The Boy Next Door (79 page)

It worked. “I agree. I have an estate a few miles away. I’m always flying from one location to another, but this will always be my home. I may like the finer things in life, but there are simpler things that make me smile. The sound of hooves hitting the ground as I push Rodrick to his limit is like music to my ears. I hear him exerting himself, breathing heavy, and he makes me feel at one with nature. Animals are the lifeblood of any community.” His love for his four legged friends was admirable and it gave me the connection I needed.

Time to up the stakes. “I own three of my own horses and they are the love of my life. My dearly departed husband never really had any love lost for animals. He would rather buy expensive toys than give the horses the time of day. He’s not much for giving at all. I understand his reasoning because there are a lot of people that have their hand out. I just don’t have time for any of that. I would rather ride into the sunset until I found a suitable spot to sit and take photographs. I love taking pictures of strong, amazing animals. I find a certain charm and life behind their eyes that I don’t find with anything else.”

He was hanging off of every word. As he sipped at his champagne he pulled a face. I could see that he was more at home with a bottle of beer in his hands. “I don’t know why they don’t have more variety at these things. We’re paying a thousand dollars a plate. There has to be three or four dozen people here. Do the math and you know that they could afford a lot more than what they are offering. I guess I can’t blame them and the money that they fork out to feed us is money that is not going to find its way into the hands of those that need it the most. Bah. I don’t care about any of that. I want what I want and I have the kind of money to get it.  I don’t know about you, Wilma, but I get a little sick and tired of coming to these things. I have more important matters to attend to. There is a party that is going to be off the chain. I’m leaving here shortly and maybe you should join me. You don’t want to be here any more than I do.”

“I would love to skip out of this place, but I think it might be rude to the other guests. I may be a socialite, but I don’t feel that way deep down. I would rather throw down cash and walk away from all of this. Perhaps, if you give me your donation, I can slip it in with the rest of them. I’m just going to leave a blank check with the amount of two hundred thousand. If you could do the same thing, then we won’t feel so guilty about leaving in the middle of everything.

“Wilma, I like your style.” As he pulled out his pocketbook, I had to stop myself from staring in disbelief that he was actually going to follow through on my request. “I’m going to do you one better and put in five hundred thousand. I’ll make that back by morning. I’m sure that dress you have on would look great on my bedroom floor, by the way.”

I had to be careful. I had no intention of ending up as a trophy on a rich man’s bedpost. The way that I felt about him made me want to place a very hard knee into a certain part of his anatomy.

“That kind of money should get them off my back,” he said as he finished writing the check. “I’m going to make the rounds quickly. Put that check into whatever pile you find and let’s get the hell out of here.”

I couldn’t believe my luck and the fact that I had this money in my greedy little hands was almost like a dream come true.

“I’ll be right back so don’t you go away. I’m going to need a few minutes to make an appearance, but then I should be able to slip out.” I noticed that the guards were now looking around the room. It was a good thing that the place was dimly lit and seeing anything in this crowd was like finding a needle in a haystack. So far the only one who had noticed me was a young man with the name tag of Paul Winchester who had been looking at me like a rare steak ready to be devoured.

The check in my hand made me visibly shake with giddiness, as I made my way over to the other side of the room. I made small talk with a couple people, while stuffing the check on the inside curve of one generous breast. It made my nipples tingle to know it was there. I would sign the name of the animal hospital to the amount and that should be more than enough to keep their doors open for quite some time. I really didn’t need to bother anybody else and I had a feeling that I was taking things a step too far. If I were to make any more requests, I’m sure that it would have gotten back to somebody on the security force.

“Young lady, your work ethic is absolutely amazing. I wish that you could teach my daughter a thing or two about the value of a dollar. Your contribution is much appreciated and the money that we raise here will go a long way to finding a cure once and for all.” This next guy was pompous, full of himself and was only puffing out his chest to be heard. “I’ve been coming to these things for years and I have not seen a better turnout in some time.”

His words were laced with education and he had no problem lording it over others. He wanted everyone to know that he was in there and somebody important and he made a point of almost waving a hand in the air and telling people that he was the best there ever was.

“We all have to do our part,” I said. “If we don’t, then we may as well just hide inside our million dollar homes and eat our expensive caviar and not bother with anybody.” He seemed confused and I had a feeling that I needed to do something to dissuade his opinion of me. “I’m just teasing. Everybody needs an Olympic size pool and a man servant on call twenty-four hours a day. I myself can’t go without the hands of Raul on my back in the middle of the afternoon.”

Those that were standing around began to nod their head politely. The jewelry that these people wore made my simple diamond studs and the gold chain around my neck seem like play jewelry. I had selectively borrowed these from another friend that I was house sitting for.

“I agree with you,” a woman in the group said. “My gardener needs a good talking to and there really is no accounting for his taste. His idea of topiary is appalling. I’m beginning to think that he doesn’t even know what he’s doing. I shouldn’t really cast aspersions. It’s not like he has the privilege of growing up with everything that he has ever wanted. I should give him a break and maybe a few days will make a world of difference.” I had no idea who this girl was, but it was obvious that her money was from the old way of thinking.

“If you want, I’ll be more than happy to take your donation and give it to those that are in charge. That way, you don’t have to dirty your hands. I know that if somebody had offered me that suggestion, I would’ve jumped at it.”

Those that were standing in the circle looked at each other and then began to write out their checks. They were only too happy to get someone else to do the dirty work of giving their money away. I handled them with care and looked at each one as I hastily beat a retreat into a darkened alcove.

The amounts were not extravagant and I knew that they could afford a whole lot more than that. Jamie had gone above and beyond getting me in here, and I might have to give him a little treat later to reward his efforts, and I don’t think that the three quarters of a million dollars tucked next to my breast was going to even be noticed by the cancer fundraisers. Paul’s half a million check was the biggest. I knew all about Paul Winchester. He came off as magnanimous, but like I’d learned inside, he was a little bit opinionated about himself and of those that he gave to charity.

Chapter three

All that money I had just secreted away was earmarked to the animal shelter. I would do it anonymously, because having my name in lights was not my idea of giving to charity. I didn’t want anybody patting me on the back or telling me that I was doing a good thing. I didn’t need their praise and I wasn’t looking for anybody to make me feel good about myself.

I felt the hand on my wrist and looked up into the face of Paul. He did not look at all happy and I realized that I had gone a little too far. By staying around and milking these people of their donations, I had put a spotlight over my head and made it possible for Paul to figure out that I wasn’t on the level.

“You’re nothing but a con artist and you should be ashamed of yourself. If you don’t give me half of what you got here tonight, then I’m going to turn you over to the authorities.”

He didn’t need the money, but apparently his greed was more than he could handle. He wanted what he could get his hands on and he didn’t care how he got it. He would probably turn his mother into the police for stealing a bag of groceries, just for the reward.

“You don’t understand…” He pulled me away from the crowd and up the stairs, so that we could have a private conversation. “It doesn’t have to be all about the money. I’m not going to use any of it for myself.” I thought that maybe if I pleaded my case that he would allow me to keep what I had gotten.

“If I’m going to have to be here, then I should get something for my time. It’s very valuable and coming here has only taken me away from business. I’m losing cash by standing here talking to you. I don’t mind that you stole and I have to give you credit for the way that you weaseled your way in here. I’m guessing that display outside was for your benefit. You obviously have friends in low places.”

I didn’t know what to do now. I had tried to tell him the truth, but he just didn’t want to hear it. “You’re hurting me.” He looked down at where his hands were digging into my wrist and then he let me go with an expression of disgust on his face. I rubbed the raw skin and grimaced at the slight pain of the friction burn that he had caused. “I don’t think this is the way that you should treat a lady. I’m sure that you have better manners than that. I think that your parents would be very displeased by your behavior.”

He looked like a scalded dog. His mouth was agape with the expression of remorse on his face.

“I…I apologize. It was never my intention to hurt you. I would never lay my hands on a woman. I will not turn into my father… I will not turn into my father.”

He turned his back on me, muttering this underneath his breath. It was like he couldn’t stop and when I placed my hand on his shoulder in a soothing manner, he turned with tears in his eyes. “Don’t look at me.” He was obviously ashamed by what he had done and that had manifested into an emotional upheaval inside.

“It’s OK, I’m perfectly fine. You didn’t do any permanent damage. I understand that things got heated and you did something that you shouldn’t have. Everybody is guilty of that and you don’t have to punish yourself for something that was beyond your control.” My hand on his shoulder felt the muscles underneath and I instantly sighed with excitement.

He sat down in a nearby chair, completely overtaken by something that had happened in his past. I could see that he was dealing with it, but he must have felt like he was following in the footsteps of his father.

“All I’ve ever really wanted was to get out from underneath the shadow of my father,” he said, echoing my thoughts of the situation. “I’ve seen the way that he treated my mother and I never want to go and do the same thing. I pride myself on giving women the respect that they deserve. For me to manhandle you like that is repulsive and you shouldn’t be even able to look at me anymore. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. There is no instant that permits someone to do something like that to a lady. I just want to crawl into a hole and die.”

I could’ve used this as a way to leave, but for some reason I felt like I needed to be there for him. I didn’t even like him, but that was slowly changing into a form a pity that made me look at him in a different way. I felt sorry for the way that he was raised and that his father would take liberties in such a manner. “You’re not your father. I’m sure that there are days that you look in the mirror and you see his eyes looking back. It doesn’t mean that you’re the same person and that you’re going to follow in his footsteps. You probably find yourself doing things that he would’ve done and then you change your behavior because of it. I understand all that, but you need to give yourself a break.” His softer side had made me feel for him. I certainly hadn’t expected that.

“I don’t deserve your compassion, Wilma.” He didn’t know my real name and I felt that if he could be honest with me with his feelings, then I could be honest with him with my name. I was risking a lot more than the money in my hands by doing something like that. I just couldn’t help it and I needed to show him that I was not infallible. I needed to show him that life makes people do unexpected things for the right reasons.

“I have a confession to make. My name isn’t Wilma. I used that to get in here. I, uh, think you knew that. This is not who I am. I’m pretending to be something more. My real name is Brenda Bauer. You could turn me in and have me arrested for theft, but maybe you should listen to what I have to say first. I’m not going to use any of the money for myself. You may not believe that, but it’s true. I’m going to give this to a worthy cause and one that you would probably be on board with. I could tell how much you love animals. I’m going to give up all this money to an animal hospital that needs it more than anybody else.” I wasn’t sure if that part was true, but I knew they needed it more than most. I felt deeply for the animals and wasn’t going to allow any one of them to suffer, if I had anything to say about it.

“I think that we should get out of here and go someplace a little bit more private to talk about this.” He finally said with a sigh. “I can’t be seen blubbering like a little baby. If you feel safe around me, then I hope that you will come with me willingly. I’m not going to force you and you have no reason to worry that I’m going to turn you in. The little bit of money you took certainly isn’t going to be missed in a crowd like this. They might notice that a few checks did not make their way into the coffers, but that will be swept underneath the rug. I think that what you should be worried about is when the accountants get ahold of the books. They’ll see that the money that was given to charity was in the name of the animal hospital. If they are any good, they’ll find you out soon enough.”