CHAPTER FOUR

Kimberly

Let me tell you the story of how I got branded as the Vault Slut.

Three years ago, I had everything I could ever dream of. A thriving career. Millions of dollars in the bank. A loving husband. Vault Technologies was being featured in international magazines and tabloids as the role model for emerging startups. Julian and I were launching new products every six months. I was usually the mastermind behind each successful launch but I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I let Julian handle the press conferences and the interviews and the Ted talks.

He enjoyed being in the spotlight and I enjoyed doing what made him happy.

As the company’s strategic thinker, I had plans for a new product. It was a pet project of mine. One I wanted to launch solo. I had everything down on my system. The product proposal. Estimated cost. Even the legal paperwork.

I shared it all with Julian. I expected him to be angry that I was planning to launch a product without him. But he wasn’t angry. If anything, he was pleased for me.

“I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there,” he said to me. His words of encouragement really gave me the confidence that I needed to really go for it.

What started as a pet project soon began to take the form of something that could be really huge. I shared it all with Julian. I carried him along, through every step of the development process.

So busy was I with the planning, I failed to notice the subtle ways in which he began to change. It started with sex. He refused to indulge in anything sexual with me unless I initiated it. And then, there was Cassandra. She was his secretary, and occasionally mine.

If I wasn’t so consumed by my project, perhaps I could have picked up on the dynamic shift in her closeness to my husband.

Finally came the day of the project launch gala. The night everything went to shit.

It was a formal party. Black tie. Formal dresses. Champagne towers and caviar appetizers. Fancy, exotic dishes, some of which were hard to pronounce. It was being held at the Rothschild family estate. It was an impressive property, large enough to fit all the guests we were expecting to be in attendance tonight. Everyone, who was anyone, was coming. Tech billionaires. Real estate moguls. Even a few celebrities.

Julian had gifted me with the perfect black dress to wear tonight. He paired it with a diamond set.

“Congratulations honey,” he kissed my lips tenderly. “I’m proud of you. Thought I’d gift you a little something. Hence, the dress and jewelry.”

“Thanks darling,” I returned his kiss, sighing contently. This was heaven. I was in heaven.

“I’ve got another surprise for you,” he had said, his eyes lighting up with mischief, as he led me into the party. I should have known then that he was out to destroy me tonight. But how could I have known when he had his hand plastered possessively on my lower back? Smiling his perfect smile, as everyone congratulated me on my project launch?

Dinner commenced. Julian gave the opening speech, thanking everyone for coming. It was finally time for him to invite me up on stage.

This was it. This was finally my moment to make my mark exclusively in the tech world. Everything looked right on paper. My vision was going to be the next big thing.

Julian invited me to come up on stage. Everyone applauded as I kissed my husband and took the mic from him. Behind us, a giant screen had been set up, with projection in place.

This was the night where I would share my vision with the world for the first time. I gave the cue for the presentation to start.

The screen lit up. For a moment, it was a blank screen. And then, there I was on screen. I was on my knees. Naked. There was a cock in my mouth. Saliva pooled around the corners of my lips as I gave a blow job. I moaned, my eyes rolling behind my head in pleasure.

Everyone gasped in shock.

All I could do was continue to stare in shock at the sight before me. A sex tape. Playing on screen for a room of potential investors to see.

It looked so real. Except it wasn’t.

I couldn’t remember ever making a sex tape in my life.

Wait! On second thought, I did recall a time, years ago, when Julian had coaxed me into letting him film me while I sucked his dick. Could this be the same video? It didn’t seem like it. The man’s voice was different from Julian’s. His skin seemed darker than Julian’s.

This video was obviously doctored. Surely everyone could see that.

I looked at Julian. I was taken aback by the look of blazing fury on his face. He was staring at me with an expression I had never seen before. Hatred. Disgust, in its purest and most unrefined form.

“How long have you been cheating on me?” he asked. His voice cracked and then, he was crying. In front of everyone.

The crowd exploded. Gasps. Camera lights flashed from every direction.

“What? No! it’s not true! Julian, honey, listen to me.” I reached out for him but he flinched away from me. What was going on? How did the tape end up here? More importantly, who had doctored it?

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Julian cried. Back then, it had broken my heart to see him in such despair. Now, it makes me so mad when I think about how believable his performance had been. “How could you do this to me? I trusted you. I gave you everything. My heart, my body, my resources. Was he worth it?”

“No. No, it’s not real.” I shook my head vehemently. I could barely breathe. “The video is fake. I would never do that to you. You have to believe me.”

“I never knew I was married to such a fucking slut,” he continued. “I gave you everything and in return, you used me. I’ll never forgive you for any of this.”

He was still glaring. Still staring at me with so much hatred.

The sex tape kept playing in the background, my doctored moans polluting the air. That was the beginning of my ruin. If only I knew how many more nasty surprises were waiting in store for me.