119

On Monday, I left early for Wharton's estate. I'd been calling him Suki's client or patron for so long, I'd forgotten he must have a name.

"Hey, early bird. Suki may not be here for an hour. She's usually late anyway," Jackson said.

"I know. I thought it might give us more time to talk."

"No one to nag while the husband's out of town, hey?" Jackson said, smiling.

"Something like that."

"Well, if you need a stand in, you can nag me for the next hour," he teased. "I'm a big boy, I can take it."

"Actually, I understand we have mutual acquaintances. I wanted to talk about them if you can."

"Depends on what you want to know. I don't kiss and tell."

I moved over to the golf cart and away from the other guard. Jackson said something to his partner and joined me on the cart.

"Nice to know you don't kiss and tell. So I can trust you with all my secrets, huh?"

"Depends on how juicy they are?" Jackson laughed. "Which friends do we have in common?"

"Jolene Baxter and Mauro Caponero."

"Good people. I've worked with them a few times."

"What kinds of cases?"

"Usually stuff having to do with computers, cybercrimes, that kind of thing. I got mad skills, baby. How do you know them? Is your husband cheating on you?"

More the other way around, really. "Completely unrelated matter," I said. "A friend is getting blackmailed. It's terrible. I feel so sorry for her. Her life is a disaster and she fears she will be totally ruined."

"It sounds bad," Jackson said. "I'm sorry to hear. Some people are total bastards, aren't they?"

"That's been my experience."

"How much is she being taken for?"

"It's not monetary, something far worse."

"Treason, criminal activity, what do they want?"

"Sex," I said. "They want sex. Unspeakable, vile, acts of sex, with whomever he wants."

"Damn! That sucks," Jackson said. "How close are they to catching him?"

"They know who he is already. There's a problem, though. Before it was discovered who he was, he took a lot of photos and video's of the young lady in question. If anything happens to him, all of his material will be released to the internet. Everyone will know what she's done and she's terrified. Without finding out where his blackmail material is being stored, and who would release it if he came to harm, nothing can be done about him. My friend has to keep submitting to him, no matter what he wants her to do. Jolene and Mauro have someone who might be able to track where stuff is going, but my friend is concerned about using him."

"Not enough skills?" Jackson asked.

"I'm told his skills are the best, but he's got another job and his current employer might be involved in the whole blackmail thing. We're just not sure. The connections are very tenuous, at best. But, he could end up working against his current employer and possibly lose his job. It really puts him in a bad position and my friend isn't sure he could betray his employer. It's a lot to ask of someone."

"I agree, it is a hard spot to put someone in, but if someone is involved in blackmailing some poor woman, anybody worth their salt would step up and help her. If the employer is involved, he deserves whatever happens to him and doesn't deserve his employee's loyalty. It's criminal, is what it is, and they all ought to be shot."

"So, you think if this person is a good man, he would step up, no matter what, even if it means he could lose his job?"

"I'd do it, that's for sure."

"I'm very happy to hear you say so. I always thought you were a good man."

"So, who you getting for this job?"

"You, if you're sure you can look into your employer."

"Me? You think Mr. Wharton's involved?"

"Not sure. Like I say, tenuous connections, but suspicious."

"Wait a minute! Who's the friend?"

I looked down at the ground, afraid to look at him. "Me," I whispered.

"What the fuck!" His voice was loud and his partner looked our way, wondering what was going on. I signaled Jackson to keep it down and he whispered, "Is that why you're posing nude out here on his estate?"

"No. Shizuko asked me to pose for a painting for a rich patron. I agreed because I wanted to get out of my house during the day where it was easier for my blackmailer to reach me and make me do things. I hired Jolene and Mauro to find out who he was, but without full time surveillance on me, which I couldn't afford without my husband finding out, it was hard to catch him. It took an hour for them to reach my house from the office, and by that time, he had used me and was gone. He was very clever. Jolene took vacation time to watch me and catch him in the act. I was ready to kill him, but he said if I did, all my information would be released to the internet, the police, the district attorney, and my family and friends, so everyone would know what I did and I would be the lead suspect in his death. I can't get out of this without finding who would release the information if he died or got arrested and where he's keeping my information."

"Brooke, I am so sorry. How do you think my boss is involved?"

"Jolene found some business connections, but it could be two wealthy men doing business with one another. My blackmailer, a man named Oliver Crowley, is supposedly associated with a public relations firm. If Mr. Wharton needs public relations done, it could be perfectly legitimate. The more tenuous information is Oliver took me to a BDSM club two weeks ago, to which he admitted to being part founder. Mr. Wharton wants Suki to do another painting. The new one would have a bondage and discipline theme, and from the preliminary sketches Suki has done, is probably not something going up in his house. It might be appropriate for a BDSM club. Jolene hasn't found any property which Oliver owns which indicates he holds the deed to the club. But we know he's got partners; he's only a co-founder. Perhaps someone else who's interested in bondage and has more money? As I said, we're not sure Mr. Wharton is involved, but he could be. We're not interested in the club and who uses it. Consensual sex between adults is not our concern. I only want to stop what's happening to me."

"Does Suki know?"

"None of my friends know, except for two, one of whom is now paying Caponero's fees. This whole thing started at a bachelorette party where only my friends were. One of them arranged for a damaging photo to be taken. It escalated from there. I haven't known which of my friends I could trust. Suki was one of the friends at the party. Jolene hasn't found any connections with any of them, but someone had to betray me. I'm still working out who."

"You don't strike me as someone who would go wild at your bachelorette party."

"I wasn't. I didn't. Not intentionally anyway. I can explain it all later. Would it be possible for you to meet me and Jolene and my friend tonight at my place. We can explain everything then."

"I've got nothing planned."

"What time do you get off work?"

"Six."

"Could you come at seven? I'll cook us all dinner."

"Sure."

"Thank you. I appreciate all your help." I gave him the address, shook his hand and he got up and went back to work. I texted Jolene and Tiffany and asked they have dinner at my apartment when I explained everything to Jackson, to help tell him what we needed.

I waited for Suki to arrive and we went to work. Other than those using me, Mauro and Stanley, Jackson was the first man who knew what was happening to me. Stanley was into swapping and group sex. Mauro was a professional detective trying to help me out. Jackson was the first "normal" person I'd told and the look of pity in his eyes wrenched at me. Previously, he knew me as just the pretty girl who modeled nude down by the lake. Now, I was the girl who was being blackmailed into unspeakable sex acts. He already knew a BDSM club was involved. How disgusted would he be when he heard the rest of it. I hated he had to know, but I needed his help and if he had the skills necessary to end my nightmare; I'd tell him whatever he wanted to know to secure his help.