Chapter 22

Melissa went to get Chip a glass of water while Jake led him to the family room. Chip dropped heavily into a chair. Melissa came in with the drink and sat by Jake on the couch. Chip took a drink of the water and set the glass on the end table.

“I am the stupidest asshole that ever lived,” Chip began.

“What did you do?” Melissa asked.

He glanced at Jake then back to his sister, “Can we talk in private?”

“Jake stays”, said Melissa, “I trust him way more than I do you.”

Chip looked at her for a few seconds.

“I guess I deserved that. Anyway, I was playing tennis at the club today and misplaced my car keys. I walked home cutting across the golf course. When I got there the front door was locked so I went around to see if any back doors or windows were unlocked. When I got to the corner of the house I saw Vivian and Uncle Randal in the pool real close together talking. I got ... well uh, look, I have been having an affair with Vivian for the last four months, and I got jealous. I ducked down before they could see me and snuck around to the other side of the house so I could hear what they were saying. They were talking about Dad’s company, our company now I guess. Anyway Vivian said she had me by the balls and they both laughed. Then Uncle Randal said he could control you, Melissa, by pretending to protect you from Vivian and me. He was saying that he thought he could even get your legal proxy to vote until you were out of school. Then, I swear on our mother, he said that ought to be long enough time to arrange a little accident.”

Melissa gasped and grabbed Jake’s hand. He didn’t know how much of Chip’s story to believe but had to admit it sounded feasible. In addition, if Chip were lying, he deserved an academy award. Jake turned to address Chip.

“I know you hired the Welch twins to beat me up. When I questioned them, they also told me you asked them if they would kill someone. Then your father ends up dead - killed by two red necks. That’s a big coincidence.”

Chip’s face turned red with anger and his voice rose, “I don’t like you Turner. Yes, I hired the Welches to teach you some manners. That’s all, except Vivian asked...”

Chip stopped talking mid-sentence and the color drained from his face. He went from red to sickly white in an instant.

Shaken, he paused, gathered his thoughts, and continued in a more subdued voice.

“Vivian had me ask if they could also kill someone. She said that I might use that as a threat against you if you came after me again. When I told her they said no way, she said it was okay - we could find another way. After Dad was killed, she was very distraught. She said she still loved me and wanted to be with me but we had to cool it for awhile. I thought she was grieving but then I caught her in the pool with Uncle Randal. Before I snuck off, I saw them kissing and Randal was taking off her top. I need to go to the bathroom now,” said Chip as he left the room.

Jake turned to Melissa. Tears were streaming down her face, but she was otherwise amazingly composed.

“What are we going to do, Jake?” she asked.

‘What indeed?’ thought Jake as he took her in his arms and held her. He told her they would think of something. He thought she was safe enough for the time being. If something happened to her, even Ray Charles would see that it was more than a coincidence. The immediate problem was Chip, who needed to get away from Vivian so he wouldn’t confront her about what he heard, and she couldn’t manipulate him into doing any more stupid things. Jake did not doubt for a minute that Vivian could lie her way out of whatever Chip thought he saw. No doubt she’d twist it into something that looked like Randal was blackmailing or forcing her. You had to respect someone that coldhearted. Jake had Melissa show Chip to the guestroom. His parents were going to shit a brick when they found out who was spending the night.

Jake went out on the pool deck to think further. Melissa came out and sat on his lap. She didn’t say anything. She just wanted to be held. It took Jake twenty minutes to come up with a plan. He was going to need some help making it happen, but it was doable. He needed to talk to Helen first, then sound out Maria. By tomorrow night, he should be ready to lay all this on Charles Turner. It was going to be a tough sell. He was going to need Debbie standing by to keep Charles from going through the ceiling. His trance was broken when Melissa shifted around in his lap and kissed him.

“Have you figured out a plan yet?” she asked.

“Yep and it’s a doozy,” he said.

She tried to wheedle information from him but he put her off until after he talked to Charles. He told her as soon as he confirmed a couple of details he would tell her, because she had a major part to play. Mollified for the moment, she went back to kissing him. Jake stood up with her in his arms and walked back into the house. They needed to be near the door as everyone came in to explain about Chip. Debbie was not going to take this well. He shuddered at the thought of Debbie finding Chip here without warning. She would shoot his balls off and make a necklace out of them.

Debbie came in with Marisa at ten-thirty. Jake took Debbie aside while Melissa talked to her cousin. Debbie was incredulous, but at least she understood Jake’s reasoning and said to make sure he didn’t get near her. Jake agreed and kissed her in thanks. She gave him the grin. And put her finger under his nose, changing the subject.

“I told you I like little submissive girls, and they keeping dropping in my lap. I guess I better go wash my face and brush my teeth. Or better yet, I’ll let Marisa give me a bath. She’s spending the night.”

Jake stood there speechless as Debbie went over, grabbed Marisa, and led her upstairs. He finally stopped gaping and went into the family room with Melissa.

“My cousin is acting strange tonight,” she said.

“It’s the night for it, isn’t it? There must be a full moon or something,” Jake said.

At eleven Angie rolled in. Melissa and Jake ran down the evening’s events for her. Angie said Melissa could bunk with her since Chip was here. Melissa said no way. She was sleeping with Jake regardless. Especially now that all this other stuff had come out. Angie nodded and went into the kitchen for a Tab. Jake joined her.

“What’s up, princess? You seem distracted,” he said.

“I can’t stop thinking about Tyler Thornton. He takes my breath away. He seems to like me too. He said he wants to see me during his Thanksgiving break. Now I don’t know what’s going to happen because of this thing with his father.”

Jake told her that Tyler’s father was a separate issue and should not affect Tyler and her. He also told her that he would do everything he could to make sure that Maria backed them up on the issue. Angie felt better for that last statement. If there was a woman involved, Jake was the person with the best chance of prevailing.

Helen and Charles arrived a few minutes before midnight. Maria walked in with them. Jake bolted upstairs to check on Debbie and Marisa so Maria would not see something she should not. Both girls were asleep on opposite sides of the bed. Jake met Maria at the top of the stairs when she to come check on her daughter.

“Maria, can we go somewhere private and talk tomorrow after church?”

“Oh yes, my handsome young stallion. That would be most agreeable,” Maria said.

He loved the way she slipped into a lilting Spanish flavored accent when talking intimately with him. It was sexy as hell. He had to shake himself to get back on task.

“I have something important to talk to you about,” he said.

Her eyebrows arched inquisitively, “I will pick you up at twelve fifteen, yes?”

“That will be perfecto,” he mimicked.

She gave him a throaty laugh, “Now kiss me, you naughty boy”.

He did. Then he ran downstairs to see the parents. Randal had come in to wait on Maria so Jake sucked it up and made small talk. Angie and Melissa had disappeared upstairs so it was just the adults and Jake. Maria breezed down the formal staircase satisfied that her youngest was safe and stood chatting with them. The Thorntons finally said tootles and shoved off. Jake thought his presence might have put a damper on some adult recreation.

“Mom, Dad -- we’ve got an unexpected guest.”

“Who?” they chorused.

Jake regurgitated the evening from Chip’s arrival, including his story. By the time he finished talking, Helen’s eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline. She was particularly incensed at Randal the weasel and his faux bonhomme manner because she had been letting him put some semi-serious moves on her.

“That slimy rotten son-of-a-bitch turd,” she said vehemently.

Jake and Charles looked at her askance, those were the first curse words either of them had ever heard her utter. Charles calmed Helen down and they discussed all the ramifications Chip’s revelations brought. Jake told them he might have a plan and could they give him until eight tomorrow night to finalize it. He told them if they didn’t buy into it then, they could do whatever they wanted. Charles was not thrilled with the idea of a fifteen-year-old boy coming up with the critical strategy but at Helen’s urging, eventually agreed. He realized that it was counter-intuitive to be paying Jake for business advice and not then giving him the benefit of the doubt now. On a positive note, Charles was certainly glad this had come up now because he had already agreed in principle to giving Randal a quarter share of TFA Superstores in exchange for expansion capital.

Charles headed up to bed but Helen said she needed to talk to Jacob for a minute. They walked out to the pool deck and sat at the round umbrella table farthest from the house.

“Do you think Maria is in on this too?” Helen asked.

“I’ll find out tomorrow. She’s picking me up after church so we can talk.”

“I hope she isn’t involved in this. I like her. We are becoming good friends.”

“I don’t think she is, Helen. But Randal had me fooled, so she might also. How was the Country Club this evening?”

“I get goose bumps when you say my name. The club was okay. Certainly nothing wild like our last time out. Maria did get me purring in the bathroom though. She can be very seductive. She’s already gotten farther than her husband did. Will I be cheating on you if I let a woman get me?”

“Nope, doesn’t count.”

“That’s good to know. Maybe I’ll flirt with girls some, just to make it harder for you,” she teased.

“You couldn’t make me any harder than you do now,” Jake quipped back at her.

She laughed and said, “Meet me in the laundry room, and I’ll give you a good night kiss.”

Jake got some really good kisses from Helen that night and she didn’t try to stop his roving hands until he almost had a finger in her. She was wet and ready but was still holding out of putting out. A rock-hard Jake slipped into bed with Melissa, for modesty’s sake she had on one of his shirts with her panties. She still felt marvelous in his arms, her incredible butt cheeks pushed back into his groin.

When Jake woke up at seven thirty Sunday morning, he and Melissa were in the exactly same position they were in when he fell asleep. He lay there for several minutes enjoying the feel of her in his arms, then reluctantly headed for the shower. Melissa showered next and Jake went to wake up Chip. Chip was subdued at breakfast. Everyone was polite to him. Helen Turner allowed no ill manners, but Chip could tell his welcome was thin. After breakfast, Charles took Chip out by the pool and quizzed him for more details. At ten, Melissa and Angie drove Chip to the Thornton estate. While Vivian and her houseguests were at church, Chip gathered his things, found his spare car keys, and returned to the Turners’ house. The trio hid his ‘vette in the garage and waited for the rest of the Turners to return home. The plan was for Chip to head back to Gainesville so he would be further out of Vivian’s immediate clutches.

When the Turners returned from church, Maria was waiting for them. Melissa had Chip sequestered upstairs and Angie was talking to Maria about Tyler when the Turners walked in. Maria gave Marisa permission to stay for the afternoon to go swimming and Debbie took the teen up to try on a bathing suit. After some pleasantries with Charles and Helen, Jake asked Maria if she would give him a ride to Coach Nelson’s. She agreed with his little ploy and they took off.

Jake unlocked the door to coach’s place and showed Maria in. She did not ask who lived there. Jake sat down at the kitchen table and Maria joined him. Jake marshaled his thoughts as Maria waited expectantly.

“So, my amigo, I am guessing we aren’t here for seduction,” she said.

“I’d love to be here for that, you look luscious. But I need to ask you about some things.”

“Thank you, Jacob. Now, what do you need to ask me?”

Jake asked her if she knew anything about Russell’s company, Thornton Development. Turns out she knew a lot more than Jake had even hoped. Maria Thornton was a lawyer and, because she was licensed to practice law in Florida, she had handled a lot of Russell’s personal business. Russell and Maria were like brother and sister and he had trusted her completely. Thornton Development was a privately-held company owned through one hundred shares of stock. At his death, Russell held eighty-five and Randal had fifteen. Russell had reviewed and modified his will this past July. After his death, ownership of Thornton Development became Randal and Vivian fifteen percent each plus Chip and Melissa thirty-five percent each. The corporate charter for Thornton Development, Inc. required sixty-six percent approval for any major corporate decisions.