IT WA FRAUD–Part 3 of 6

IT WAS FRAUD—Part 3 of 6 by SENORLONGO

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We woke up early—really early, almost an hour before the alarm so I suggested breakfast at The Bear’s Den before she had to go to work. We showered together then I lay on the towels for what turned out to be her final application of the ointment. We dressed–me in a tee and shorts, Scarlett in scrubs–and I drove to The Den in my SUV. We had been seated for several minutes when I saw a friend from school approach the table. “Got a minute, Sean?”

“Sure, Rod; this is Scarlett, my girlfriend.”

“Just wanted you to know that a bunch of us were talking the other night about you and Troy. I was asked to go out to the jail and see him because I’m off on Fridays. Basically, I suggested in the strongest possible terms that he leave Boyertown when he gets out of prison. I told him he’d be a lot healthier somewhere else, preferably somewhere far away from here.”

“Thanks, Rod; tell the others I said ‘thanks,’ too.”

“Our pleasure, Sean. Nice meeting you, Scarlett.” He stood, shook my hand, and walked back to his table.

Scarlett spoke as soon as he was out of hearing range. “He was kidding, wasn’t he?”

“No, Scarlett, he wasn’t. We take friendship very seriously here. What Troy did wouldn’t have been acceptable if we were just acquaintances, but he was one of my closest friends. He threw me and twenty years of friendship under the bus and he did it for the worst possible reason–money. Telling his mother about it was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do. I’m actually glad that his dad is dead so he’ll never know what a total loser his son turned out to be. I just hope it doesn’t affect her relationship with my parents. She lives just across the street and they’re best of friends.” We finished eating and I drove Scarlett back to the house. She left ten minutes later after a nine and a half minute kiss.

I moved all of Lori’s clothes—all eight boxes—into the truck bed and drove to the office where I dumped them next to Sandra’s desk. She would create the necessary labels and make the arrangements for UPS to pick them up. I waited a while—until I could be sure that her aunt would be out of bed—and then I phoned. She knew nothing about what had happened and after I apologized in advance I gave her the bad news. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but both Lori and Marge are in the Berks County Jail. So are Lori’s boyfriend Michael and a former friend of mine. They have very high bail so they’re not going anywhere. They tried to make me into Lori’s slave so I would support her and Michael. Marge whipped me more than 4,000 times over a week until I was able to escape. They’re looking at long prison terms. Lori asked if I would send her jewelry, clothes, and cosmetics to you. I’ll have UPS pick them up tomorrow afternoon so you should have them in a few days. What you do with them then is your business.” She expressed her shock and apologized, but who knew if she was sincere or not. I really didn’t care. I had no reason to ever see her again.

I spent the rest of the day working the garden and lounging at the pool. Scarlett phoned me and I couldn’t stop myself from teasing her. She obviously wanted another invitation and I held out for all of a minute before agreeing. She expressed her mock exasperation with a big sigh. I laughed and asked if she wanted to stay over again. That resulted in another sigh from her and a hearty laugh from me. I had debated whether to tell her that I loved her, but I knew it was too soon. Little did I know.

We had the lamb chops along with rice and another salad. After dinner we went into the spa for another long hot session of not quite making love—doing everything but before coming into the swirling water. Scarlett would have laughed had she not been recovering from a massive orgasm. Once again I felt that I just had to tease her. “Boy…you are such a sloppy lover.”

“Huh?” I replied with just a thumb over my shoulder.

She saw the pools of water all over the deck and asked, “Who did that?”

My shit-eating grin should have told her, but that didn’t stop me from teasing her once again. “Let’s see…I’m sitting here pretty much motionless with my back to the wall and someone else is moving like crazy all over me.”

“Oh Sean, I’m so sorry. Do I have to add some water?”

Kissing her first, I answered, “First of all I’m not at all sorry. And…no, it will fill itself automatically. That comes in handy during the summer when it’s really hot. I am sorry for teasing you, but I just couldn’t resist.” Scarlett replied by sticking her tongue out then she pushed it into my mouth. Ten minutes later we were in the shower and ten after that we were in bed together.

Scarlett had climbed onto my body—head on my chest and knee over my thigh—and had snuggled in really closely when she whispered, “I love you, Sean.”

I rubbed her back and butt before whispering back, “I love you, Scarlett. I felt like I was dead before you came into my life. Now I’ve never felt more alive.” I would have continued, but I realized that she was sound asleep. I kissed her hair and joined her, falling into a deep sleep almost immediately.

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I almost always woke up before the alarm sounded and today—the Monday I would return to work—was no exception. I looked down to see that Scarlett was also awake. I was going to kiss her, but she rose up to ask me, “Sean…did I…did I hear you say…did you say something to me? You know…right before I fell asleep?”

I knew this was no time to tease her. “Yes, I did, Scarlett, my darling. I said that I loved you and I do. I also said that I felt like I was dead before you came into my life. Not only did I learn that the woman I thought I loved had betrayed me, but she and her mother had beaten me in an attempt to make me submit to their whims. You’ve made me feel more alive than I’ve ever been. I’m grateful, of course, but I’ve also learned to love you deeply. I hate every second we’re apart. You really made my day when you said you loved me.”

“Are you sure, Sean? You’re not on the rebound, are you?”

I had to chuckle. “No, I’m sure I’m not. People on the rebound are praying that their lost love will be restored. My love for Lori died a swift and sure death when I learned that she had drugged me and fucked Michael on our wedding night. And if I had any doubts they disappeared when she hit me with the champagne bottle. Okay?”

“More than okay,” she said as she moved down to kiss me. It was a short one because she had more to say. “Do you want to fuck me, Sean?”

“Fuck you? No, but I long for the day that we can make love together.” She kissed me again then we were up. Love would have to wait. Forty minutes later we stood outside and kissed again before Scarlett drove to the hospital and I drove just down the block to my office.

I knew I’d have a really busy day—meeting with Angus at nine and the architect at ten. I went over my plans with Sandra when she arrived at eight. I thought that she would faint when she saw my outbox filled with almost everything that had been in its partner when she left on Friday. My meeting with Angus went as expected. He was interested when I told him I wanted to try making the valve springs from my patented alloy. We could pour a one-foot by one-inch cylinder and stretch it out to almost one hundred feet of thin wire. Then we could coil it tightly and test it. To be safe I wanted the testing machine set at 5,000 cycles per minute for a minimum of one month. Angus agreed that we should create a shield in case a spring should shatter and break.

We had just finished when Dave Specht and three of his staff walked in with blueprints and a 3-D model of the new buildings. Dave told me that clearing the lot would start this morning. “They’ll start behind this building. I already have the areas staked. My people found two downed trees from one of the storms last year. The wood is suspect so they’ll be pushed toward the back. I assume you still want the branches and small trees there.”

“You bet! A bunch of my friends and I plan to make a lot of firewood Saturday morning. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

“Thanks, but that sounds too much like work. Saturday is scheduled for the increase in your well from one inch to two inches. You’ll need the additional capacity for the new buildings.” Most folks in and around Philly would call our area “the sticks.” Other than Pottstown and Reading hardly anyone in our area has city water or sewer. Everyone I know has a well and a septic tank that empties into a drainage field. Our current one is adjacent to the existing building on the opposite side from the well, taking up 5,000 square feet. The new one would be dug right behind this one. We reviewed every step of the construction, paying attention to if and when construction might interfere with production. We were interrupted mid-meeting by the rumble of bulldozers and roar of chain saws outside.

Dave, Angus and I walked out the back door once the meeting was over just in time to see the first log truck pull away. Each one of those trucks was worth $8,000 to me. Oak, maple, and black walnut are never used for lumber. They’re used for veneer. They’re cut into big sheets of very thin wood then used in furniture and cabinetry over either pine or pine plywood. Solid oak or maple furniture would cost almost ten times what it currently costs. I laughed at a salesman who tried to sell me a “solid Brazilian rosewood” bedroom set. I did buy one for what was at the time my bedroom, but not from him and not from his store. I stood by watching as one of the bulldozers pushed the branches and smaller trees to the back of the open space. Anything still lying here on next Monday would be shredded and carted away to whatever use they wanted.

I was standing there watching when my cell rang. It was Scarlett. “Hi…busy morning?”

“You know it.”

“Miss me? I’m missing you something awful.”

“I am and probably even more.”

“Say it. Tell me how much you miss me.”

“Okay…I miss you a lot…more than a lot.”

“Oh, I guess you’re not alone. Who’s there with you?”

“Just my friend Dave, the architect, and Angus, my production supervisor. We’re checking on the first of the tree removal. We’ve been meeting most of the morning. I’ll have to work through lunch.”

“Okay, just as long as you actually eat something.”

“I know…something healthy.”

“You still have to tell me how much you love me.” She was laughing crazily when she finished.

“You just don’t care how much you embarrass me, do you? Okay, I love you very much and I miss you even more. Satisfied now?”

“Yes, I’ll be done around 5:30 so I’ll be home before six. Is that okay?”

“Better than okay. How about Chinese tonight?”

“A lot of salt, but okay if it’s not going to be every week. I’m glad you love me, Sean.”

“Yeah, so am I.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon. Bye, my love.”

I turned around to see Dave and Angus staring at me. “Mind telling us who that was? We know it wasn’t Lori.”

“No, that was Scarlett. Sandra enlisted her to rub an ointment into my back. I really pissed her off when I offered to pay her. She’s a RN at the hospital in Pottstown.”

“Not wasting any time, are you, Sean?”

“No, I guess not. She told me that she loved me last night so I reciprocated. She really is a wonderful person.”

“Great in the sack?”

“I wouldn’t know. We haven’t. It’s a long story and although I’m sure you’d be interested I’m not going there…and neither are you. Let’s get back to work.”

I spent most of the afternoon dealing with the specs for the Toyota valve springs. We made the alloy and began the process of stretching it out, running it through a series of reduction wheels that made it thinner and thinner until it reached required gauge. I ordered a 100 foot spool of the alloy specified by Toyota so we could make comparative tests. While my team handled the physical labor I was working at the computer to determine what each spring of each alloy would cost to produce and then how much I should build in as profit. I learned that my patented alloy would cost ten percent more to manufacture so I needed to show it was more than ten percent stronger and more durable in order to sell it. That would take time.

I was really whipped when I got home around 5:30. Scarlett joined me just before six, exactly as she had predicted. She had a plastic bag in her hand as she ran to me and into my arms. We kissed, tongues dueling fiercely as our lips mashed into each other. Breaking it she asked, “Did I embarrass you badly?”

“No, I did take a little joshing, but that’s all. Basically, all I did was remind them who’s paying the bills. Want to change before we go out?” Of course, she did, changing into a tight tee and even tighter short shorts. I drove her down toward Pottstown to Peking Gourmet, one of many mostly good Chinese restaurants in the area, but my favorite, by far. After scanning the menu we decided on combination plates as our best option. Scarlett chose the General Tso’s Chicken, telling the woman at the counter that she wanted it spicy. I chickened out, choosing Orange Chicken. When asked if I wanted it spicy I said no, thanking God that they had asked.

We ordered a large bag of crispy fried noodles as a starter and I introduced Scarlett to Chinese mustard, telling her to use only a little. I knew she had taken too much when she reached for her soda in an act of desperation. She agreed then that the mustard was STRONG! We had a few laughs when Scarlett tried to use chop sticks. I had learned from experts—the Chung family. Danny and his parents had lived just a few houses from my family and we had been very good friends. I ate at his house often and was glad to return the favor right up until his dad was transferred to his firm’s home office in Houston. Even then Danny and I communicated regularly by email until I went to Penn State where demands of academia and wrestling caused us to lose touch. I wondered then if I might be able to look him up when I went there on business.

After stuffing ourselves I asked Scarlett if she wanted to go home or if she might like to go out for a drink. She opted for the drink so I drove her to Ralph’s. Ralph’s is an institution in Boyertown. I was once a regular, but pretty much stopped going when Lori and I got serious. She felt it was too low brow for her as if anything could be lower than her. I had known Ralph for years. He was Fred’s and Roy’s father, buying the bar when he retired from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office. The boundary line between Berks and Montgomery counties was also the line between Boyertown and Gilbertsville. Boyertown school district was one of only a few that had students from two different counties. Even though the high school was in Berks, it belonged to the Ches-Mont League—schools in Chester and Montgomery Counties.

As we walked in I waved to a few guys I knew from work. Even though it was crowded we were able to find two stools together near the far end of the bar. I ordered a Bud and was a bit surprised when Scarlett joined me. One thing about beer—it affects your bladder. Forty minutes later Scarlett excused herself to the ladies’ room.

We were having a good time and everything was fine until I had to relieve myself. When I returned Scarlett was surrounded by three guys, one of whom was trying his damned best to pick Scarlett up. She was just as determined to turn him down. I was only a few feet behind the lout when I heard him say, “Sure, you’re saying no, but we both know that you really mean yes.” He was bigger than me by a few inches and heavier by about forty pounds, but mostly, I thought, he was seriously overweight. I had used the gym or swam daily before the wedding and I would again once I had the all-clear from Doc at tomorrow’s appointment.

I thought at the time that the light approach would probably be best so I was almost laughing when I announced my presence. “Thanks for looking after my girlfriend, guys, but I’m back now.”

The big guy who was determined to make an ass of himself turned his back as he told me to get lost. “She might have come in with you, but she’s leaving with me.”

Okay, that didn’t work so I went to Plan B. “I believe she said no and since I know her a bit better than you do I know that she means it.”

“Look, Jack—take a hike. Not only am I bigger than you, but perhaps you noticed that there are three of us and only one of you. Get lost while you can and let me get back to the business at hand.” Then he made a big mistake. He pushed me away. I stepped between him and Scarlett, a look of determination on my face.

He turned away to put his drink on the bar and I knew what was coming next. I only hoped I knew where. I flexed my abdominals just a second before he threw the sucker punch. Because of the way he was facing I knew it would be from his off hand—his left. It bounced harmlessly off my abdomen, but before he could react I shot my right hand out to grab and constrict his throat. Good wrestlers have exceptionally strong shoulders arms and hands. Strength there was even more important than strong legs and a powerful back.

I held him in a tight grip at arm’s length as he croaked, “The cops…. I’ll call the cops.” I was sure he would have continued his feeble threats had there not been a shockingly loud BANG on the bar behind him.

Turning in that direction I saw Ralph holding what he called his “Equalizer.” It was a beat up aluminum bat—a holdover from his softball days. “That’s a damned good idea. Then we can all tell them that we saw you throw a punch at Sean and how all he did was defend himself. Or, we could just wait here for about five minutes until my son, Fred, arrives. He’s a detective with the sheriff. I’m sure he’d find the story really interesting.

“Sean, just lead this asshole down this way.” He walked toward the front of the bar where he had his “Hall of Fame”—dozens of photos of Boyertown’s best athletes in action all neatly arranged and hung on the wall–an entire row of which was dedicated to me . I pushed and asshole stumbled backward until we had arrived. “The man you tried to sucker punch is a big hero around here. Not only was he a fantastic athlete, but about eighty people earn a real good living at his factory and soon that number will almost double. He’s one of the most respected people in this community. Here he is wrestling varsity in eighth grade. That was the only year he lost a match and that was in the state finals. These are from his high school career—grades nine through twelve—All-State and All-American every year and undefeated. These last four are from his career at Penn State—undefeated and All-American there, too.

“And if you think he’s alone I suggest you take a look behind you.” There were four of my biggest and strongest employees flexing their muscles. They were part of a group unofficially called “The Forgers.” They worked with crucibles of molten metal all day. I have the most modern winches and lifts to handle tons of metal to be poured into molds, but there were times every day when small crucibles had to be lifted and moved by hand. Our smallest, filled with iron or steel, weighed more than 200 pounds and dropping it was never an option. That was why I paid these men an additional five dollars an hour.

The biggest and strongest, by far, was the unofficial leader Paul Martin who, at six feet four and two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle, looked as though he was just itching for a fight. But before anything could be said or done Scarlett spoke. “You’re going to have to let him go soon, Sean.