John Farwell - Blackmail Boss

"Oh, I'll keep the place neat, and I'll even cook for you," she smiled.

"You know, it will be nice to have a man to take care of again."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" he queried teasingly.

"I guess it should," she laughed, "but anyway, I think I'll like it!"

She felt better after her dinner and the wine and he poured her a small brandy once he had shown her where she could put her things and the other little intricacies of the flat.

"Here, to my new roommate," he grinned, "I love her."

He tilted his glass to touch hers and they both sat back and let the warmth of the liquor relax them as they listened to some music from his stereo.

"I don't want you to worry about anything, Gil," he comforted her. "If he ever so much as calls you, I want you to tell me. Of course, it would take him a long time to find out that you're here with me, but he's a sick man and he may just figure that I'd ask you to stay."

"Believe me, if he does try to see me or call me, you'll be the first to know, Duncan dear, and thanks again. I don't know what I would have done without you."

He leaned over and kissed her lightly, tenderly, then pulled away, and held her face in his hands.

"1'll wait for you to love me," he told her, "but I hope it doesn't take too long!"

She smiled at him and kissed him warmly.

"I hope it doesn't either," she confided.

He let her use the bathroom first, then poured himself another drink while she went to bed. He knew that it would take all his willpower to let her alone when she would be so close, so he waited until she was sleeping, then crawled into the bed next to her.

"Good night, darling," he whispered, but didn't reach out to touch her or kiss her, that would have been too much of a trial.

She slept soundly all through the night, but woke up the next morning when she heard his alarm go off.

"I'll make you breakfast," she said, jumping out of bed and going to the bathroom. "What would you like?"

"Just coffee, really, I never eat breakfast."

"Oh," she exclaimed, "I've learned something new about you already!"

She put on a pot of coffee and had her morning cigarette. She looked at him when he came out to the kitchen to get his cup, his hair wet from the shower and he was bundled in a robe. He looked so young, so much like a little boy in the morning and she felt a flood of tenderness for him.

"Good morning," she said smiling. "I hope it is a good morning, Duncan dear!"

"It will be, sweetheart," he assured her. "Now, you do what you want to do today, you don't even have to look for a job if you don't want to."

"Oh, I think that I'd better see some employment agencies, and I'll call the other people I wrote to before I came to the city, maybe they still need someone."

"Well, that's up to you, but don't rush into anything just to get a job, it's not necessary."

"You're very sweet, Duncan, but I don't expect you to support me too.

You're already doing too much."

"You know I love you, so be quiet, I like to do things for you."

"Do you think that I could get my few days pay from the company, or should I just forget it?"

"I'll speak to the payroll office, but you could call them today and have them send it to the hotel I'm sure they'd hold it for you if you like.'' "Maybe, I'll do that, it's something anyway."

"Well, I've got to hurry, but I'll be home tonight right after work.

Chill some martinis and I'll bring home steaks, and we can spend a relaxing evening with the stereo or television."

"Sounds delightful," she grinned, glad that he didn't want to go out again.

She waited until he had dressed and finished in the bathroom. Then she drew a hot bath and soaked in the tub for about half an hour. She was just drying herself when she heard the telephone ring. She hesitated for a moment, then decided to answer it. It might be Duncan and he would worry if she weren't there. If it was anyone else, she could tell them it was the wrong number and hang up. She picked up the receiver.

"Gillian," a woman's voice asked.

It was Jessica.

"Jessica, yes, it's me, I was trying to disguise my voice. How are you, where are you?"

"I'm just down the street. May I come up? I've got to talk to you.

Duncan told me you'd be there. I called him at the office, this morning."

"Sure, I'm just getting dressed, but tell the door-man to let you come up."

She hung the telephone and wondered what Jessica wanted to discuss. She hoped that she wouldn't rehash the events of last night. It would be embarrassing for both of them.

In a few minutes, she heard Jessica's knock at the door.

"Coming," she called and ran a comb through her hair and let her in.

"Hello," Jessica said, embarrassed, but still smiling.

"Have a seat and I'll get you some coffee."

"I'd rather have a drink if I may."

"Sure, I don't know what he has, but I'll check."

She went to the bar and poured her a tall scotch and handed it to her.

"Gil," she began, "last night was pretty awful for all of us and I don't want to discuss it anymore, but I did want you to know that you weren't the reason I left the hotel. I hope we can still be friends and we do need each other in this mess. Andrew thought it would be best for me, and for you, to get out there."

Gillian smiled at her and said: "Well, I'm going to be staying here with Duncan for the time being while I look for another job. I think that the men can handle Wiles and the farther we stay away from him the better."

"Good, I feel the same way, and I'm glad that you and I can still be friends. I wouldn't want to destroy a relationship over one misfortune. no matter how dramatic."

"Me, either." Gillian agreed, "You're the only girl I know in this big, confusing city."

"Another thing, Duncan's a nice fellow, treat him right. You couldn't do much better than him, and he's single and in love with you!"

"I know that," she told her, "and I do care for him, it's just that I don't want to be hurt again, so I'm playing it slowly."

"Well, I hope that things do work out for your sake, and I'll keep in touch."

"What are you going to do, Jessica?" Gillian asked. "Are you going to find another job?"

"I really don't know right away, I may just stay home for a while, Andrew is pretty generous with me, especially now, so I don't want to go back to work if I don't have to."

"It would be nice to stay home for awhile, but I did that for several years when I was married, so the career girl routine is new and exciting to me. Besides. Duncan can't support us both, he's struggling to get ahead now."

"You've got the right answers. darling," Jessica told her. "Let's see if we can straighten out our present mess fairly quickly."

"I don't see how Wiles expects to get away with it Jessica. He's bound to be caught, but he does have those awful pictures. I shudder every time I think about it, it's too horrible!"

"Andrew has an idea and he'll tell Duncan in a day or two after he checks a few things out and knows whether or not it will work."

"I hope it does, for all our sakes," she added. It's not a very pretty situation!"

"I do too," Gillian whispered, almost like a prayer.

"Well, I've got to run, but I'm glad we could talk and as soon as I get my telephone installed, I'll call and give you the number."

"That would be nice, and maybe we can have lunch one day next week."

"Great, I'll look forward to it."

Gillian closed the door behind Jessica and she was glad 'that her former roommate had come over after all, it made her feel better and she silently prayed that Andrew would come up with an answer to their problem, he just had to!

She decided not to go out that day, but busied herself preparing a luscious desert for their evening's meal. She wanted to please Duncan, she wanted him to know how much she appreciated his help and warmth and love.