Authors Note: This is my first attempt at writing a story, so please read with a little latitude. It's a story about blackmail and revenge, so if that's not your particular interest, you probably shouldn't read it. There are also some non-consensual/reluctance scenes, so proceed with that in mind.
There has been a problem with the other two chapters getting completed despite my best efforts. I apologize to everyone who has asked me to finish it. I am doing my best, but there were issues beyond my control (not to mention beyond my skill). It should be completed very soon.
There have been a few small edits to this chapter to hopefully make it a little more clear, but they don't change any major storylines. If you've already read this chapter, nothing has been altered that would necessitate reading it again.
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"Michael please, you can't do this!" Michelle begged.
"It's too late, it's already done," he replied without any apparent emotion.
"But if you go through with it, you won't be the man I married. I'll never be able to look at you the same again."
"It doesn't matter," he deadpanned, "This is what I had to do. Your feelings don't have anything to do with it." She looked at him with such pain, he wondered if he could keep this up.
"This was my decision to make and I'm willing to live with the consequences. I guess you could say it's my turn to sacrifice," he said ruefully.
She barely acknowledged his words as she thought about how much she had lost already. He watched sadly as the only woman he had ever loved, turned and slowly walked out the door, to wait for the police. He thought back to how everything started, hoping to give himself the strength to finish, no matter what the outcome.
...Michael was having a great time with his friends. Their band had been getting more popular in the area, and he was making some decent cash (for a 26 year old without a real career). It was close to Christmas and they were playing an upscale restaurant/bar that they had been trying to book for months. Midway through the first set, the band noticed him blow a change and looked over to see him staring blankly toward the door.
Four women had walked in, obviously ready to have a drink after work (judging from the way they were dressed). All seemed to be in their mid-twenties and looked like they were intent on having fun. Two were attractive brunettes with nice figures. One was a pleasant looking blonde who was a little overweight. The fourth was the one causing the problem. She was beautiful, had strawberry-blonde hair, stood about 5'7 and was thin with an amazing athletic body. However, what killed him were her eyes. She had the most devastating baby blue eyes he had ever seen. It made her look like an angel.
He recovered and mouthed an apology to the band. When they finished the set, he told the guys to wish him luck and took the band's sign-up sheet to where the women were seated. "Hi ladies, are you enjoying the show?"
The girls giggled, and Stacy (one of the brunettes) said, "Oh, we're definitely enjoying it." She paused, and then added "Some more than others."
Mike was a little curious about the answer, but continued. "Well, if you'd like to put your names and numbers on the list, we'd love to see you at another show."
The girls laughed again, and Stacy said, "I think that can be arranged." Mike wasn't sure if she was messing with him but she seemed to be good-natured, so he went along. She introduced the group, "I'm Stacy, these are my friends Pam (brunette), Sally (blonde) and Michelle."
He shook hands, made some small talk, and then excused himself to get ready for the next set. His band immediately gave him a hard time. His bass player laughed, chiding him for crashing and burning.
"No, you've got it all wrong. I got their names, a little info, but didn't want to be too pushy. Let's just see what happens." All his friends smiled. Even though Mike wasn't exactly a chick magnet, he did pretty well for himself. That said, they all thought Michelle was way out of his league, however they were looking forward to watching him try.
The show continued to go well and he watched as all four girls danced together a lot. They all danced with guys from the bar except Michelle. After watching her turn down one man after another, Michael worried that she might not be available so he made a mental note to keep things light until he knew more. Each break he made a point of talking to the girls and trying to pick up any information he could.
When the show ended, he offered to buy the girls a round. They sat for an hour talking, laughing and getting to know each other. He felt bad when Stacy said they had to leave. Although she hadn't given him enough signs to know what she was thinking, he knew that this might be his only chance with Michelle. "Mikki, I..."
"Oh she hates that" Pam interrupted.
"Ah...sorry" Mike apologized, kicking himself for starting badly.
"It's OK," Michelle said, "Nobody calls me that but I kind of like it." The girls looked at each other and smiled.
"Well Mikki, I know it's late but I was wondering if you'd like to grab something to eat?"
"Well, my friends drove," she said. Her friend Stacy protested, saying it was OK with them. Stacy never lost that smile which made Mike wonder if he was the butt of some joke.
"Well, what do you say?" Mike said hopefully.
Michelle considered him for a moment, "OK, I guess that would be fun."
They left the club and started toward a nearby 24-hour restaurant when Mike decided to go for broke "If you'd like, I could make you something at my place."
She took a second to think and said, "Sure, as long as you promise to take me home when I ask." With Mike's agreement, they headed to his place.
When they arrived, he was sure this was going to be a superb night. They started with some snacks and wine as they talked. After a while, they moved to the couch, and then Mike made his move. He put on soft music and asked her to dance.
