Tantalus Ch 02

Character Descriptions

Eric Collins -- Eric is a 38 year old man. He is six feet tall and a 180 lbs. He wears his hair professionally short; both his eyes and his hair are brown. Eric is a teacher at a high school, where he spends most of his weekdays. Him and Sharon have been together since they were in high school themselves, almost twenty years.

Sharon Collins -- Eric's wife. Sharon is two years younger, at the age of 36. She has a small figure, topping in at only 5'6" and 130 lbs. Her hair is naturally blonde and she wears it down to her shoulders. She has bright green eyes. Sharon is skinny, with B cups and a flat ass. Her and Eric had a daughter when she was 18, Carolyn, and have been together ever since.

Carolyn Collins -- Eric and Sharon's daughter. She is eighteen years old and currently taking classes in real estate at a local college.

Arthur -- Arthur is a career criminal. He was Eric's booky for nearly two years, although he partakes in many different enterprises. Arthur is 29 years old. He is an imposing figure, standing at 5'4" and 190 lbs. He is in good shape, if not completely muscular. His black hair is buzzed down to a medium length, and his most notable feature are his piercingly blue eyes.

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Tantalus

Chapter 2 -

Sharon was in the kitchen making dinner when she heard the knock on the door. She turned the stove down a little then walked over to the front door. When she opened it up a man with short black hair and shockingly blue eyes was standing on her porch.

"Hello, Mrs. Collins?" he asked. "My name is Arthur. There's something we need to talk about."

"I'm sorry?" she asked back.

"Oh," he replied with a laugh. "That probably sounded a little ominous. I'm from Evergreen Investments. We recently acquired your mortgage in a securities purchase we made and there are some things I'd like to go over with you."

"I'm kind of in the middle of cooking dinner, and my husband isn't home yet, do you think you could come back at a better time?"

"I'm sorry this is an inconvenient time for you, but honestly my schedule is not very accommodating and the sooner this meeting gets on the books the better. I'd be more than willing to wait for your husband to get home before we get down to business though."

"Its just that right now isn't really the best-"

"It really can't wait, I'm afraid."

"I see," Sharon said. "Well, I guess you had better come in then." She lead Arthur into the living room on the other side of the door and let him know that he could wait on the couch. The kitchen was situated next to the living room, with a window between the two rooms cut in the wall over the stove. The two talked while they waited for Eric to come home. Sharon mostly asked about the real estate market, wondering what prospects her daughter would have in the field. According to Arthur, she would be fine.

Eric got home twenty minutes after Arthur had arrived, and he looked haggard. The weight of the day was heavy on his shoulders. "Hey honey," Sharon called out as he opened the door. "We have company over, a man from the mortgage company."

Eric made to reply, but he froze when he saw Arthur sitting on his couch, the words stuck in his throat. Arthur simply raised an eyebrow, then put a finger up to his lips.

Sharon stepped out of the kitchen and walked up to her husband. "You ok? You look kind of run down."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Long day at work. Look if its not to much to ask Mr. ..."

"Call me Arthur."

"...Arthur, then do you think we could do this another time. I'm really in no mood for whatever it is that brought you here."

Sharon tried to speak up but Arthur replied before she had a chance. "As I told your lovely wife earlier, it really can't wait. We need this meeting on the books as soon as possible for processing reasons. It won't take long."

"Why don't you go change Eric. By the time you're back out I'll have dinner all set."

"No. Let's get this done before dinner. He said it shouldn't take long right?"

Sharon leaned in and in a hushed tone said "You're being a little rude don't you think?"

"He's here on business, he doesn't care." With that Eric walked over and seated himself in a chair across from Arthur. Sharon waited a moment, then sat down in a chair against the wall, forming a half circle between the three of them.

"Well ok then," Arthur said, "let's get down to it. As I told your wife earlier, I work for Evergreen Investments and we have just purchased your mortgage on the market and there are a few things we want to go over with you."

"I don't see what those could be," Eric shot back. "The terms were set years ago. There shouldn't be anything left to discuss."

"Well that's just it, you see. The interest rate on your mortgage was never locked in. You left it adjustable. Now at the time you took the mortgage out I'm sure that whoever was advising you thought that was a good thing. Interest rates were looking like they'd keep going down for quite some time. That, however, is no longer the case."

"Are you saying you're upping our rate?" Sharon asked.

"Well, no." he replied. "What I'm saying is more that the interest rate could be raised, if my company decided that needed to happen. Fortunately, you two have very good credit, and congratulations on that."

"Thank you," Eric said, barely holding the venom back. "Why bother to come, in person, at dinner time, just to tell us that nothing is changing."

"I'm sorry if my visit has put you out Mr. Collins."

"He didn't mean it like that, he's just tired. My husband is a school teacher and being locked in a room with kids all day can do that to you." Sharon gave a smile with her laugh.

"Ah, yes, kids can do that to you." Arthur shot Eric a glance before continuing. "I find that there's a certain release you can find with them too though."

Eric flinched at the words, and seeing that he was temporarily subdued Arthur continued on. "You of course have a point though. I wouldn't be here if that was all there was to this. Your credit is good, true, but credit alone is not the only consideration in determining rate readjustment. Now, I apologize if this seems a little forward, but if, say, a history of gambling problems, heretofore unknown to any previous lenders, were discovered...well that could very well trigger an adjustment."

The couple sat quietly. Eric looked inflamed, Sharon in shock. She spoke first. "That...that was a long time ago. Arthur, he got help. He's been on the wagon a long time now. Your investment is in no risk."

"Well Sharon," Eric silently fumed at Arthur's efforts to enforce a first-name basis. "the issue is that gambling poses an existential risk to the investment. Any slip, at any time, could cost us a lot of money. Preemptively raising the interest rate would be a check against that."

Sharon tried to reply, but Arthur cut her off. "I don't see why you're so worked up though. I'm talking purely hypothetically. My company has no knowledge of any such gambling problem. I don't see why they should. Do you?" He paused, then continued. "I mean, it's not like there is one for them to know about anyways."

"I...I don't really understand..." Sharon said.

"What game are you playing." Eric said. Like his wife, he wasn't sure what was happening, but unlike his wife, he was sure he was on the losing end of it.

"Look," Arthur's face drew up into a sympathetic smile, "I've seen people struggle with money, and I've definitely seen people struggle with gambling. You two have your lives in order, I see no reason to turn them upside down."

"Thank you," Sharon whispered, her nerves relenting slightly.

Eric remained unconvinced. "The goodness of your heart? That's what brought you here tonight? I'd love to believe you, but I don't."

"Eric." Sharon hissed. "A man tries to help and you shoot him down for it?"

"No, its alright Sharon. People in my business don't have the best reputation for compassion."

"It still doesn't add up." Eric said.

"With all due respect, Eric, maybe you don't understand the gravity of the situation then. Going to my company with this would be huge. First, your interest rates would skyrocket. Frankly, they'd go high enough that you'd be backwards in months. It wouldn't be long before your house would be seized. The thing is though, that would only make things worse. Your house won't cover the added debt from the interest payments. They'll start going after other assets. Then there's the matter of fraud."

Sharon was beginning to look horrified. Eric was drawing himself to composure. Arthur continued, "You see, it could be argued that hiding that gambling problem defrauded the lenders. Would that hold up? I don't think so. The court costs to prove that though would be substantial. If somehow it does though, then there would be prison time. But worst of all, you'd no longer be eligible to cosign on your daughter's student loans. Without a cosigner, the quotes she'll get will be so high that she herself would be forced into debt. Do you see now Eric? I couldn't do all that to your family when there's no reason to."

"And is there?" Eric asked, through grated teeth.

"If there was, wouldn't I have done it?"

The three sat in silence as Eric stared Arthur down. Rising from his chair, Arthur said "Well, I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome. Why don't we call it night."

"I'll walk you out." Eric said, quick to grasp onto a way to get Arthur out of his house.

Arthur said his goodbyes to Sharon, but when he stepped outside the door he turned to Eric and said, "A moment outside, if you will."

Eric followed Arthur, shutting the door behind them. "What the fuck was that," he hissed. "You show up at my house? You threaten my family? I don't know who you think you are, but there are lines. This...this is insane. You're insane. You come back to my house and I swear, I'll kill you."

Arthur put on a solemn look. "Eric, I know that I'm pushing you pretty far here. I promise you though, nothing I said in there was a threat. I meant what I said. I have the power to destroy your and your family's lives, yes, but I see absolutely no reason to."

"You don't see any because you want me under your thumb. So as long as I play ball there isn't a reason to. I get that, don't treat me like an idiot. I also get that what you said in there was definitely a threat. Don't patronize me Arthur."

"What is it exactly you imagine I want you 'under my thumb' for Eric?"

"Hell if I know. Why don't you just come out and say it instead of pretending like you're some mild-mannered securities trader instead of the manipulative, lying bastard that you are."

"I find it funny that you think that me being a securities trader means I'm not a manipulative, lying bastard. But ok. You want to know what I want? I'll tell you." Arthur took a pause before continuing. "I want to have dinner with you and your wife next Friday."

Eric took a moment. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but whatever it was he was sure it would have been more...diabolical. Which worried him. "Why."

"Frankly? I'm bored Eric."

"You want to have dinner with me and my wife because you're bored? Bullshit."

Arthur laughed at that. "Honestly. I think that, when I take you out Friday, you'll get that I'm telling the truth."

"That's not happening. I don't know what makes you think that you can stand in my living room, blackmail me, without telling me why, by the way, and then that we would all just go have a nice dinner. Do you even hear yourself?"

Arthur's face suddenly became serious. "Blackmail? Yes. You realize I could destroy everything you have, right? I could raze your life to ground around you. I could bury you, your wife, your daughter, and anyone else you have any connection to on a whim. I can take your house, your job, your relationship, and when I have all that I can send you to prison just for fun. In short, Eric, I own you. I could ask you to kill a man and you know as well as I do that you'd do it. But I'm not. I'm inviting you to dinner. And you, being the stupid little shit that you are, don't realize the mercy I'm showing you. So I'll tell you what Eric, I'm no longer asking because I do not need to. We are having dinner Friday. When you get there, you'll be dressed in slacks and a button down. Your wife will be wearing a dress; specifically, the one I'll be sending over. Finally, every night until then you'll be thanking your God that this is all I'm telling you to do. Goodnight, Eric." Finished, Arthur turned and walked away. Eric was fuming, but underneath the rage he had gone cold. When Arthur got into his car, Eric finally shook himself loose enough to go back inside.

"What were you guys talking about?" Sharon asked, her concern evident.

"Hm? Oh, uh, I wanted to ask about some of the specifics on our mortgage. He said that he had to go though so we'll talk about it later. He invited us to dinner on Friday, actually."

"Oh."

"It was his suggestion. Seemed like a good idea."

"Yeah...I guess. Eric...I don't like him. Something's off about him. This whole thing was bizarre. Are we going to be ok?"

"We're going to be fine. Like he said, if he meant us harm he would have done something already, wouldn't he have? I think he's trying to help." Eric could feel the bile in his throat as he said this, but comforting Sharon was more important than his pride.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it doesn't make any sense if what he wanted was to hurt us. Why even bother telling us? He was probably just nervous that he's lying to his company. He's putting his job on the line."

"I guess when you put it like that..."

Eric walked over and hugged his wife. She sat there in his arms for a while, before turning away and going over to the kitchen. "We should eat before it gets cold."

* * * *

Eric and Sharon walked over to the booth where the maitre d' had told them they would find Arthur. The restaurant was five stars, nicer than anywhere the couple had eaten in a long time. Since before Carolyn was born, probably.

Dressed in just some nice khaki pants and a button-down shirt, Eric found himself severely under dressed. Sharon, on the other hand, looked fantastic. The dress that Arthur had sent over to their house was white, with shoulder straps that crossed over her chest. It hugged itself tight around her hips and ass, then fell loose to the top of her knees. The back was left open until beneath the shoulder blades.

When the dress had arrived, there had been some discussion between the couple over whether or not she should wear it. Both agreed it was very weird for Arthur to have sent it over, but then again Sharon actually wouldn't have had something to wear that was up to the restaurant's standards without it, so maybe it was justified. Besides, she had said, it was rude to turn down a gift. Eric had hated giving in to anything that Arthur asked for, but he could tell that despite his wife's honest attempt at objectivity she really just wanted to wear the dress. So, reluctantly, Eric had ceded the issue.

"Eric, nice to see you. And Sharon, you look magnificent. Please, have a seat." Arthur motioned to the booth across from him. The table sat next to a window. Panels of oak wood separated the booths that lined this wall from one another, giving them some privacy. The seats were upholstered with leather, the table made from some kind of hardwood, and the floor carpeted.

"Thank you," Sharon said back. "For the compliment and the dress." Eric had simply nodded in response.

"Oh, its no matter," Arthur replied. "I'm a man of extravagant taste, but also of modesty. For instance, I love this restaurant, but feel embarrassed asking people to eat here, since between the costs of the dress code, the parking, and the menu itself it can be something of an ordeal. So I like to help if I can."

"How thoughtful." Eric said, his face expressionless. Now it was Arthur's turn to simply nod in response.

The three continued with their small talk until the waiter arrived and their orders were placed. When the waiter had left, Arthur turned to the couple and said, "Now the reason I asked for us to have dinner is two fold. First, I felt like you needed a little more reassurance that I have no ill will here. Because I don't. Second though is that I myself need some assurances."

"Is this where you ask us for something?" Eric asked.

"Only the truth," Arthur said, his expression disarming. "By not going to my company with what I know I'm taking on some exposure. I just need to know that the gambling really is behind you. When is the last time you gambled Eric?"

Anger flashed over Eric's face, but before he could say anything back Sharon spoke up. "It's been years. He cleaned up since then. He doesn't even make friendly wagers anymore. You have nothing to worry about, I promise you."

"Well that's reassuring to hear. I suppose a man's wife is the best source on him you can get." That last comment from Arthur was paired with a sideways glance towards Eric.

Sharon had a few more questions, but by the time the table's food arrived the business had mostly been concluded. Eric ate quickly, hoping to leave as soon as possible. He would only respond when asked a question, otherwise he sat silently.

To his displeasure, this might have backfired some. Sharon thought his silence rude, and so specifically made an effort to engage Arthur in conversation, which he, of course, accepted. Sharon would tell Arthur stories of Eric and her, or of Carolyn (which Eric especially disliked), and he in turn would talk about his ex-wife (who Eric was fairly certain was as real as Arthur's position at the 'investment firm').

Finally Eric got his wish and the dinner came to end. Arthur walked them out then turned to shake Eric's hand. He pretended that he didn't see the offer.

"You know, for what I thought would be a business meeting, I had a pretty good time." Arthur said. "Why don't we do this again next Friday?"

"That's not really-" Eric began.

"Don't worry, I know, this place is too expensive for two weeks in a row. How about we just have dinner at your place? Not to impose of course, but Sharon, I'd be honored to be able to try your cooking. I have a feeling it will be better food than they have here anyways."

"Well, I guess that works for us, right Eric?"

"I don't think so. I'm pretty tired on Friday's, with my week ending and all that. We'll be in touch though. Maybe another time."

"I'm glad to hear that it works for you guys Sharon. And Eric, we'll keep the dinner real relaxed then. I'll bring over some wine, that'll help you unwind. Anyways, I don't want to hold you two up so I'll get going." Arthur tried once more to shake Eric's hand, but Eric avoided it entirely. Sharon, however, obliged Arthur in a hug before saying her own goodbyes.

On the way back to their own car, Sharon turned to Eric and said "You know, he's not as bad as I thought he might be. He scared the hell out of me the first time, but he's actually pretty nice."

"I don't think we should have him over. I don't trust him. He's trying something, I just don't know what."

"What happened to what you said before, that he's probably just scared about his own job? About how he's trying to help us? You spent the entire dinner refusing to talk to him. What do you have against the guy?"

"I just don't trust him. First chance he gets he's going to fuck us over, you watch. We need to keep as far away as we can."

"You're wrong. Like you told me, if he wanted to hurt us he'd have done it already. If you're that irrationally terrified of him though, then after this Friday, which we already agreed to and we are not canceling, we won't see him again. Fair?"

Eric, despite his trepidation, accepted.

* * * *

The dinner was coming to a close and Eric was finally allowing himself some room to breathe. All things considered, it had been a pretty good time. In fact, if it weren't for the axe hanging somewhere over his head, if it hadn't been Arthur there, perhaps Eric might have even enjoyed it. Him and his wife didn't entertain very often and he had to admit he missed it. And that concerned Eric.