Time for Revenge

"Oh, my poor boy," Juno managed, clutching his arm to pull him close to her as they walked off to supper, her mind in a whirl.

* * *

Juno realized she must do some research for confirmation but everything had suddenly fallen into place because Raymond Rich's first wife was a publicist with the unusual name of Adair.

She managed to converse coherently with Ryan over supper while at the same time trying to think about filling in the missing pieces of this mystery.

Perhaps those attacks on Raymond had been contrived for some reason and someone had suggested he hire a highly-trained minder with a military background in commando operations and had given him the name of the agency.

After that first attack, she'd asked Raymond who'd suggested that he should hire Ryan, and he'd said, "One of our doormen who found me beaten almost unconscious in the basement at work."

Recalling that conversation, she now believed she'd added another missing link.

Christ, Ryan was using her and her money to bring Raymond, his father, down in the most innocuous way possible, by subversively blowing him out of business.

Juno turned dizzy at the thought.

She shook her head thinking how smart Ryan was not to disclose his true identity to his father who'd walked out on his family when Ryan was only fourteen and had not seen him since until Raymond unsuspectingly had hired him as an adult bodyguard.

It was likely that Ryan had arranged those attacks on Raymond to lead Raymond to believe he needed to hire a bodyguard and somehow Ryan had arranged it that he'd be one of the applicants for the chauffeur-minder job.

With the pieces falling into place, she was certain Ryan was unleashing a patient act of revenge that would leave him appearing innocent, if all went well. The guy was a genius!

There was no way she'd imprudently dump him now. She'd bind to him to ensure he achieved his goal, putting every dollar he possessed and could raise commercially at her disposal to join her in making her new enterprise a success. This is what that slime-ball Raymond deserved.

Juno believed her biggest difficulty would be to keep her mouth shut about his mission, to avoid Ryan becoming aware she was on to him. He'd work better in his subversive role if thinking he was working alone as a commercial business wrecker.

There was the possibility if Ryan's plan succeeded, she might end up being the dominant player in the local publishing market by striking pre-emptively to pick up the pieces of Raymond's company following its possible resultant slide towards demise unless she outbid all other offers to buy him out of his business to absorb it into the Juno Publications that hopefully would be experiencing increasing commercial growth and profitability. Then ultimately, she could sell her holdings and become unbelievably wealthy.

Christ, what illegal drug was she on to speed up her mind into such a cloak and dagger frenzy? she thought. But the simple face was she'd figured out at least some of the intriguing puzzle convincingly.

"Ryan, I've really eager to have the company up and running."

"Me too, I want you back on your feet."

What a devious manipulator, she smiled.

"I'm prepared to throw all the cash it takes to expedite this mission."

His eyes widened, "This mission?"

Oops, she had to recover instantly.

"Um this project, be it described as a company establishment and development project or commercial mission; they mean the same thing, don't they?"

"Well put that way, yes they do."

"I'm longing to have sex with you again sweetheart."

"Sweetheart?"

He looked shaken.

She tried to eye him cutely.

"Don't be alarmed; it's just used in the romantic sense. 'Madam Butterfly' always draws out the emotions in me and we are having such a lovely evening. Once the pressure of setting up the company eases, I shall probably start looking for a replacement husband."

"Ah, choose wisely and secure your future," he said kindly. "In the meantime, once you move in with me, we can be at it regularly, if that's what you want. I've been forcing myself to keep a step back from you as part of your adjustment to get over the shock of being on the road to divorce. Strategies don't work if one doesn't adhere to them."

"You know, this is not the first time that brute has done this to a woman," Juno said with satisfaction, catching the eye flicker, aware she would have missed it had she not being focused to spot it.

He'd behaved just as she'd anticipated, asking her if she wanted another cup of coffee.

"Only if I'm kissed first."

He looked startled and smiled. Juno's pulse soared as she thought that she was the origins of a wolfish smile around the edges of the smile on his face right now. It was the first evidence she'd seen that from him during their time together and including when he expressed his interest in screwing her.

Oh God, what a delight in days and nights to come, she sighed, as his lips met hers and lingered. There were people all around them but she'd noticed he hadn't bothered to look at them. It was a beautiful kiss, one she'd think about when lonely in bed in the next hour or so. For some reason, that cup of coffee appeared to be the best cup of coffee she'd ever put to her lips.

She marvelled at the thought that she was falling in love.

In bed that night, Juno attempted to ridicule the notion of a romantic attachment growing inside her but the notion withstood that attack. She tried the full-frontal assault, telling herself that she knew little about Ryan.

So? she sighed happily. Love really wasn't about knowledge.

Her inner voice whined: You're grasping for a replacement.

She handled that with ease. Anything entitled to be called love between her and Raymond had disintegrated several years ago, when realizing she'd married a hollow man whose brain was focused on his groin.

That first shock of finding out conclusively that her husband Raymond was seeing someone else came when she arrived home from a near-useless conference a day early and found them together in bed.

Raymond had explained that his embarrassed companion was an old girlfriend who just happened to be passing through. He grinned and assured his wife there was nothing in it. Oh yeah? Actually, she came to believe that because other women seemed to drift in and out of his social life like shadows.

A sudden drop in his demand on her for sex became as reliable as a barometer that he was again involvement with another woman. She never caught him at it again but occasionally received questions from women friends about the identity of the female who'd accompanied Raymond to a particular function.

She'd seen him on the streets or in restaurants exhibiting more than the expected attentiveness to a female and presumably business associate and then there was the photograph of him in a women's magazine at a function with his hand partly concealing his face from the camera and the hand of his hugely smiling female companion with her fingers of one hand obviously resting half inside the top of his pants above the zip.

The inner voice again: So far, the chauffeur had been exclusively hers for just over two weeks and yet he's only had sex with her twice. Was that a man deserving of her love, a charming woman who preferred frequent bouts involving multiple orgasms?

Juno sighed rather expressively over that one, feeling like she'd taken a rather hot spike close to the heart. He had explained his reasons; well more or less, she countered defensively.

The inner voice asked was she not confusing loneliness and desire when thinking love?

Juno swallowed, almost asleep, but had recorded the sound of near desperation in her inner voice. She was aware of feeling a sense of loss when Ryan was not within her sight and she'd become very aware that she liked looking at him, especially at his strong face and passionate eyes whereas he was most intent when glancing at her boobs, and she couldn't be critical of him for doing that.

She drifted into sleep.

Chapter 2

The man with the passionate eyes, although he probably wasn't aware that he possessed such a feature, returned from a cold shower. He'd needed that because his mind had been flagellating him for not screwing Juno night and day when that very desirable body was on offer.

Urging his mind to accept that the nights of turning and tossing in frustration were about to end, and Ryan confirmed to himself the reasoning behind his forced abstention: it was strategically important for Juno to wallow in self-pity and loneliness to hasten her preparedness to cast her past aside and journey down that new road he was laying out for her, with her taking up major involvement.

In thinking that, he pressed hard to keep his reasons for teaming up with Juno buried, at least for now. Failure in his mission was most likely if Juno discovered his reasons for befriending her.

At 5:30 next morning, glancing with admiration at what Juno was missing seeing as he worked his swim-suit over it, Ryan put on his towelling robe and took the elevator to the basement where he performed thirty minutes of reasonably light gym work and then went out and swam sixty lengths of the lap pool.

After showering and dressing in a light business suit with a cream shirt without adding a tie, he went out for breakfast feeling great, ticking over like a time bomb ready to explode into any woman who...

Ryan eased out of that reflection by looking up to the sky to assess the day's likely weather pattern which wasn't a waste of time compared with average citizens because people who engaged in covert ops had expertise in meteorology as one of their highly-honed qualifications.

At the restaurant, Ryan went straight to 'his' table, being a regular. The front section of the morning's newspaper was already on the table and four minutes later the attractive dark-hair Susan arrived with scrambled eggs, two hi-fibre pieces of toast lightly done and no spread but included a small dish of liquid honey.

"Hi darling," said the 36- year-old divorcee quietly, with great familiarity.

Susan was not a regular waitress; she owned the restaurant business. They'd been at college together and whenever Ryan had returned to the city on leave, he always gave Susan a call, even after she'd married, and they would arrange to meet for sex.

Well, they had been at it like rabbits at college and it suited Susan to have her superbly fit and manly man occasionally to offset some of the wimps in her life who had included her ex-husband. Her divorce several months before he suffered a fatal blood clot, followed his confession he'd fallen in love with a guy at his office.

It had been a great arrangement for Ryan, so convenient, and Susan always gave her best, never knowing if that encounter might be her last with Ryan. She'd rented an apartment four floors above the small restaurant and she'd confided to Ryan she'd purchased the apartment before she married to have it as a fixed asset in case the marriage turned to custard.

At that stage, she had sufficient funds and the promise of a loan from her parents. that left her $29,000 short. Ryan gave her a $30,000 interest-free loan, since repaid in full. The extra one thousand dollars was to pay a lawyer to produce a pre-nuptial agreement to protect her apartment asset for her exclusive benefit should her upcoming marriage ever become terminal.

Susan returned with a refill of coffee and raised an eyebrow.

Ryan nodded and a couple of minutes after she'd left the restaurant he followed, smiling at the woman at the checkout who was aware he was Susan's 'brother' and was not expected to pay.

Three hours later, Ryan was working alongside the proposed company's financial consultant. Tom Berger, who would become company accountant. They were refining the business plan by finishing off budgets.

Tom's PA entered the room with an opened letter and smiled beautifully at Ryan, but not for the reason he assumed. Diane was merely a compulsive tease. She left and Tom read the letter. He beamed: "You and Juno are on the way buddy; Juno's company has been registered which means everything is now in place."

They shook hands.

"This means you are the third director Tom, congratulations," Ryan said, "As I'm designate director of operations, I ask for a copy of that letter and I'll call Juno to meet me for late lunch and give her the news. She'd out with a commercial realty agent."

Diane was called in to copy the letter and both men looked at her hips as she walked to the door, she turned and smiled at her admirers.

Tom pulled out a file. "Here's a letter for you Ryan from the chairman.

Dearest Ryan

If you are reading this, it means that our company has been registered. Wonderful and well done. It also means an adjustment on stockholding in the company with me and you being allocated 45% of fully-paid up stock and Tom with a 4% holding, leaving me with 51%.

Kisses

Juno.

"Have you read this?" Ryan said, swallowing.

Tom grinned and said he'd produced the letter for Juno.

"Lucky boy Ryan, I have to buy my shares a par value of $100 a share. It's worthless stock at the moment but if you two achieve even 80% of your business plan. the value of stock will begin to climb in value. It will all hang on impressive management buddy; don't let me down. Why don't you and Juno come out to dinner on Saturday as guests of my wife Claire and me?"

"Thanks, we accept."

"Are you that confident of speaking for her?"

"Juno is not having a social moment at present as part of re-programming but that's about to change. It's possible she will be moving in with me tonight to begin a close relationship."

Tom looked surprised.

"What, you two haven't been at it? I'd thought..."

"Things are not always what they seem, Tom. Let me call Juno and then let's try to wrap up this fine-tuning after I return from lunch."

* * *

Juno, looking radiant and beautifully groomed, met the waiting Ryan outside the restaurant.

"Are we here to celebrate?" she asked after learning the company was now registered. "I would have thought we would go upmarket to mark that occasion."

Ryan kissed her and said things were not always what they seem. Inside he introduced Juno to Susan as 'one of his oldest friends'.

"From today Susan, Juno and I begin dating and we are entering business together, she being my boss."

"Things are not always what they seem, Susan," Juno smiled. "While I'm the figurehead, it is Ryan who will be driving everyone to achieve our goals. I am expecting a remarkable performance from him."

Susan managed to slip a wink at Ryan while Juno was smiling at him.

Susan said dryly, "I should image he's guy capable of delivering a remarkable performance; I expect to be kept informed by you two guys of the progress you are making."

Juno, now looking at Susan impassively, said they would do that as Ryan had only just informed her that he ate breakfast at Susan's restaurant most mornings whenever he was in the city.

"Yes, he's a treasured regular. Come through to the private room and enjoy what Ryan has ordered for you two."

The windowless room was small with a six-seat table.

Two places in the old tradition of silver service were placed opposite each other in the centre of the table under a stunning chandelier.

"This room is for special luncheons," Susan said. "It is surprising how many groups of up to six very influential people know of the existence of this room and use it frequently."

A waitress called Anna walked in with a sheath of flowers for Juno and then seating the couple, Susan left with Anna.

Anna returned with two Victorian champagne glasses and then re-entered again with a bottle of French champagne that she opened and poured. The celebration was under way.

Later when the couple were about to leave, Susan came in to farewell them.

"You did us proud Susan," Juno said, kissing the surprised restaurant owner.

"That magnificent lunch blew me away and I've been to some of the world's highly proclaimed eateries. I'm like to think we'll become good friends."

"I'd like that," Susan said. "I'd love you to come shopping with me; I need modernizing."

They laughed and Ryan looked rather pleased at this inter-action.

Outside on the sidewalk, Ryan invited Juno to inspect his apartment.

They'd only had the one bottle of champagne and no other alcohol and so her reaction wasn't over the top.

"Why, do you have raunchy etchings?"

"One," he grinned. "But if it meets your approval, you may move in any time from tomorrow."

"I haven't received a single offer on my investment mansion, made before my marriage to Raymond and never disclosed to him."

"Tell your agent to make a personal presentation to your husband but leave my name out of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"I suspect he may have some interest in owning the well-located property when informed that a previous owner was his late grandfather, Edwin Rich, and probably he was unaware that it was for sale, but don't ask me to explain."

"Very well, I shall call her tomorrow," Juno said, thinking his 'don't ask me to explain' was a sneaky evasion.

"Call her now as from today we do things on the run, aiming for quick, tidy results that bring us satisfaction; we regard any other outcome as an opportunity lost and probably a foul-up of our making."

"Yes sir," the chairman smiled at her subordinate, reaching for her phone.

Ryan smiled when he heard Juno snap at her real estate agent, "I don't care if it's your belief my out-going husband won't be interested. My instruction to you is this; I require you to made a full and enthusiastic presentation to Mr Rich and press for a result pretty damn quick. I'll text you details to use in your presentation shortly."

"Fine, that's better Jennifer; it's lovely having you on the same wavelength as I have no wish seeing you lose the commission to your opposition, Prestige Realty. I have reason to believe Raymond Rich will be more than interested to view the property. Get him over there Jennifer."

Juno slipped her phone into her handbag and flushed upon hearing Ryan say. "You really sounded like the boss talking to that lazy Jennifer. A good kick up the tush is a great way of motivating some people."

"You can be so funny," she giggled, taking his arm. "Is it far to walk to your apartment?"

"There it is, straight ahead of you."

Juno looked critically at the building. "It's very central and architecturally advanced for an apartment building. How old is it?"

"Three years, so all the deficiencies have been ironed out."

"Do we have a penthouse unit?"

"We certainly do," he said, stopping and kissing her.

"Ryan, for God's sake, we're on a principal mid-city thoroughfare."

"Oh, so we are; I'm glad we are not lost."

She giggled, accepting she was now being taken on a journey that, all going well, would establish her as one of the major independent book publishers in the country.

The apartment exceeded Juno's expectations.

"You have done very well for a male, or was there a previous tenant?"

"No, I took a 10-year lease on it off the plans when viewing it on the Internet in Paris before going off to retrieve a VIP in... oh, it doesn't matter where. I wanted a place I could call home and being on a drawn-out mission on US $1200.00 a day plus all expenses, I thought I should spend my accumulating wealth on property rather than on women."

"That would have been a great disappointment to some woman or perhaps a whole bunch of them."

Ryan grinned and said he really liked her; she could be so funny at times.

They spent the next three hours talking about what furniture Juno could bring from her home and where to place it. Her phone went. She saw the caller was her real estate agent and put the phone on speaker.