Readers,
āMergers and Acquisitionsā Part I was received with much appreciated input and praise from many of you. Thank you so much for the response. Though the original release may have or not have been to your liking, I implore upon you to read it once more. What is posted at this time is not the same story you read as the original posting. I made an error when uploading the original and sent an earlier draft instead of the finished product. I truly believe should you read the version posted 08/22/2003 youāll be pleasantly surprised and rewarded as to the direction and power the story has taken. Let me know if you like it. Hereās part
IIā¦
Thank You
***
It was a little after three and Toni was just leaving Ronās house. Sheād just spent the better part of the evening with the wealthy businessman and heād tried convincing her into staying instead of going home. Refusing his offers, she made her way to her car as the cool night air attempted to jog her senses back to reality.
Getting into her car, she sat momentarily as a fury of mixed emotions began racing through her mind. A million questions were vying for answers she didnāt have. What had just happened? Searching the resources of her fresh memories, she replayed the eveningās events over and over in her head.
āOh God, what did I just do?ā Toniās conscience began to pang her with images of what had transpired. āI knew I shouldnāt have come here alone. Shit.. Shit.. Shit!ā
She buried her face into her hands in an onslaught of guilt. Why had she let down her guard knowing full well what he was capable of doing? Sheād placed herself into a compromising position by playing on his turf, leaving her vulnerable and out of her element.
āJesus, Toni, why didnāt you just show up at his door wearing a big red bow and a sign reading, āHave a great timeā? You played right into his hands.ā Her instincts had been right in questioning his intentions. He hadnāt been so bold as to chase her down and ravish her the way sheād imagined, but mixing the liqueur into her drink to render her helpless and cooperative proved to be every bit as effective. .
Tears began welling in her eyes. Sheād let the one thing she despised the most happen to her: sheād cheated on her husband. To make matters worse, sheād enjoyed it immensely and could still feel the lingering effects of the intense pleasure heād given her. Sheād put up little to no fight at all, letting him drive her to new heights of sexual bliss sheād never known existed. In a nut shell, sheād just repeated what sheād passed judgment on Tina for doing.
āTina, oh my God⦠please no.ā The image of her best friendās face paraded through her mind. The horrors of experiencing what had happened to Tina when sheād slept with a client sent a chill running up her spine. Sheād lost practically everything, proving to be one hell of a costly mistake. āHow can I face her after what Iāve done?ā
Tina had warned her sheād better be careful around Ron. Powerful and extremely wealthy, he played by a different set of rules. Sheād seen the way he looked at Toni, and could tell his interests were much deeper than just business. If she wasnāt careful, sheād fall prey to his persistent endeavors.
Though she knew he was always trying to touch her in a nonchalant manner, she felt sure she was immune to anything further. She assumed he was playing a mind game, using his position as the companyās largest investor, to see how far he could get. Toni however, had spent twenty years saying no. What scenario could he possibly present she hadnāt already seen? Well, sheād just found out.
āI knew I shouldāve called Tina and asked her to go. Maybe then Iād have been safe.ā
She drove away from his house attempting to put a safe distance between the two of them and give her a chance to think. What to do was the question playing over in her mind, as fear and doubt began plaguing her thoughts. She needed an answer to her questions to stop the haunting going on inside her mind.
āWhat am I gonna say to my husband? Heāll never believe me.ā The seed of doubt planted by Ron was starting to grow. āWhen he finds out I was drinking heāll think itās my fault.ā
She knew better than this, but the fear and anxiety of her situation overwhelmed her, clouding her judgment. Her husband had never had reason to doubt anything sheād said. Neither of them had ever lied to one another, building a trust between them that wasnāt easily shaken.
āI canāt tell him. Heāll leave me and Iāll lose him for ever.ā She was convincing herself of an impending fate. āIāll go see the doctor and have her take care of this first thing Monday morning. I just canāt let him find out what Iāve done.ā
Trying to gain some sort of control over her emotions, Toni started to do what she did on a daily basis. The position she held in the business world insisted she make changes and decisions on the spur of the moment. She constantly shouldered the pressure involved with making huge financial decisions effecting thousands of lives. This time, however, the choices she was being forced to make involved the very core of her own life.
Wiping her eyes and gathering her composure, she picked up her cell phone and dialed her husband.
Anticipation and fear raced through her veins. She felt as if his answer was her curtain call and there was only one chance for a favorable review. Would he be able to tell something was wrong? If so, what would he say?
āHello.ā It was him.
The feelings of guilt and anxiety were upon her. Panic attempting to take over, she fought for control, telling herself, āThis isnāt the time to choke, Toni. You need to deliver the performance of your life.ā
āHi, baby. Itās me.ā Toni made every effort to sound normal. āDid I wake you?ā
Her blood pressure had to be off the monitor. She knew she needed to behave as if nothing was wrong, but her pent up energy had transferred to the gas pedal and now she found herself going eighty.
āThatās great, Toni,ā She told herself. āWhy donāt you just get a ticket and add something else to your problems.ā
Backing off her speed, she looked around half expecting to be cited by an officer but found none observing her transgression. Breathing a sigh of relief, she waited for his reply.
āOh... uh.. no.. not really. I sort of dozed off.. uh.. while watching some TV.ā Heād fallen asleep waiting for her. āHow was the party? Did everything go ok? Iām sorry I wasnāt there.ā
Sheād lucked out. Normally he would have been wide awake waiting for her safe arrival. The combination of his long day at work, the energy of the ball game, and having to deal with her nephew had left him totally drained. His conversation consisted of nothing more than subconscious responses heād spoken a thousand times.
āEverything went just fine.ā Toni could tell he was practically talking in his sleep. She couldnāt have asked for a better set of circumstances had she scripted them herself.
āIām sorry I kept you up so late, sweetie. Why donāt you go ahead and go to bed?ā Sheād momentarily forgotten her tryst and was concerned only with her husbandās well being. āIām not very far from the house and should be home in just a few minutes. Iāll join you then.ā
āSure, baby, that sounds great. See you in a few minutes.ā Assured she would be fine, he said the one thing sheād dreaded hearing him say. āI love you.ā
She couldnāt take it. Everything sheād done and been trying to hide until now, was suddenly thrust before her, nearly causing her to lose control. It felt as if the weight of the whole world had been placed upon her with the sound of those three little words.
āMe too.. bye.ā Her answer was barely a whisper. Hanging up quickly, the tears started to form. She didnāt deserve to hear those words from the man sheād pledged to be faithful to for the rest of her life. For twenty years sheād protected her precious virginity, giving it up only after sheād gotten married. In an instant that all changed as she felt Ron repeatedly insure he left a permanent reminder where even her husband hadnāt enjoyed the pleasure of being. This sacred chamber had now been claimed by him.
āYou idiot. What were you thinking?ā Both guilt and anger tortured her for allowing Ron to take her. Worse yet, sheād even participated willingly, even after heād given her the chance to stop. āYou lay there and let him screw you knowing he was trying to get you pregnant. My God, Toni, you were begging him to fuck you.ā