A Debt Paid

By Joslyn Black
All rights reserved. Except for use in any
review, the reproduction or utilization of

this work in whole or in part in any form by
any electronic, mechanical or other means,
now known or hereafter invented,
including xerography, photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, is forbidden without the
written permission from the Author.

This is a work
of pure fiction.
Names,
characters, places and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Dedicated to my loving friends who
encouraged me to not fear and to just
write.

Anya sat at the exquisitely
decorated, lavish banquet table bored out
of her skull. Oh, how she hated these
things, but she had to come she had to
support her
wonderful
Daddy, and show
everyone what a
perfect, happy family
they
were. What total bullshit! The truth being,
she felt sorry for her mother, who had to be
loaded with a drink in her hands twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week, or she
couldn’t deal with the stress of being the
Senator’s perfect wife and mother to his
children. If her mother were ever sober,
she’d have to face the cold, hard reality of
her life, and Anya knew she couldn’t handle
that. Now, Anya’s brother was decent if you
thought being a conceited money hungry
prick was decent. As for her father, there
wasn’t enough time to get into his
depravity. He was a dirty senator; he made
deals for anything if the price was right. His
fingers were in a lot of pies, and he got
kickbacks from major drug dealers and
prostitution rings. It was even rumored he
had ties to the Italian mafia.

Anya didn’t know for sure and
didn’t want to know. Once she’d turned
eighteen, she had moved out of the family
mansion as fast as she could. After working
a full-time job while going to night school
she was a certified paralegal. Wanting
nothing to do with her father or brother,
Anya did the minimum required to keep up
appearances. She only did that because of
her mother, since all her mother had left
was the image of a happy family. Anya
loved her mother and felt sorry for her
trapped with Anya’s father. The Senator
would never allow her mother to divorce
him.

Her mother had finally gotten her
nerve up to leave him once a few years
back, but he used rather emotionally
painful and unscrupulous tactics to make
her mother stay. So, here Anya sat, smiling,
shaking hands, and waiting for the hands
on the clock to move to the appointed time
she could leave.

As a waiter passed by her, she
signaled for another glass of champagne.
She had just turned twenty two and didn’t
drink much., but Anya didn’t care, and
neither did anyone else for that matter;
they were all too self-centered to think of
anyone else. All of them smiling at each
other, glad handing while they think of
ways to use each other for their own profit
or gain. A pit of serpents was what they all
were.

Calix stood off to the side and kept
his eyes on Anya, a beautiful brunette who
was sitting alone at the head table.
Something about her had always called to
him. For the last couple of years, he’d felt
an un natural pull toward her that he didn’t
understand. She had been so young when
he first met her, though. A legal adult, yes,
but still a teen nonetheless, so he’d kept his
distance and would deny his desires. But,
she was twenty-two now, no longer a
teenager. She was stunning and mature
beyond her years with thick, long hair the
color of rich chocolate, eyes as blue as the
sky, and her skin the color of sweet light
caramel. He’d seen her at these functions
every couple of months. In fact, he looked
for her whenever he was at one. He knew
she was the Senator’s daughter, but how a
weasel like him had been able to father
such a beautiful creature he didn’t know.

He watched her as she turned down
man after man tonight. Anya was a strong,
independent tigress of a woman hidden
under that beautiful kitten’s fur. He
decided that he had waited long enough,
and, tonight, he would make her his. He
was more than confident she wouldn’t turn
down his dinner invitation; he had never
once been turned down by any female he
showed attention. As lust-filled thoughts of
her assaulted his mind with what he would
get after their dinner date, he walked over
to her adjusting his dinner jacket to hide
his growing arousal.

“Good evening. Calix Anastas. We’ve
met before a few years ago, I believe.” He
held out his hand to shake hers.

Anya looked from the hand he
offered then to his face
. “Great, another
pompous peacock trying to strut himself,”
she thought disdainfully
.

“Anya Richards,” she answered
tonelessly, ignoring his hand and turning
her attention back to the crowd in front of
her.

Seeing that she was snubbing him
and not going to take his hand, he dropped
it to his side. He decided that maybe
flattery would get her attention. “Forgive
me if I’m out of line, but you must know
you are the most beautiful women here
tonight.”

Anya rolled her eyes.
Like I haven’t
heard that ten times tonight.
Putting on her
best fake smile, she looked back to him and
accepted his compliment with a curt.
“Thank you.”

She was turning him down. Calix
wasn’t about to take a no from her; he’d
been waiting too many years to receive a
no. Grabbing the chair next to her, he began
to pull it out to sit, asking, “Is this seat
taken?”

“No,” Anya said flatly. Waiting until
he was completely seated, she stood up.
“Excuse me,” she said as she walked away,
leaving him to sit alone.

Calix had never lost his temper over
a woman before, but he was walking on the
edge with her. All of his needs and
emotions seemed to be amplified around
her. Anya brought out unknown feelings in
him every time he looked at her. But, she
had snubbed his hand, and he was pissed at
her blatant, public refusal of him. It’s one
thing to say no but to just openly reject him
with people watching—no, he wasn’t going
to let that slide.

Senator Tomas Richards was happy
to have so many people attend his
campaign fundraiser. If he could keep his
and his family’s image in good standing, his
re-election was assured. He could just
smell the money that would be lining his
pockets. Turning around, Richards was
surprised to see Calix Anastas walking
towards him and the group of gentlemen
he was currently talking up
.

What is he doing here?
Richards
tried to keep composed and not show his
nervousness. He knew there was only one
reason Calix would approach him directly.
Calix walked right up to Richards and
patted him on the back.

“Senator Richards, quite the turn
out. I’d go so far as to say the election is in
the bag.” He smiled broadly, but it didn’t
reach his eyes.

“Mr. Anastas, thank you for your
contribution and for coming and
supporting my re-election.” He tried to
sound confident, doing his best to hide the
fear in his voice. Deep down he knew why
Calix was here.

Calix put his arm around Richards
shoulder. “If you would excuse us
gentleman, I have an urgent matter to
discuss with Senator Richards.” Not waiting
for a response, he just proceeded to steer
Richards toward the back of the room,
where they would have some privacy.
Dropping his arm from around Richards’s
shoulder, he put his hands in his pockets
and stood in a relaxed stance, but Richards
knew he was anything other than relaxed.

“What are you doing here? I can’t
have people thinking we’re in a close
business association. Everyone knows the
rumors of your business contacts and
associates.”

“Never mind other people right
now. So, Richards, with this turn out, it
looks like you might have the money to pay
back your loan.” His voice deceivingly calm.

“Anastas, I told you that I would be
able to pay after my re-election, with
additional interest, if you could just get
them to give me some time.”

Shaking his head Calix responded,
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’ve had almost a year to
pay off the loan, and your interest has
already doubled. I’m afraid they can’t give
you more time. Sends a bad message; that
they’re going soft. Can’t have that, can we?
With interest and one extension you owe
four hundred and fifty grand, due Monday.
You know, of course, if you don’t pay, there
will be some physical reminders as well as
some public ones. You don’t want that,
now, do you?”

Richards took his handkerchief from
his pocket and wiped his sweaty brow.
Then, he started unconsciously wringing
his hands.

Calix looked over Richards shoulder
and saw his daughter Anya rejecting yet
another man’s advances as she talked with
her mother. He watched as Anya hugged
her mother and kissed her on the cheek.
She then looked around the room, and their
eyes connected for a brief moment until
hers shifted toward her father. Sullen
faced, she started to walk in their direction.
He watched as she came up behind her
father and tapped him on the shoulder.
Richards turned around to see his
daughter.

“Mom insisted I say goodnight
before I left.” Her eyes rolled in her
otherwise emotionless face.

“You’ve only been here for oeuvres
and pictures there’s still speeches, dinner
and more” he responded his voice indigent.

Crossing her arms over her chest,
she shifted her weight onto one foot,
causing her hips to raise slightly to one
side. Gritting her teeth and trying to keep
her voice down, Anya snapped, “Look, I
came. You got your,” she made quote signs
with her fingers, “happy family pictures,
and I sat through the opening chit chat.
You’re lucky I did even that.”

Without even one glance in Calix’s
direction, she turned and left. He had never
been rejected or ignored, but this woman
did both, more than once, in less than thirty
minutes, and by a woman he strongly
desired. By the way she spoke to her father,
you could tell that there was no love lost
there. But, as Calix had watched her, he saw
a raw, elemental heat in her eyes.

Turning back to Calix, Richards
continued, “Please, excuse my daughter,
social gatherings are not her forte. Now,
Anastas, I’m going to have a hard time
coming up with that much money over the
weekend.”

“You had no problem spending that
money, though, did you?” he countered
harshly.

Calix thought for a moment. Anya’s
rejection came to mind, and he smiled to
himself. “There is something. If we can
come to agreeable terms, I’ll wipe your
entire debt clean.” He made a sweeping
motion with his hand as he spoke.

Richards’s eyes widened, his mouth
slightly dropped, and he stopped fidgeting.
Had he heard correctly? His entire debt: he
couldn’t believe it. “Really?” His voice
raised an octave with hope.

“What? Anything, I’ll agree to
anything you want it’s yours,” Richards
replied emphatically.

Calix rubbed his chin while he
spoke. “Do you know I’m thirty-nine this
year? Younger than you, yes, but it is an
advanced age to me. A man in my position
needs to start thinking of a legacy to leave
behind, someone he can turn over the reins
to before too much time passes.”

Richards was shaking his head side
to side, and his eyebrows pinched. “I’m not
following. How can I help with giving you a
legacy?”

“Oh okay.” Richard’s voice pepped
up, thinking that this would be easy. “I
know plenty of single women who would
fall at your feet…”

“I don’t need help finding a woman,
and I don’t want just anyone; I want Anya.”
He kept a close eye on Richards as he made
his stipulation. Richards was such a weasel
of a man, he would no doubt provide his
daughter before the money.

Richards actually let out a small
gasp and took a step back at Calix's request.
Shocked he started to stutter, “Aaaanya, my
d-d-daughter? You want her, why?”

“What does it matter to you why I
want her? I just do, so have her or the
money Monday morning in my office, or
I’m afraid an unfortunate accident may
befall you.” Calix paused, remembering
Anya’s attitude toward her father. “Or your
lovely wife,” he added. With his ultimatum
laid down, Calix turned to make his exit,
leaving behind a very stressed and scared
Richards.

Richards watched the back of Calix’s
head as he left the banquet hall. What
would he do now? He had nowhere near
the amount he owed, and it would be too
difficult for him to siphon cash from his
campaign fund without notice. He would
need to talk to Anya, but what would she
say? She won’t agree to this. She’d tell him
he deserved it, but Calix didn’t just threaten
him, he had also threatened Tomas’s wife.
She might do it for her mother. Now wasn’t
the time to think about it; he still had a
room full of potential contributors he
needed to mingle with. Deciding he needed
to calm his heart down first, he went to the
open bar and had a scotch neat to calm his
nerves.