Kellie and Brad Ch. 08

"Oh, that's sooooo hot!" Amber cooed.

"I know, right?" Kellie replied. They both talked and laughed some more as Kellie explained more about how they would put their plan into action.

Meanwhile, E.J. and Kaitlyn had just fallen asleep, so Brad and Jamie had a chat of their own.

"How much did that rock cost you?" Brad asked.

"A lot!" Jamie replied. "But Amber's worth every penny. I love her."

"That's awesome. Hey, you two sure you won't mind watching the kids tomorrow night?"

"No worries. We said we would sometime this week, and tomorrow's as good a time as any. Besides, I'll probably need the rest."

Brad raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why's that?"

"Amber's insatiable, man! She can't get enough of me!" Jamie snickered at his last comment as he realized how conceited it must have sounded.

"Shut up!" Brad laughed and popped him with a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"No, listen, I'm serious! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, the sex with her is incredible! But she's wearing me out. Just one night to recharge, that's all I'm asking!"

"Hey, Jamie, enjoy it while you can. Because if you do decide to have kids then you two can pretty much kiss any love life goodbye for a long time!"

"Yeah, I guess." Jamie was quiet for a moment before deciding he didn't want to think about the whole kids decision right now, he'd wait to talk to Amber when they were both ready to do so.

"Speaking of love life," Jamie said by way of changing the subject, "what do you and Kellie have planned for tomorrow?"

Brad explained the scenario he and Kellie had been discussing.

Jamie nodded, impressed. "Sweet," he said.

"If it works out," Brad smiled, "it sure will be!"

********

They didn't speak to each other for a couple of days afterward.

Which was just as well for Anita. Because the more she thought about what happened, the angrier she became. She didn't really know what she wanted to tell Paul, but she was pretty sure it would have been as hurtful as she could possibly make it.

Paul, however, spent a good deal of the next few days out of the house, doing... whatever it was he was doing. Anita stayed home, having called into work sick for the rest of the week, allowing herself time to heal. She took care to stay out of Paul's sight for the brief times he was home. She also tended to Johnathan very carefully. She tried to act as if everything was normal because she did not want her son to be overly traumatized by these incidents.

Anita also made preparations for her departure. She secretly packed away her and her son's belongings that were non-essential for daily use and tucked them away, hopefully out of sight of prying eyes. She noted the sum-total of their belongings would only fit two suitcases, and shrugged. It hit her as she realized what her reaction would have been if someone told her before she became pregnant that this would be her fate. It was enough to cause her to sit in quiet contemplation for a while.

She checked her bank account and frowned as she realized how low her balance really was. Well, she had a way to help fix that. She wasn't going to give Paul one more red cent. She didn't care what "living expenses" she and her son used the next little while, Paul's actions proved to her he didn't deserve a damn thing anymore. She did some quick calculations and figured two more paycheques would give her just enough to safely provide for their trip back home.

Unless he tried to pull another stunt like last time, she suddenly thought. Well, if it came to that, she'd move her and Johnathan out of there in a heartbeat, find a shelter or a cheap motel to stay in and work a few extra weeks. Whatever it took.

Monday morning came around and Anita finally felt well enough to go to work. She called ahead to let her supervisor know she'd be there and was told to get in as soon as she could as she had a lot of work to catch up on. She hung up the phone and sighed. She took a look in the mirror. Her facial injuries were still somewhat evident with the stitches still in place but she worked up a story to explain them away if anyone was nosy enough to ask, and with an appointment later in the week to have them removed it was a short-term problem at worst.

Paul left a note saying he had to go in to work early. 'Good,' Anita thought, 'one less thing for me to worry about.' She got Johnathan bundled up and ready to go, which was an easier process than normal as he looked forward to being somewhere other than cooped up in the house. She buckled him up in the car seat in the back of her car, sat herself in the driver's seat and cranked the key in the ignition to get going.

Click. Click. Click.

Nothing.

Anita groaned.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Johnathan asked.

Anita plastered a smile on her face. "Something in the car is broken, honey." She decided to deal with the car later. "We're going to do something a little different today, OK? We'll take the bus instead!"

"OK!" the little boy said brightly. He figured his mommy knew best so he had no problem with her suggestion. He knew she loved him a lot. She was so much different than the big man. Johnathan was uncomfortable around him because when he wasn't quiet he was scary and mean.

Anita's boss ran her ragged that day. She sat exhausted on the bus ride home with Johnny on her lap. When they reached their stop, they walked slowly back to Paul's house where, to Anita's shock and dismay, she noticed the empty driveway.

Her car was gone.

She entered the house determined to give Paul a piece of her mind and demand he tell her what he did with the car or what he knew of its whereabouts. She briefly thought it was possible he did her a favour and had it towed to a garage for repairs, but of course recent events removed any benefit of the doubt she may have been inclined to give him.

Instead, she found another note on the table. "Poker night with the guys. Will be out late. Don't wait up."

No answers, just more questions. She sighed and checked the fridge for food, trying to stick closely to the evening routine and not alarm her son.

The next day presented more difficulty for Anita. Just after lunch, her supervisor at work called her into the office. Anita's stomach did a couple of nervous flips when she saw the VP of human resources and the company president flanking her boss.

"Please sit down," the human resources VP said, coldly.

"What... what is this all about?" a nervous Anita asked.

Her supervisor slid a file folder across the desk. "What do you know about these?" he questioned.

Anita opened the folder and read the pages within, and her eyes grew wide with shock. On the pages were the contents of three e-mails... e-mails which directed hateful, vile, venomous words to each of the three people across from her. Worse, the e-mails were sent through Paul's e-mail address... an e-mail address easily connected to Anita because she used it as part of the emergency contact information she left with HR when she started this job.

"Well?" her boss demanded.

"I... I don't know how this happened," Anita stammered. "But I did not write or send these e-mails, I swear!"

"So instead you gave your boyfriend our e-mail addresses and had him send them out for you, is that it?!" the president accused.

"NO! I don't know how he got them. And for god's sake, we're just housemates! He's NOT my boyfriend!" Anita felt hot blushes and warm tears on her face.

The three executives were silent for what felt to Anita like an eternity. Her supervisor looked at both the VP of HR and the president in turn, and they both nodded. Then he spoke.

"Well, Anita, we have a problem. If you are lying to us, then the issue is quite obvious, you are guilty of gross insubordination. If you are telling the truth, then our company has a potential security risk on our hands, and we can't afford to accept that risk. Either way, we have no choice."

"No, please, don't, I'll do anything to keep this job, please!" Anita begged, knowing where this conversation was headed and hoping against hope she could stop the inevitable.

But she couldn't. "Anita, we are terminating your employment here effective immediately, with cause," her boss said. "We will give you a few minutes of privacy in this office to get yourself together, after which we'll require you to collect your things, and security will accompany you to ensure you leave the premises. We are sorry it has come to this but we have to protect the company's interests first. We wish you well in the future."

With that, the three executives left the room, and Anita spent several minutes bawling her eyes out. She eventually left the office in a daze. In fact, she spent most of the afternoon in a daze, from aimlessly walking around downtown for a while, to picking up Johnathan from day care to boarding the bus. It wasn't until her little boy tugged on her blouse on the bus ride home that she broke out of her confused state.

"Mommy, you're not listening!" he complained.

Anita sighed. "I'm so sorry, honey. Your mommy's having a really bad day."

Johnathan forgot what he was going to say because his mommy did look really sad. He laid his head on her chest and gave her a big hug. Anita gratefully returned it. She tried to draw strength from her son's hold on her, knowing that soon she would have to confront Paul.

Paul was waiting for their return as well, it seemed. The minute Anita and Johnathan entered the house, Paul stood up from his seat in the living room and calmly said, "We need to talk."

Anita's eyes narrowed in anger over the nerve Paul was displaying. She didn't say anything at first, only ensuring that her son was safely and happily occupied. She smiled inwardly as, out of the corner of her eye, she watched Paul stew in impatience. Satisfied little Johnny was OK, she brushed past Paul on her way to the kitchen, and he followed closely behind her.

Paul opened his mouth to speak but Anita immediately cut him off. "Where's my car?!" she barked.

Paul just flashed a maddening little smile. "I sold it."

"You SOLD it?!" Anita returned in shock.

"Well, to be exact, first I disconnected a couple of wires here and there so you couldn't start the car, then after you left I came back, reconnected everything, made sure it ran OK and then sold it."

"How is that even possible?! That was my car! MY car! You can't sell something of mine! You had no right to do that!"

"Technically, no, it wasn't your car, and yes, I did have every right to sell it. You see, you signed ownership of it over to me!"

Anita was too furious to speak. Paul, obviously enjoying the moment, pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her. She practically ripped it out of his hand and read it. It was a form authorizing the transfer of ownership. Her signature was obviously traced or forged, but apparently it was good enough to fool the clerk at the driver licensing office.

"Oh, by the way," Paul spoke in a faux-friendly voice, wearing the same shit-eating grin as before, "you know Eddie, from your office? He told me some of your co-workers received some rather interesting e-mails recently. Did you hear about that?"

A massive knot started to grow in Anita's stomach as she began to realize just what this madman was capable of. Still, anger was overriding fear in her mind. "Those e-mails got me fired, you asshole!" she growled.

"Tsk, tsk, Anita, such language. What if your son hears you say such words?"

"You keep my son out of this, motherfucker!"

Paul leapt forward, grabbed Anita's hair and yanked her towards him hard. "Don't test my patience anymore! Otherwise I'll get angry, and you don't want to see me when I'm angry!"

Panic set in to Anita quickly. "Please... please let me go... I'm sorry... just, please..."

"No," Paul replied.

"Why, Paul? Why are you doing all this?" Anita asked.

His answer chilled her to the bone. "I'm just taking what's rightfully due to me," he said. He then throatily chuckled, licked her cheek, grabbed her ass with his free hand, and whispered more menacing words in her ear.

"You're mine, bitch!"

"No!" Anita cried, desperate to get away. She squirmed to get out of Paul's grip. Paul reacted by grabbing her blouse and yanking her backwards. Buttons clattered to the floor and the fabric tore apart right down the seam, leaving Anita very exposed. Only a plain white bra hid her breasts away from his greedy eyes.

"Mommy, I'm hungry, I..."

Johnathan wanted something to eat, but as soon as he saw what was happening in the kitchen, the rest of his request fell away from him, his hunger momentarily forgotten. He saw the big man looking very angry and holding a fistful of his mother's ruined blouse. Mommy looked very scared. The whole scene looked to the little boy like a scary nightmare, even worse than the one he had about the monster under the bed, and that was a bad one! He was very confused and frightened.

"Mommy?" he started to cry.

"Honey, it's OK, Paul and I are just talking," Anita said.

"Anita, get the kid out of here," Paul ordered.

Anita turned towards Paul and glared at him hatefully. She feared the man when it was just the two of them, but with her son involved it brought out her protective instincts. She was now a mother bear protecting her little cub.

"Shut up!" she whispered through gritted teeth.

"I SAID GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Paul yelled in a fit of rage. He slapped Anita hard and shoved her directly into Johnathan's path. She accidentally knocked her son over, and the little boy's head hit the floor with a sickening thud.

"JOHNNY!" Anita yelled in panic. She picked up her son, felt the growing lump on his head, and rocked him back and forth.

Paul was fit to be tied. He had Anita right where he wanted her. He could practically taste her delicious body, could almost feel her submitting to him, so close to being able to use her to please his every desire. Instead the damned kid stuck his nose in where it didn't belong. He lost control as a result, and the whole night was ruined.

But he was nothing if not patient. He would take care of this mess tonight. Another night would come, one where he would get everything he deserved.

He dialled 911 and requested an ambulance. He then scrounged around and found an old shirt Anita could use to cover herself up.

"Don't say I never did anything for you," he whispered darkly to her. "This isn't over."

Anita barely heard him. She continued to cry and continued to cradle Johnathan in her arms, praying that the ambulance would just hurry up, dammit, and get here now.

********

Tonight was the night.

Brad and Kellie planned a day that wouldn't be too taxing for the adults but would have plenty of activities for the kids, in the hopes that E.J. and Kaitlyn would be wiped out and ready for bed early, making the babysitting duties for Amber and Jamie as stress-free as possible.

Luckily, for all involved, that part of the plan worked to perfection.

E.J. and Kaitlyn were safely tucked into bed, the picture of the cute innocence of children. Amber and Jamie were settling in to a quiet night of movie-watching. They smiled and waved as Brad and Kellie quietly took their packed overnight bags and tiptoed out of the room.

Kellie and Brad breathed a sigh of relief as they headed to the elevators. Two floors up and a right turn later, they used the borrowed key card to enter Amber and Jamie's suite. They shared a brief kiss once inside.

"Good luck tonight, Brad," Kellie said with a knowing smile. "Maybe you'll get lucky!"

"Who knows? Maybe I will," Brad replied. "How about you, Kellie? Think you'll get a little action tonight?"

Kellie smirked. "I like my chances!"

Brad chuckled and watched Kellie go into the large washroom and lock the door behind her. He took his time to get ready, but he knew he would be done well before she was. He got dressed, wearing a black suit with a cream-coloured dress shirt... no tie, of course, because that would be overkill. He checked himself in the mirror.

Brad didn't wear suits often... after all, he rarely sat at a desk at work, and sometimes he had to get down and dirty to get the job done, so wearing a suit would be nonsensical. And he didn't exactly consider himself to be a fashion plate, either. But after his appraisal, he decided he liked what he saw. He had to admit, he looked pretty damn good in a suit.

"You're gonna knock 'em dead tonight!" he told his reflection.

He checked his watch and saw it was time, so Brad left the room to head to the appointed destination.

When she heard Brad depart, Kellie unlocked the bathroom door. She had the freedom of the hotel room to herself now, so she didn't worry about walking around in her skimpy lingerie. She laid out the rest of the clothes she was going to wear tonight on the bed. She already knew how she looked in the outfit, having tried it on at the store, and she was positive she would make a very memorable impression on Brad tonight. A familiar tingle of excitement thrummed between her legs, and Kellie briefly stroked herself and groaned in anticipation.

"Easy there, little kitty," she told herself. "You'll get yours tonight."

Kellie took a deep breath and stretched. Plenty of thought and planning had gone in to this night. Most of that planning she had done with Brad, while in bed together, late at night in the days before they left for vacation. However, there were a couple of surprises she had up her sleeve which she couldn't wait to unleash on her unsuspecting husband. She hoped everything worked as they expected, that the scenario they had worked up would unfold as they had foreseen, and that they both would be satisfied with the results.

Sexually satisfied, that is.

Kellie hummed to herself and took her time, carefully applying her makeup.

********

A deeper sigh of relief, she could not remember having.

Anita was worried sick over Johnathan, after that bastard Paul shoved her into her son, knocking him hard to the ground.

Fortunately, the pediatrician, Dr. Thiagarajah, delivered good news.

"Your son is going to be just fine," the pediatrician said. "He does have a headache and a nasty looking goose egg, but there's no sign of concussion and no sign of any other skull or brain injury. He'll recover to 100% very soon."

"Thank you so much," Anita cried, tears of happiness this time. She pulled the doctor into a fierce hug.

"You're welcome," Dr. Thiagarajah said. He was always uncomfortable with such displays of emotion from the parents; he always found it easier to relate to kids than he did grownups. He extricated himself from Anita as fast as he could without appearing to be rude.

"Do you have any other questions, or is there anything else you need?" he asked.

"Yes," Anita said quietly. "Is Dr. Wainwright here tonight?"

He had a feeling she might ask that question. Dr. Wainwright had made it clear to her colleagues that if someone named Anita, matching this woman's description, came back for any reason, she wanted to know about it.

"She is on duty tonight," he said.

"I need to see her."

"I will text her and let her know you are here."

"Thank you," Anita said, truly grateful. The nice children's doctor, with the name she couldn't quite pronounce, smiled and left. Anita immediately went back to her son's side and tenderly stroked his arm. Mother and son were quiet together for several minutes.

"How's my little Johnny?" she finally asked.

"Hungry," he answered softly. "My head hurts, too."

Anita heard a knock on the door and turned to see Dr. Cathy Wainwright, who said, "I can get someone to help with that." A nurse came by, gave Johnathan some children's Tylenol and promised to have something sent down from the cafeteria.