The car trip home was silent as Kara replayed the night in her mind. She kept her left hand out of view of Paul fearing he would start asking questions about her missing engagement ring.
"You know, if you wanted to do it, you could have just told me." Paul said with a smile.
Kara knew he had no idea what happened. He did however find out that she was on display similar to their friend Penny. He found it amusing and didn't want to get in the way of his fiance exploring her sexual side or having fun. His disappointment was that he didn't get to see her in action.
"It was spur of the moment. I didn't think I would, but they sure know how to sweet talk you." Kara said softly.
They got home and went to bed. Kara replayed the night in her mind again. She thought of how it both turned her on and scarred her. She was helpless to do anything and although Rick never actually did anything physical to her, he let people take advantage of her. Now she had to see him again Monday morning. She closed her eyes and drifted off.
Kara got into work Monday morning and found a small box on her desk. She opened the box and found her engagement ring inside with a note tucked behind it. She picked up the note and it read:
- Don't say I never get you anything.
The note was signed with R which made it clear who returned it. She put the ring back on and was relieved one problem was off her mind. She had contemplated buying a fake one just to save face, but she knew Paul would eventually find out she lost it. This was a much better outcome.
Kara worked the rest of the day and never came into contact with Rick. She wasn't sure what kind of game he was playing, but it was starting to concern her. As she was wrapping up her work, her phone rang. She checked the name and saw that it was Rick Lawson Sr.'s personal line. Kara froze. Why would Rick's dad be calling her personally? What did Rick tell him? Questions without answers were popping in her mind at an alarming rate. Her hand shook nervously as she reached and grabbed the phone.
"Kara speaking, how may I help you Mr. Lawson?" Kara said, the nerves traveling through her voice.
Kara sat across the desk from Rick Lawson Sr. His office was massive with wood flooring and oak shelving lining the walls. There seemed to be another room that was also an extension but Kara was too nervous to take in all the perks. She didn't dare speak a word as saying anything could get her in more trouble than not saying anything at all. Mr. Lawson let the tension build. He could sense Kara was nervous and he wanted her to dwell in that feeling. Finally the silence was broken.
"Do you know why I called you here, Kara?" Mr. Lawson asked politely.
Kara shook her head. Again following her own personal rule of saying less.
"Well it's come to my attention that an incident occurred at the restaurant called Decor. Do you know what incident I'm talking about?" Mr. Lawson asked.
Kara had only one guess as to how her boss found out about what happened. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment of having to now discuss with her boss how his son basically made her a sex toy. She nodded.
"Good. We're on the same page. First of all, I apologize for Rick's behavior that night. Believe me, he will be punished. You may choose to have a sort of in-house private restraining order if you so please." Mr. Lawson explained.
Kara was appreciative of addressing the matter professionally. She didn't know to what extent he'd be punished, but even the restraining order would be ideal, if she decided to go through with it.
"I'm going to be straight with you Kara. I want Decor. The owner has been reluctant to sell, but with a sexual assault and rape lawsuit potentially coming at him, he might reconsider." Mr. Lawson started his pitch.
"I'm not suing Decor." Kara finally spoke up.
"No, of course you're not. And it will probably never come to that. But he needs to think it will." Mr. Lawson said letting Kara put it together herself.
"You want me to blackmail him so he'll sell the business." Kara said after a moment of thought.
"He gets a reasonable amount of money, I get the business. Win win." Mr. Lawson said smiling.
"What's in it for me?" Kara asked.
"Your fiance stays in the dark about your traumatic experience." Mr. Lawson said.
"No." Kara said.
"No?" Mr. Lawson repeated.
"I'm not putting my reputation on the line so you can buy a business. And then you have the audacity to try and blackmail me. Screw you." Kara said standing up.
"Kara, I didn't offer money because I knew I didn't have to. You can storm out here all pissed off, but you will be back. The one good thing in your life is Paul and I know you'll do anything to keep him. So let's stop playing games and get down to business." Mr. Lawson said confidently.
Kara thought about the repercussions of walking out. She loved Paul, but even the most loyal boyfriend would have trouble getting around what happened to her. He wasn't sure if he would see it as cheating or being helpless throughout the matter. It scared her that he might see it as cheating and what would that say about his character. She didn't want him to find out. She looked at Mr. Lawson who was pleasantly waiting. She did respect his straight forward tell it how it is approach. At least she knew there wouldn't be any hidden deals.
"What do you need me to do?" Kara asked.
Three Weeks Later
"Listen up people, we get a lot of news to get to, so if you could just gather around." Bill said making eye contact with the staff at Decor. Behind him was a black cloth covering a large item that Bill was hiding for his announcement.
"As you know with the recent incident that came to light a couple weeks ago there were talks of a lawsuit that would have shut this place down. But thankfully with the help of the new owner Mr. Lawson, there is no need to worry about that. It's all taken care of. However so this doesn't happen again, there is going to be a new process in place for guests to become decor. A process that I will help oversee." Bill said proudly.