A Daughter's Love

Elise awoke to the shrill ringing of her cordless phone by her bed. She groggily looked at the clock. It was almost noon. She decided to let the answering machine get it. She was too tired. She had stayed up late the night before writing the second to last chapter of her next romance novel. It was almost finished. There would be proof-reading and editing but it was almost finished. Just in time for Christmas. Her books always sold better on the holidays.

"This is Elise. I'm not home right now, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you. Beep."

"Elise, this is Leslie. Get your ass to the phone now! What in the hell have you done? Why would you make an admission like that? Do you realize you've ruined your career?"

Elise sat up quickly and picked up the phone. Her agent never yelled at her.

"Leslie, what are you talking about? What admission?"

"Francine Carver just released a tape to the public where you explain in graphic detail about the first night you had sex with your father."

"What?!" Elise's heart hammered in her chest. Tears filled her eyes. She knew something had been wrong. God damn Francine! She was going to kill her.

"I don't care what you do in your personal life, but broadcasting something like that is a sure way to ensure that no one buys your books ever again."

"I'm not having sex with my father!" Elise protested. "Francine must have set me up. She told me in explicit detail about a fantasy she had about her father and tearfully begged me to tell her if I'd had one about mine. Every girl does. We've talked about it. But I never had sex with him."

"Elise, that is not what the fucking tape shows. Hold on. I've got recorded it in case you tried to deny it." There was a rustling of the phone and then the click of a tape recorder.

"When was the first time you had sex with your father?" Francine's voice was unmistakable.

"When I was eighteen." She heard herself reply.

Her mother opened in horror.

"Tell me about your first time." Francine's voice encouraged.

She heard herself tell the fantasy Francine had asked her to tell like it had actually happened. Tears spilled down her cheeks. What...why had Francine done this? How could she have done this to her?

"Wow, that sounds intense. He must really be good."

"My father is good."

Elise's stomach churned.

"How often do you have sex?"

"All the time."

"Don't you think it's morally wrong?"

"Everyone does it at least once."

"Do you plan on marrying your father?

"I would love to be married to him."

The tape recorder clicked off.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself." Leslie sound like a stern parent.

Elise dropped the phone and vomited in the wastepaper basket by her bed. She could feel the color drain from her face. She sobbed uncontrollably. She had trusted Francine. Francine was supposed to be her friend. How could she have done this to her?

"Elise! Elise! Pick up the phone!" Leslie sounded frantic.

"She must have done something." Elise heard how weak her voice was. "I can prove it. I swear I can. I have call waiting. Let me click over and call her. Stay silent. If she thinks it's just us talking, she'll admit it."

"Ok." Leslie's voice trembled. Was that fear?

Elise clicked over and she dialed Francine's phone number. She clicked back over. Leslie remained silent but she could hear her breathing. Francine picked up on the fifth ring. She sounded breathless.

"Hello?"

"How could you do this to me?" Elise cried. "You're supposed to be my friend. Friends don't do this to each other."

"Oh come on now, Elise." Francine laughed. "I'm actually surprised you heard about it so soon. I was hoping to draw it out. I'm just having a little fun."

"Fun?" Elise yelled. "You're ruining my life. And you call it fun."

"I like ruining lives, Elise." Francine sounded blissful. "I'm a bitch. Both of us know it. It was only a matter of time before I did something. You are so naïve and trusting. It's a flaw you should work on fixing. Let this be a lesson, Elise. You can't trust everyone. I wonder what your father will think when he hears it. I wonder if he'll want anything to do with you now."

Francine hung up. Elise let out a shaky sigh.

"Did you hear that?"

"Every fucking word." Leslie's voice trembled with rage. "We'll fix this, Elise. I swear we will. Whatever we have to do. I'll find a way."

"Okay." Elise replied, shakily.

"You better call your father." Leslie sighed. "It would be better if he heard it from you."

"You're right." Elise tried to calm herself down. "I'll do it now."

Leslie hung up. Elise hung up her phone and then pressed the button down again. The dial tone sounded ominous. She dialed the number to her father's office. It was where he would be. The phone to his private line rang and rang. It went straight to voice mail. Elise hung up the phone and quickly got dressed. She threw on anything.

A knock sounded on her front door. Elise sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. She grabbed her sunglasses and her pink baseball cap as she left her bedroom. She answered the door surprised to find a chauffer standing there looking somber and solemn; disapproving.

"Miss, your father sent me to pick you up." His voice was a deep baritone. It sent a chill down her spine. The man let off negative vibes. "He has a matter of great import to discuss with you."

Elise nodded her head not questioning. She followed him out and with a heavy sigh, locked the door of her penthouse. She turned and followed him downstairs. He must have heard. This did not bode well.

* * * * *

Alec Michaels sat back in the black leather armchair in front of Lewis Culver's desk totally stunned. It was Elise's voice. There was no doubt about it. Why would she say they were having sex?

"I know it's not true, Michaels." Culver sat back in his chair and smiled maliciously. "My wife, Francine got her to describe a fantasy she'd had about you when she was eighteen and edited it."

Alec was stunned. She'd fantasized about him. He remembered her staring at him with a look in her eyes he hadn't seen before. It had only been for a short while. A sick feeling formed in his stomach. Anger filled him.

"Your wife is the Francine my daughter has been friends with for the last three years?" He clenched and unclenched his fists. "Why?"

"You're a good worker. You've made a lot of important contacts; have brought in a lot of revenue." Culver's smiled broadened. "I want to make you Vice President. Put you on the board of directors. I always make all of the board members jump through hoops. This is yours."

"What in the hell do you mean?" Alec shouted. "My daughter doesn't deserve this. She's a good kid."

"And a hell of an attractive woman." Culver arched his brow. "You hoop is to fulfill her fantasy. She's on her way here no doubt berating herself for causing this situation. You will find a way to convince her to have sex with you or you will be fired and I will personally see to it you never work anywhere ever again."

"You evil son of a bitch!" Alec stood up, pacing back and forth. "I can't do it. I won't."

"You will if you want to keep your job and if you want to save your daughter's literary career." Culver leaned forward. "This tape has been released to the press. Whose going to want to read a romance novel by a woman who has admitted she's fucking her father?"

The blood drained from Alec's face. He swallowed hard. He could take being fired. He had saved up enough money to be set for the rest of his life. He wasn't worried about that. The thought of fucking his daughter was sickening and wrong. But he couldn't let her career suffer. Culver had him by the balls and he knew it.

"What in the hell do you want me to do?"