SevenDeadlySinsSeries Read online

  “Good. Perhaps we can spend the day together. I know the most delightful shopping district downtown. Perhaps a new outfit to celebrate Carlton’s return. My treat!”

  “It’ll have to be early. I’ve got to make some calls this afternoon.” The chance to have Missy alone today perked my attention. Questions were bubbling through my mind like hot tar. Certainly she’d noticed that Patricia hadn’t been where she was left. Of course by this morning there was a good chance that Patricia would’ve been dead or in need of hospitalization. That didn’t seem to be of concern to Missy though. As if Patricia was a piece of meat only useful for nourishment. I was beginning to distrust Missy more than I could imagine. And the fact that she was consorting with Kinsley gave me cause to be concerned with her motives altogether.

  “How about ten?”

  “Meet you in the foyer.”

  “Chayton, have the driver bring the car around front at ten.”

  “Will you require his services?”

  “No. I’ll drive myself.”

  “Very good, Miss.”

  *-*-*-*-*

  Patricia was sitting up in the bed when I returned. “Good morning, sleepy head.”

  “Miss Martin.”

  “Alright Patricia, that’s it. I think it’s time we dropped the formality. If you don’t call me Liz…”

  “Liz!” she said, reluctantly. “I’m so sorry about last night.”

  “Mmmm, yes… last night. Think it’s about time we have a little heart to heart, huh?”

  Patricia looked down at her hands. Dejected, spent, tired, used. Those were all the words that seemed to be flashing across her forehead. “I suppose I owe you that much.”

  “Come on; let’s get you in a hot bath. Make a new woman out of you.”

  While the hot water ran in the tub I turned my attention to the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth. My inner slut stole glances of her through the mirror as she slowly pushed the clothes to the floor and sank into the hot water. She stared straight ahead; my guess was not to look me in the eye. Never in my life had I had to share the morning after shame with another person, so I empathized with what she must be feeling. Pulling the hand towel from the rack I dabbed my face and dried my hands. Leaning forward I touched up my makeup as I stared into the mirror.

  “I can’t imagine what you must think of me,” Patricia said, still staring blankly forward. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it, Patricia. I’ve been in awkward situations before.” I turned to face her. The water dripped from her chin as her feet played with the faucet. “I just want to know what’s going on around here. I mean, I get you and Missy… sort of. But what the hell was Kinsley doing here?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I can’t wrap my head around any of it. I mean, Missy’s been acting so different and strange at times. One minute she’s loving and nurturing, the next I’m getting sixty-four thousand questions.”

  “What is her interest in me?” I asked. I realized it was right to the point, but I had little time before I left with Missy. Besides, I felt some sort of connection that seemed to transcend our friendship.

  “It’s not you. It’s what you represent.”

  “Beg your pardon?”

  “Carlton’s never really had an interest in anyone. I don’t know. I guess you represent the one thing they can’t have: Carlton’s trust. That makes you some sort of icon to them all.”

  I shrugged; it didn’t seem to me that Carlton had been that forthcoming with the family secrets lately, it’d given me cause to do my own snooping. “I’m gonna get to the bottom of this, Patricia. I promise you that.”

  “I don’t know if there is a bottom… not anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Carlton Michaud never confided anything in me, but his loner mentality always seemed to unnerve me. He had only shown one side to me: Driven, focused, determined. I admired those qualities. His personality always seemed to be right on the edge, you know? Sort of could be sweet, or could be nasty. It’s a thin line, but he always seemed to be able to walk right on the edge unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “You mention his dad. Something about that relationship sends him off the deep end.”

  Thinking back I realized that Carlton never really mentioned his dad, ever. In fact, when the whole thing happened he showed true remorse, but I got the feeling it was mixed heavily with relief. Still, it’s a sticky subject; even I don’t want to talk about my parents to anyone.

  “I’m headed out with Missy for a little while. Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up and we can chat when I get back.”

  “I’ll going back to the airport, Liz. I don’t think I can handle anymore of this.”

  “Please don’t. I would love it if you stayed here… with me.”

  For the first time I saw what looked like a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Even I couldn’t believe I said it, but my inner detective wanted more details. I just hoped she wasn’t getting the wrong idea. Or was I hoping for something else?

  *-*-*-*-*

  It was a fairly quiet drive into town with Missy. I got the feeling she was trying to keep an eye on me, just as I wanted to keep an eye on her. Same feelings, different meaning. Her driving was atrocious, especially throwing in the part about driving on the wrong side of the road. We visited several shops, and I must have looked at a dozen dresses before we decided on one. I must admit I was more than uncomfortable with Missy and her forceful but polite way of accompanying me in the dressing room. It was unnerving, yet somewhat exciting.

  “This one, she said. Try it on for me!”

  Holding it up in front of me I could see why she chose it. The low cut front would show ample cleavage, and that was indeed my best feature. Missy pulled my hair into a pony tail and held it close to the top of my head as she leaned into me. “Definitely!” she said. “Come on, let’s give it a go.”

  Awkward excitement was probably the best way to describe it. Pushing my skirt to the floor I unbuttoned my blouse, revealing my most unattractive pair of granny panties and bra. Embarrassment washed over my face in the least attractive way, and the pout on my face was a dead giveaway of my displeasure. Missy knelt behind me, wrapping her arms around my legs and holding the sundress open. “Step in!”

  She pulled it up my body, making what I believe to be a conscious effort to breathe her hot breath up my spin as she slowly stood behind me. Slipping my arms through the straps I positioned and repositioned my large breasts inside the dress. Missy placed her hands on my hips and peered over my shoulder. “Yes, I think this might do. Take your bra off.”

  “What?”

  “Oh come on, girl. You’re not shy, are you?”

  Something about the way she said it, and then ignored my pale attempts at protesting as she unsnapped my bra and busied herself sliding the shoulder straps down my arms. “There, much better I think.”

  Once again I repositioned my breasts and looked in the mirror. The front of the sundress was tight enough under my bust line to push the girls up, and the fullness showed as it overflowed under my chin. It did look good, I thought.

  “Oh my!” Missy exclaimed as she wrapped her hands around my waist and pulled her body into me. Her head was now comfortably snuggled in the crook of my neck as she stared me right in the eye through the mirror. “Delicious! If that doesn’t turn my brother on, let me know!”

  Was that an invitation? I playfully responded, “You’ll be the first to know, Missy.”

  She giggled, finally letting her guard down a little. Placing my hand over her wrist, which was now halfway wrapped around my stomach, I squeezed her arm. She responded by closing her eyes and moaning into my ear, gently squeezing my hip with her right hand.

  “Don’t make me wait all night,” she whispered in my ear before giving my neck a soft kiss. I won’t lie; it was hot, and my damp panties were proof positive that I was completely turned on. This was one of those moments, and I had th
em all too frequently now, that my wants far outweighed my needs. I needed to know what was going on between her and Kinsley, I wanted to feel her hands on me again.

  I weathered the storm of affection as she finally let me go. As soon as I slipped the dress off she grabbed it and said, “I’m gonna pick out some shoes to match. Meet me out front.”

  I was relieved that she finally left me alone. I dressed and found her already at the counter paying for my dress and matching sandals. “Size 6, right Liz?” she asked holding up the shoes.

  I nodded. It was all I could muster with the erotic thoughts flooding my brain. I studied the pale green dress and thought of Carlton. I hope he likes it.

  “Let’s get a bite at the bistro next door. They’ve got fabulous food!”

  I followed her like a puppy dog, still in some sort of euphoric trance like state. I could see the same ‘take charge’ attitude that Carlton possessed, and it was equally intoxicating. I couldn’t believe I was feeling the way I was. Damn Carlton for leaving me here all alone. He’d spent the last month heightening my sensuality to a level that it was now a constant in my minute to minute life. He should’ve been much more careful about what he’d created. Lately I felt like a needy whore.

  Missy was right. The food was amazing at the bistro, and I studied her as she babbled about one thing or another. But I got the distinct feeling she was never going to tell me anything. It was time to confront her and get to the bottom of all of this. “Where’d you go last night, Missy?”

  “What?” she asked. “No where. Patricia and I watched a movie and the drifted off to sleep.” Her eyes darted around the bistro, and then looked back at me with an incredulous smirk. “Why?”

  “Because Patricia was with me last night.”

  I could almost hear the bones grinding in her jaws as she clenched her teeth. “What do you know?”

  “I saw you, in the basement. I saw what you did to Patricia.”

  Missy turned her head slightly, shaking it slowly as she said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. And you don’t want to know.”

  “Was it her?” Of course I knew it was.

  “Who?”

  “Kinsley. Was it her?” I asked, grabbing Missy’s wrist and squeezing tightly.

  She leaned in and whispered, “It’s not what you think.”

  I released her arm and sat back, adopting the best Chayton facial expression I could muster. “You want to elaborate, or shall I just wait for Carlton to explain it?”

  Her tone turned extremely nasty, and her nostrils flared as she spoke slowly through gritted teeth. “Carlton knows nothing. Nothing I tell you!” She leaned back in her chair; straightening out the placemat and silverware in front of her while she regained her composure. She slowed her speech and spoke deliberately. “You and Carlton think you’ve got it all figured out, but you don’t. Kinsley’s not the person you think she is.”

  I folded my arms, and looked at her with as much condescension as I could muster and said, “Then explain it to me.”

  “Not here, not now.”

  “I’m losing patience, Missy. This entire thing hurts the man I love, and I won’t sit still for another minute.”

  “You have no idea what she’s capable of, Liz.”

  I chuckled. “I think you have that backwards. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “Does Carlton know about your little excursions?”

  “What excursions?” I asked.

  “You know what I mean, Liz. You watching us, in the old house ruins? Did you tell him about it?” She sat back, as if she had dirt on me that I couldn’t wash off. “What about the plane? Does he know you watched her? Does he know how excited you were? And let me guess, you’re the one that let Patricia go last night, right? Did she spend the night with you? Did you finally have that experience you’re so damned interested in?”

  My expression visibly changed as my heart began to race. She was so right, but at the same time so wrong. Or was she? Maybe she knows more about what I’m feeling than I do? Admittedly, I have very little experience in these particular desires, and I can’t deny I’ve found myself a little more than curious. But the thought of talking to Carlton didn’t frighten me half as much as she imagined it did. She really didn’t know her brother at all if she thought I was afraid of him.

  “I see. You haven’t,” she said, crossing her arms and taking her turn at condescension. “Maybe we should let Carlton in on your little voyeurism fetish.”

  She said it to just to take a stab at me, probably just an effort to get me to back off. But no, no fucking way was I not going to get to the bottom of this. “Rest assured Missy, I’m not afraid to talk to Carlton. And for the record, the reason I haven’t told him is that I haven’t seen him. But that doesn’t explain why you’re seeing Kinsley. I’m pretty sure Carlton will take that very seriously.”

  All of a sudden a new awareness dawned over me. The bistro was warping in my view and the weight of a thousand elephants pressed against my every movement. “Whoa!” I said grimly feeling a wave of nausea pass. “Um… Missy… I think I need to go home now,” I groaned.

  “You look kind of green,” Missy countered with concern. “Tell you what. I’ll take you over to the apartment. You can lie down there.”

  “Apartment?” I mumbled hazily, feeling the full effects of illness begin to drown me.

  “Uh yeah, the apartment Carlton says he’s giving you? It’s right around the corner. You can rest for a bit then I’ll take you home.”

  I nodded; there was no way for me to make it all the way back to the house without losing my cookies. If I could just rest for a few minutes…

  Missy fumbled with a key code for the door to the impressively modern apartment. She had her hands full after all balancing me against one shoulder, trying to keep me upright. Weakness had taken over my entire body; I felt as if I’d been molded into jello as she ushered me towards a white leather sofa perched in the center of the room.

  But someone else was in the apartment? I could hear the vague sounds of Missy talking. “When did she take it?” It was Kinsley’s voice, I would swear it was, but I couldn’t see her.

  “I put it in her tea at the bistro about thirty minutes ago.”

  “Good girl! I’ll be sure to let you have an extra special orgasm later my darling!”

  I heard a smacking sound, as if someone was kissing messily. I tried to turn my head but it felt glued straight ahead, as if my muscles no longer worked. I groaned for assistance, my foggy brain needed to know what the hell was going on. Why had she brought me to Kinsley?

  And yet another form wafted past me, I couldn’t focus but the man was too familiar when his voice rang out I shivered, “Good, here she is, the Queen of Charleston and New York herself,” I felt a sharp pinch on my left thigh that was sure to leave a mark. I shuttered under the pain. “Benton?” I spoke daftly.

  “Oh yes my dear, I’m here. And we’re going to spend the afternoon doing all the things you used to love so much. Ladies, let’s get her into the room.”

  What the fuck is Benton doing here? Every vein in my body was filled with fear. He’d been my protector once, my confidant, my lover, and now he’d turned on me and gone into cahoots with Kinsley and Missy. Again, what the fuck was he doing in England? A voice rang in my head; it was Chayton’s voice… “never underestimate Kinsley.” But oh how I had.

  “What do you want, Benton?” I moaned as they drug me down a dark narrow hallway into a room filled with lights and a television studio camera.

  “What I’ve always wanted Elizabeth, to have you under my thumb,” With that his fingers slid straight down the front of my jeans to my clit and he pressed far too hard. I screamed at the pressure and faded into a dreamlike state as Benton’s hands undressed me. Missy and Kinsley lifted me onto the Saint Andrew’s cross, the only piece of furniture in the room.

  The last sentence that I vaguely recognized was, “Is the camera filming?”

 
; I drifted in and out of consciousness for several minutes. Restraints held me in place; the rough leather chaffed my skin raw each time I tried to fight. I was naked and the natural urge to cover myself was diminished only by the terror that raced through me. I cracked my eyes just slightly and could hear them talking. Benton’s deep voice calmed me with its familiarity, but horrified me by its presence. How the hell did he even know Kinsley? The last time I saw Benton he was fetching donuts for his office in Charleston. Panic raced through me. Benton Frazier could be an extremely volatile man if he so desired. Paired with Kinsley and Missy, the effect could be downright deadly. I tried to rationalize my situation the best I could through the remaining haze of whatever drug they’d given me, but any way I turned it things didn’t end up well for me.

  “She doesn’t know anything,” Missy said with a tinge of a plea in her voice. I actually felt sorry for Missy Michaud; I know I shouldn’t, but complete servitude relationships can cloud a person’s judgment. In my mind she had little judgment from the get go. Still, her inexperience and naiveté coupled with her apparent lack of loyalty to Carlton made her the most dangerous person in the room. But first things first: I need to figure out what plans they have for me, and controlling my panic is my most immediate need.

  “I don’t care what this little whore wants. She’s been using that pretty pink pussy of hers to try and take what’s mine, and that doesn’t suit me. Now does it, beautiful one?” Kinsley’s fingers traced the outline of my eyebrows and sent shivers through me. This is one determined bitch. I fought against the tape over my mouth, but I wasn’t pleading; I was screaming FUCK YOU!

  The click of her heels on the hard floors around me told me that she was practically prancing with the delight of having me chained up. Video cameras set up told me the reason for Benton’s instant appearance: she wanted a tape of Benton dominating me to use against me. She wanted to send me running home in a huff so that she could have her ‘alone’ time with Carlton. Fucking bitch. Silently I wish her luck on her endeavor. Carlton Michaud would just as well piss on her corpse than let her touch him.