in her fruit cup with the tip of her spoon.

At least the tea and the waters had helped soothe her hangover.

“Ah, that was good!” Owen smirked and wiped his face. Barabara on his left and Tamara on his right offered to help him but being served like an invalid was less hot fantasy nurse and more existential terror. Besides, the cast wasn’t giving him much trouble.

“In four days we’ll be late getting home,” Jewel reiterated. She had left a quarter of her pancake on her plate and the twins were eying it like vultures. Neither moved.

“Right,” Owen said. “In four days I’ll have sorted things out with M. leCarre.” He said and frowned. “It’s your husband? The one you thought was your enemy?”

“What?” Brandy looked up and Barbara lunged and snatched the abandoned plate in front of Jewel before Jewel could drop her dirty napkin on top of it.

“They’re not waffles.” Barbara defended.

“No, they’re not,” Owen nodded.

“Um, I think my husband is my sister’s enemy?” Brandy said.

“Yeah, dude would get drunk and mistake me for my sister.” She air-quoted ‘mistake’. “Wasn’t easy to push off.”

“So you stopped doing it,” Brandy scowled at Barbara.

Barbara took the last forkful of pancake and slipped it between her lips while staring down her sister.

“Don’t tease each other if you’re going to ruin our day,” Tamara corrected the twins like a schoolteacher tired of class disruptions.

“Whatever, it’s not important why. But I need you, one of you, both of you, to get him into Halifax for me.” Owen said.

“Oh!” Tamara nudged Owen with her elbow. “You wanna give ... something more a try. I never thought I’d care for the lesbian stuff but wow--”

“No.”

“Oh thank god!” Jewel slumped back like the hardness disappeared from her spine. She slumped back with a smile.

“Bigot.” Tamara scowled at Jewel.

It was the first attack of Tamara’s that really hit home. Jewel dropped her eyes and turned red.

“Look,” Owen said, and took out one of the unspent coins. He stood it up and balanced it with the edge of his cast. “These are worth millions, but then I couldn’t have all of you.”

“Millions apiece?” Barbara asked.

“Millions for the set. But, if I can just buy the purchaser. I’ll get his money.”

“OK.” Brandy said. “What’s that have to do with Denis?”

“I kinda get the deal with you girls,” Owen said. “I don’t want any surprises with Maxim.”

“Good. Very smart,” Tamara stroked Owen’s arm and he kissed her. Jewel rolled her eyes.

“Good,” said Brandy. “May I send him a picture of Barbara and me naked?”

“Why would you do that?”

“He’s wanted a threesome with you for ages,” Brandy said. “Why do you think I encouraged him to seduce you so often?”

There was a flash-freeze between the sisters. Owen grabbed Barbara’s thigh before she could open up on Brandy.

“You never have to forgive her, but you have to put it in the past,” Owen said.

“But I--”

“Send the picture,” Owen said. “I’ll leave you my keys. I’m supposed to meet Kirk Marcusson when he calls. He comes tomorrow.”

“He ... Kirk?” Jewel asked.

“Denny.” Owen said. “Sorry, I want to meet your husband tomorrow.”

“Very well,” Brandy agreed. The girls started filing out of the bench.

“Be a dear,” Owen said, sliding the check over to Jewel. “There’s always someone at the front to check you out.”

“Jewel, for the first time in her life, picked up the check.”

“Oh my god, Tamara’s narrating now!” Brandy laughed.

“Little did Brandy know, Barbara was about to learn how to do her twin, everything Tamara planned that day for Jewel.”

“Kinky!” Brandy smiled. “Oh, cheer up, Jewel.”

Owen was alone for the first time off of a toilet in days. He picked his phone from his pocket. Thought better of it.

“Can you refill my coffee, love?” He asked the passing waitress. A little quiet was a rare thing now. No need to hurry after the finishing touches.

Janice was lost in thought. Her breaths came hard and awkwardly as she tightened her fist in Roxxi’s hair. The little slut had gotten really good at eating pussy.

Janice had always loved sex. Even before she had discovered sex gave her extra access to hallucinogens and party drugs. She was just glad she hadn’t learned to like cocaine like her lost college friends had. She looked at the electric blue hair threaded through her fingers and moaned wildly.

Roxxi was using every muscle in her throat and hands to power Janice through their shared break. It was a lazy day. If Roxxi wasn’t still in training there’d only be two people working the store. Roxxi worked as hard at pleasing Janice as she did selling coffee. The girl just liked people to be happy.

Janice wanted to be happy. The sex, the orgies, the girls, the power, the community. She was strung out and raw almost 24-7 now. She bit down on the corner of her empty coffee cup. Her moans echoed back up her nose.

He didn’t know! Oh, god, that made her smile. It was one of the few things she’d never done before, hell, if she asked herself from two weeks ago if she would do it. She didn’t know what she would say. Would she have said, “No! I’m not going to suck my cousin’s dick!”? Would she have said, “Oh, yeah, that’s the kind of slut I am! I’d even suck my cousin’s dick!”? Why did both answers sound hollow and sarcastic in her head.