Chapter Five: Karma
When we woke the next day, we made slow and gentle love in the morning sunlight. It was
so
unlike what I normally associated with sex. It was a slow, sensual, ever-deepening closeness; not a mad rush for pleasure. Oh, make no mistake, the orgasms were there for me, but the real treasure was the developing feelings between me and the man - the
man
- who was making love to me.
Afterward, lying in his arms, I felt more at peace with myself than I think I'd ever felt. I didn't want the moment to end. I wanted to lay there with him forever; but, that wasn't in the cards. I sighed and nestled closer to Tony, shielded and safe in his arms.
"I don't want to go," I said, "but I need to. I need to finish this."
He kissed my nose and pulled my head to his chest. "I'll go with you. And if Conrad starts something, I'll stuff him in a trash compactor."
I laughed. "You'd ruin the trash."
Reluctantly, I got out of bed. We showered together, and a little fooling around almost got us sidetracked.
As we dressed, I watched Tony, openly admiring his body. He just grinned at me.
"What do we do now?" I asked, a little afraid of the possibilities. "Can you go to LA or will that ruin your work?"
"I have a really good relationship with the company, so I can take a leave of absence to go to LA. We'll figure it out there," he said reassuringly. "There's no need to rush. Let's take this one step at a time and do this right."
Grateful, I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "That makes me feel better." I gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you."
He grinned and swatted my ass. "Get dressed and let's go. Finish this so we can start the rest of our lives." I felt dizzy at the implication of his words. With a smile, I dressed and we left.
-----
The offices of Dugan and Reynolds looked suitably posh for Mother to retain. With her, appearances meant everything; and this place screamed money and influence. Creamy marble and expensive wood dominated the hard surfaces and over-stuffed leather furniture graced the wide open space.
The receptionist, a young woman in a designer blouse and sweater, gave Tony a discreet once over and smiled at us. When I identified myself, she showed us into a conference room.
I sat and twirled slowly in one of the executive chairs, feeling my uncertainty creep back up on me. Why the hell was I even here? Conrad was just going to make a sweep of Mother's possessions and gloat. Part of me still regretted losing that much money, but I was growing more used to the idea; it didn't hurt quite the same way now. Honestly, I was more irked that Conrad was going to get his way than anything else.
Right on the stroke of ten, the door opened and an older man in a tailored suit walked in with a large folder in his hand. He had that distinguished look that control and power brought to a man, and he used it well to hold himself apart from us even as he shook our hands.
"Good morning. My name is Orin Reynolds and I'll be handling the reading and execution of Mrs. Masterson's will."
I grimaced as he said that. Having Mother even attached to Conrad's name irked me.
As Mr. Reynolds sat down, he opened the folder revealing papers and three DVDs. "Miss Thomas, Mister Masterson, please allow me to express my condolences for your loss. I never met..." He dragged to a halt as I held up my hand.
"I'm sorry, but there's been a misunderstanding," I said. "I'm Miss Thomas, but this isn't Mister Masterson. This is my friend Tony Di Ricco. He's here for moral support."
The lawyer apologized for the mistake and closed the folder. "I hope you'll understand, but we need to wait for Mister Masterson, since both of you are required to be present for the reading of the will."
"My mother left a video for us?" I asked, hearing the tremor in my voice. I'd expected the dry reading of what went where and perhaps some words from on high about how I should do better in the future. How would those words change if she only could see me now?
The lawyer nodded. "I can't go into the specifics just yet, but she did leave a personal message to be played to both of you."
Tony held my hand under the table and we waited. And waited. And waited some more. To the point that Mister Reynolds excused himself and made some calls. The receptionist got us some coffee while Tony and I spoke quietly as we waited.
It was almost eleven when Conrad sauntered in with the frowning lawyer behind him. Conrad seemed unnaturally cheerful and didn't acknowledge us in any way, not even to protest Tony being there. That was so out of character that it set off my asshole warning system. I didn't know what his game was, but there was something going on. His perfunctory apology satisfied no one, and was just another reason to dislike him.
The lawyer opened the folder, pulled out one of the DVDs and slid it into the player below the recessed television at the end of the room. "Mrs. Masterson left her final will verbally on this recording. It was witnessed by the staff of this firm. Her written will also specifies the same wishes. She didn't have to make the recording," he assured us, "but insisted on doing so. It was made less than a month ago, right here in this room."
When the picture came on, Mother was sitting in a chair in front of the same paneling I could see to my left. She looked like... Mother: proud, powerful and supremely self-confident. The fact that she was wearing the same dress she chose to be buried in was enough to creep me out completely. Tony noticed, and slipped his arm around me.
God, she was so young! The pain of losing her hit me all over again. She was only in her sixties. She should've had decades of life left. It was so unfair.
"Obviously, I'm dead," my mother said from the TV. "I know that I have breast cancer, and that it's going to kill me, probably within a few months." If that news bothered her, she didn't choose to share the emotion with us.
"I could've let everyone know, but I didn't want to start a three-ring circus in my final days. I wanted to die in peace. Hopefully, I did so." She smiled a small smile. "You know me, though; I just couldn't resist controlling the chaos I'm leaving behind."
That was the truth. I snorted, which earned a sharp look from Conrad.
"My will is short and sweet," she continued. "Regan." I sat straighter and then smirked at myself - I still jumped at her call. "I know we've had our disagreements over the years. I'm not the least bit sorry for that." She nodded her head forward. "What I am sorry for is that we weren't closer than we were. Despite my disapproval of your lifestyle, I want you to know that I do love you, and I'm sorry that we never had the chance to grow closer. That is the one regret I have in this life, and the one way I've failed you."
Tears filled my eyes. The lawyer had to stop the video while I regained my composure. She could have called me any time to ask me to come, and we could have talked. Or maybe we couldn't have. Perhaps it had been too late. Perhaps we were so alike that it had always been too late.
When I was able to continue, the lawyer started the video again and Mother continued. "That said, I hope that one day you will get your life under control and find someone that makes you happy. A
