Chapter 2: The hook

Stella Harris had led a pretty charmed life. The only daughter of wealthy parents, her father being an investment banker, she had been given every opportunity to do well for herself. She went to all the right schools and knowing she would never have to work her parents had allowed her to follow her love of tennis, enabling her to have a very good amateur career.

The combination of good looks, a tall and athletic physique and mixing in the right circles had seen her married to her husband John some 30 years ago at the age of 25. Although only 30 at the time himself, John, who had enjoyed a similar upbringing was already amongst the upper echelons in the same investment bank as Stella’s father.

Their 30 year marriage had been a smooth, steady and reasonably happy journey apart from the fact they had found out after a number of years of unsuccessfully trying for a family that John was unable to father children. Stella had made the decision to stick by her man and settled for a childless luxury life with no regret. Possibly because of the fact they would never have children added to the ageing factor their sex life although still good was infrequent.

Apart from a family Stella Harris had pretty much gotten everything she desired in life and people just liked her so she was puzzled as to why, despite her best efforts in the month since the Jackson’s garden party, even giving Aaron tennis lessons 3 times a week after he showed a sudden interest in taking up the sport, Michelle Jackson hadn’t warmed to her at all.

Even worse it bothered her that it should bother her as for all her life she hadn’t even liked black people and considered them inferior. However there was something enigmatic about all the Jackson’s and she had enjoyed giving Aaron his tennis lessons loving the way he was so polite, always calling her Mrs. Harris despite her insisting he could call her Stella, after all he was 20. In addition most of her friends in the community had commented about the fact they had been over to the Jackson’s for coffee once or twice and she felt her standing as number 1 in the community was under serious threat.

Meanwhile over at the Jackson residence Michelle Jackson was busy getting herself ready for the day. She had done her research and found out a few things about Stella Harris including the fact she liked to hit the juice most days and her tipple of choice was a Bloody Mary. She had sensed Stella Harris’s neediness to be her friend and had decided today was the day she began to let her have what she desired and more. As she surveyed the contents of her fridge to ensure she had all that was required she dialed the Harris’s number on her phone.

“Good morning Stella” she said in her politest, cheeriest voice as call was answered. “Michelle Jackson here, how are you?” Michelle Jackson almost detected the sense of relief within her pleasant response and apologized to Stella for not having spoken sooner explaining there reasons but she would rather tell her face to face and had called to invite her to brunch that morning.

Stella Harris almost couldn’t believe her luck and readily accepted telling Michelle Jackson she was really looking forward to it. “Excellent” said Michelle Jackson. “See you at 11.” She ended the call and looked at Abby who had come into the kitchen. Whilst she began to mix two jugs of Bloody Mary, one without alcohol’ she told Abbey to select a couple of her bikinis which would fit Stella Harris and have them in a drawer ready to pick out and when she let her choose one complement her on her body and tell her that Aaron has been loving his tennis lessons and you think he has the hots for her. “Understood!” said Abbey as she went off smiling.

Stella Harris arrived at 10.59AM, all smiles and clutching a chilled bottle of champagne, telling Michelle she hoped she wasn’t being too presumptuous about having alcohol. Michelle thanked her and told her it was absolutely fine to have alcohol with brunch, then mentioned that Bloody Mary was her brunch drink of choice but told Stella she could have champagne if she wished. Stella was quick to accept the offer of a bloody Mary and Michelle quickly popped the champagne in the fridge and produced two glasses of bloody Mary, offering the one with alcohol to Stella.

They ate smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with fresh bagels and hash browns, whilst Michelle softened Stella up with a good quantity of bloody Mary and chat about wanting to meet Stella on her own as she considered her very important in the community and wanted them to have a closer bond than she wanted to form with the other residents. Stella blushingly soaked up the adoration and told Michelle she understood totally and it would be nice for them to have something the other ladies didn’t.