“Liesl, are you telling me you have a file Merlin put together on his own board?”
“He had it on my laptop. I moved it and deleted it from the hard drive and Elsie made sure it wasn’t anywhere on the computer. Trent’s brothers and uncles all sit on the board and even one of his aunts. I didn’t want to drag people unrelated to the situation into this quagmire but Torrie telling me the entire board of directors knew six months before I found out is making me want to ruin them all. How could they tell him to keep fucking my sister, so she’d keep her mouth shut?”
“It is quite fucked up.” Isaias was inclined to agree with her assessment.
“It really is. I want them all to burn. If you are getting your mitts on their private details and it allows you to take the company, his precious company which touts his strong family values, from Trent and make them all suffer, then I want it to happen.”
She watched as Isaias covered his mouth with his palm as if stunned by what she was revealing.
“Liesl, Merlin will know where I got it.”
“How? He’d have to prove it came from me. My house got broken into. Nobody knows I removed the information off the computer before it was stolen. The cops told me it was recovered in a pawn shop wiped clean of everything, but they told me it was being held as evidence in the break in since I said it had no nominal value. I was in a realtor’s office when my house was broken into.”
“You want me to use this?”
“I want Trent to pay. I want the Board to pay. He encouraged Merlin to keep up his affair with Sandy because of his bloody company. This family is disgusting. I want them to burn.”
“If you’re certain.”
She could feel the excitement oozing off him and she laughed, “I’m a hundred percent sure.”
“I will personally escort you to your locker.”
His eyes were bright and shiny. If she hadn’t seen what he’d been eating and drinking, she would have guessed he was drunk he was so animated. He was almost vibrating. She realized Isaias had been waiting since he was a small boy to get back at Trent McGrath for making him and his family homeless and this information would put him one step closer to revenge. It gave her perverse pleasure to assist him in reaching his dreams.
“Do you want the file he has on your company?”
“What now?” Isaias was almost standing as he edged his seat.
“Well, it’s on your company and another company out of Texas called Lubbock Enterprises.”
“You’ve had information on my company all this time?” He sat back as if unsure of how he was now feeling.
“I didn’t think you’d need it considering it’s your company and you know it inside out.” She shrugged.
“You should have told me.”
“I don’t know exactly what is in the file, only that there was one with your company name and one with the Texas company.”
“I would very much like to know what he knows.”
“I’m ready when you are.”
“I might propose, you’re so damn sexy,” he said as he helped her from her seat and smashed his lips to hers. She groaned as he lifted her clear off the floor and pushed her against the wall of the breakfast nook of the patio, kissing her until she was breathless, needy, and wanting.
“I want you.”
“Didn’t you say you have a board meeting at eight?”
“Yes, but all day long,” he ground his hips to hers, “I want you to think of how much your devious mind working jointly with mine, makes me want you. You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. I’m going to show you later.”
He grabbed his phone off the table, “go grab what you need to take to work. We’re leaving now.”
“What about the mess?” she looked behind her to the table as he dragged her excitedly.
“The housekeeper will get it.”
“Isaias,” she giggled at his antics when he barely let her grab her purse, his hands all over her body.
At the storage locker company, Liesl was aware of much Isaias wanted the information she had as he paced frantically outside her storage unit. She unlocked it and she moved to the back of the locker and lifted up one of her paintings in a frame. She carried it out. “Here. It’s a gift for being so considerate of my need for orgasms.”
He lifted an eyebrow as he studied the artwork noting a very distinct freckle on the canvas. “Liesl, this is your naked torso.”
“Yup. Merlin hated this piece and refused to let me show it. He made me feel very ashamed of it. I have had this storage locker for many years for the art I didn’t show.” She pointed to sculptures lining shelves. “I’ve kept everything in here he didn’t approve of. It’s not my best work and really, unless you’re intimately acquainted with me and know the mole which is right there,” she pointed to her left breast on the canvas, “nobody would know it’s me. So apart from my family who saw me topless as a small child, my ex-husband and now you, there’s not a person on the planet who would know with certainty these are my boobs.”
“You’re giving this to me?”
“I am. You can even keep the frame.” She smirked, “it’s hollow and lightweight so it may need to be replaced.”
Realization coated his features and he smiled suddenly. “The frame is a simple wooden frame and definitely not worthy of displaying your magnificence. I’ll get a great frame made. I know a gallery in town which does custom work.” He winked at her.
She giggled. “I bet it’s on my way to work.”
He laughed holding up the artwork to examine it in the sunshine while she locked the storage unit back up. “I would very much like to go through your entire collection when we’re not as pressed for time.”
“It’s not great to be honest. Many of these pieces I shoved in here because they lacked inspiration.”
“This one is good.” He frowned at her.
“You like it because it’s my boobs,” she laughed when he shrugged his agreement.
He paused, “I can’t wait to hang it in the bedroom at home.”
“You’re going to hang it in the bedroom?”
“Yes. Isn’t it where you hung it at your house?”
She made a face, “no. The day Merlin saw it he told me to get rid of it. He said my body was for his eyes only and I was never allowed to show any work like this ever.”
“He’d put a loin cloth on Michelangelo’s David.” Isaias shook his head regretfully, “how the hell did you live with his conservative misogynistic views? The man is dull. You deserve excitement and passion and to be able to freely express your creativity in any manner you see fit. If painting your breasts is what inspired you, then good for you. Most women in this country are ashamed of their bodies. I’m proud my woman is happy with her shape.”
His words touched her heart and then they caught up to her and she lifted her eyebrows, “your woman?”
“Mm,” he grinned and tugged her close to kiss her lips again, “you are all mine. Merlin might have fucked up by not appreciating you, but it is not a mistake I will make. You can rest assured I take far better care of the people who are important to me than any of the McGraths could ever dream. They might want you back, but they’ll have a hell of a fight on their hands if they try to take you from me.”
She blinked at the possessive tone to his spiel, “Isaias. I don’t know what to say.”
“I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, sweetheart but I meant what I said last night. Committed, exclusive or whatever you want to call it, it is what we are. You are mine. I am yours. We’re in a relationship which is very important and very valuable to me, and I will not let you go without a fight.”
She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, “come on my oversized caveman. I need to get to work. You need to attend a board meeting.” She grinned cheekily, “you know if you have any other meetings today where you need a competitive edge, you should leave the painting out. It might make people uncomfortable enough to lose focus.”
When he threw his head back and laughed loudly before swinging her in a circle in his arms, Liesl considered this might be the happiest she had felt in forever.
