Blackmail

Kan felt his phone vibrating, cutting his recording off. 

He frowned, maybe he had gotten enough anyway.

“Ren?” 

“We have him. Some of the men are leading the VIP to the guest house now.”

“That’s fast work.” Kan smiled, totally pleased. 

He ended the call still smiling. Ariel would have a lot of pleasant surprises waiting for her when she got off work today.

Maybe he could directly take her to the guest house. 

If she had enjoyed her session with Akira so much, she might just enjoy this even more.

When he looked up again though, the European man was gone. He turned to Eleanor,

“Where did he go? When did he leave?”

She shrugged, her eyes pinned on her computer tablet now. 

He looked away. He really did not have the patience for her sulking right now.

He opened the door and stepped out just as Tucker's wife walked out the discreet corner, and began to fix her hair and her outfit.

She noticed him, and stopped, so suddenly she nearly tripped. 

Kan raised one hand in a wave as he smiled brightly.

He stepped away from his car and began to walk towards her as his door closed behind him. 

“Ah, Mrs Tucker,” he said cheerfully. “We do not meet nearly enough for people who share a company.”

She was staring at him with that venom she was infamous for. 

He could not help grimacing. 

He hated Tucker and would shoot the man clean dead if he ever turned his back on him, but right now he felt sorry for him.

How did he live with a woman like this? 

Sure she was stunning, beautiful enough to prove that she had not exchanged a bribe for that Miss World crown, but still..

Just standing beside her now made him feel prickly thorns all over.

He was used to the more sweet, agreeable femininity that his people preferred. 

Well, that was none of his business, and some men probably preferred this kind. There was that European just now who was passionate enough to swallow her whole.

“Good-looking man,” he said.

Mrs Tucker sneered at him, “Blackmail, really?”

“It's nothing personal, doll.” He smiled, still walking closer towards her. “In fact, I quite admire the passion.” 

He placed his hand on his chest, showing how affected he was. 

“I only ever see such things on the big screens. And the way he looked at you just before you both fell into each other’s arms.” Kan groaned, shaking his head and touching his fingers to his lips, “Just chef kiss.”

Mrs Tucker was looking at him now like a snake who had been teased mercilessly and was about to spit. 

“I see why you and that..” She stopped, and Kan smiled fully. 

She knew him well by now. 

He suspected she had been about to call Ariel names, but remembered that here, alone with him, that was really not a wise thing to do. 

Smart bitch!

“..your wife gravitated to each other,” she continued, “You both have a thing for theatrics.”

“You are absolutely right on that.” He raised his hand and crossed his index and middle fingers together. “We are two peas in a pod, like the English speakers would say.”

“What the hell do you want?”

“Language, Mrs Tucker.” He drawled out. “It seems you still have not learned how to be a proper wife,” He said, and then he pulled his phone out. “I’d say this short film is proof of that.” he turned the screen to her and hit play.

“Oh,” he said in an affected voice. “Such passion. I don’t think such art should be kept for my eyes only. This is too beautiful not to share.”

Mrs Tucker looked absolutely livid now, her face was all red, and he was not sure if she was about to burst in fury or into tears.

“Easy now,” he cooed, and reached out to brush parts of her hair that were still disheveled. “We don't want wrinkles now in our thirties, do we? You are still heavy in the modelling. Your last commercial was a hit by the way.”

“What do you want?" She said in a strained voice, and he noticed she had barely kept herself from shrieking.

“To share this beauty with the world.” He raised the phone up to her nose again. “This is Hollywood stuff right here. The passion!” He stopped, “But I am afraid our people here are not open-minded enough to appreciate art as raw as this.”

They stood, looking at each other. 

He was enjoying this too much. The tortured look on her face. 

He would have loved to go on, drag it out, let her stew in the anxiety, although it would be nowhere close to what she had done to his wife so far.

“I’ll send this to the media in two days, except you do what I want.” He said, his voice was all serious now.

“And what is it you want?” She ground the words out one after the other through gritted teeth. 

The tension she felt made her hold her neck so stiffly he feared it would snap if he blew air at it.

“My wife and I will hold a press conference. And you, our honored guest, will tell the world what you did to her that night.”

“You are crazy.” She said immediately.

“You bet I am.” He said without a pause, and that took her aback. “You don’t want to test the lengths a crazy man is willing to go, do you?”

“First, I have no idea what you are talking about, and next, I will not fall for your cheap blackmail.”

“Cheap? I will pretend I didn't hear you refer to this masterpiece in such a demeaning way.” He pointed to the video still playing on his phone, and then he drew closer to whisper in her ear. “Does Tucker know you killed his old man to make him chairman?”

He saw her body shiver all the way to her toes.

He stepped back, smiling. “Those and other things are what we would love to address at the press conference.”

“You’d better just kill me.” She shrieked finally, her voice echoing round the parking lot.