Lost in Flight (56 page)

Riley:   Send picture of your boobs.

Dina:   No.

Riley:   No?

She shook her head and giggled.  She’d never been a naked picture girl – intentionally anyway – and she wasn’t about to start now.  Riley, however, made her feel daring and naughty.  Checking that she was alone, she sent back a text:

Dina:   Send picture of your dick.

Riley:   OK, as you wish…

Then she chickened out and changed her mind:

Dina:   Jokes!  I was joking.  Don’t!

Riley:   ? L

She thought that was the end of it and then her phone went again.  Opening the message she burst out laughing.  He’d sent a photo of his tongue with the stud in it. 

Dina:   Nice!

Riley:   Leaving now.  Miss you babe and love you xxx

Dina:   Miss and love you more J

Riley:   No way.  Love you infinity.  LOL

Dina:   Insult stealer!  B safe k?

Riley:   Always.

Christina worked solidly, trying to clear as much of the backlog of her work as possible, in a love induced haze.  She was still smiling when she heard a commotion at her door.  She looked up when she heard a knock at her door and saw Debbie Bindman and then her face froze. 

What the hell was he doing here?

Debbie came in with a broad smile. “Christina, I believe you know…”

“
Massssssson Glenn
,
”
Christina hissed. 

Mason Glenn stood smiling like a horrible, hideous troll in her doorway with his almost colorless eyes glinting with malice.  “
Chrisssssstina
,
”
he hissed back. 

Debbie looked from one to the other with surprise and was visibly taken aback.  They resembled two arch-nemeses cats that had run across each other in close confinement.  One false move and there would be claws.

“Oh, we know each other,” leered Mason.

“I wouldn’t go that far, Mason,” snapped Christina.

“Ahem,” started Debbie Bindman, “Mason Glenn has put a business proposition to the firm and is interested in coming on board as a client.”  Debbie beamed at Christina and her heart sank.  “It’s contingent on a few conditions,” Debbie continued, but Mason interrupted her. 

“Oh Debbie,” Mason smirked, “please let me tell her.  It would be my pleasure.”  Mason did a mock shudder and leered at Christina.  “I’m jittering in anticipation.”  Christina felt sick and almost dry-retched. 

He stared at Debbie’s breasts and was obviously unimpressed, so he turned back and looked pointedly at Christina’s.  She wanted to cross her arms so he couldn’t look at them, but decided she wouldn’t give ground to the little pervert, showing weakness.  His eyes lit up and he moved forward to Christina. 

“I need a lawyer on site in Shanwick for business interests – you know in our lovely little hometown.”  If there was one thing Mason and Christina shared it was a loathing for Shanwick, but that was as far as any commonality between them went.

Pointing at Christina he sneered. “And that lawyer would be you.  Since you’re so used to the environment and all the players, I couldn’t think of a better, or should I say, more suitable person.”

Christina’s mouth fell open and she looked at Debbie.  “Is this some kind of joke?” 

Debbie shook her head.  “I had no idea you would have reservations about this Christina, it seemed a perfect fit to me,” but Mason laughed over top of her. 

“She’s a perfect fit all right, aren’t you, Dina?” 

She wanted to punch him: repeatedly, hard and without stopping.  There would be some good old-fashioned kicking thrown in for good measure too.  It wouldn’t be the first time and she doubted it would be the last. 

Ignoring Mason and focusing on Debbie, Christina babbled, “I don’t understand.” 

“Why doesn’t that surprise me, Dina?  You can be a bit slow in some areas,” Mason snorted.  Christina raised her gaze slowly to Mason’s and stared at him with such loathing, she saw him gulp. 

Oh yes, you little prick
she thought,
now you remember
. 

Mason grinned at her trying for nonchalance, but looking a bit nervous.  “I saw you a couple of weeks ago in Seattle.  You had an
interesting
outfit on.”  He leered pointedly at her cleavage.  “I’d go so far as to say it was
endowed
.  Excellent choice, I thought.  It detracted from your overall hideous personality.”

“What do you want, Mason?”  Christina snarled.

“Apart from one night with Mandy, world peace, and Brokeback Mountain 2 starring Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron… a meeting with you.”

Christina stared at Debbie.  “I’m afraid I can’t do this.  You’ll have to find someone else.” 

Debbie’s face fell and Mason’s evil grin got wider.  “There is no one else, Darth.  It’s you, or we take our business elsewhere.”  Sighing, Mason said, “You still haven’t forgiven me for your mother’s underwear, have you?” 

No.  She really hadn’t.  “Nope,” said Christina, “I haven’t and I never will.” 

“Pity,” Mason pouted and moved closer to her, making the hackles on the back of her neck rise.  “I was actually after your bra.  You can give it to me now if you want?” 

He put his hand out waiting, as if she would comply with his request.  He was insane and repulsive.  “Excuse me?  I
totally
don’t want,” growled Christina. 

Mason’s eyes glittered and there was an angry tightness around his mouth.  He moved forward and stood in front of her desk.  “You got your revenge though, didn’t you?”

She sat forward suddenly and smiled in satisfaction when Mason took a quick step backwards.  “Apart from beating you up behind the bike sheds?  I don’t know what you mean.” 

Mason rolled his eyes.  “You didn’t beat me up behind the bike sheds.  I let you hit me because it gave me an erection.”

Debbie gasped and Christina almost gagged. 
Ugh
, she thought,
I hope that’s not true
. 

Mason narrowed his eyes.  “No,
Chrissssstina
, I’m referring to the little matter of you telling everyone I had three balls.” 

Oh.  Yes.  That revenge.
  Now she remembered.  Christina shrugged and tried to act superior.  “The medical term is polyorchidism, Mason,” she sniffed disdainfully. 

“Which translates as ‘MAN WITH THREE BALLS,’” he shouted.  “Correct?” 

Christina stared evenly at him.  “It could have been worse.”

“How?”

“I could have said you had anorchous, which translates to men with no balls,” she sneered. 

“Pfffft,” snorted Mason, “I assume the collective noun would be “Dina Martin’s exes?”

“Hilarious, Mason,” said Christina rolling her eyes. 

Mason put on his patronizing face and voice.  “I do try, Christina.”

 Christina shook her head.  “Oh, I was talking about you using the term assume – you know you being a great, big fat ‘ass’ and all.  You,” she pointed at Mason, “but definitely not me.”

As if some signal had been given, Mason and Christina launched themselves at one another, snarling, hissing, and growling.  This wasn’t Christina at 14.  This was Mason and Christina at 12 years old.  Yelling: “I know you are, but what am I” back at one other.  The air was punctuated with “pervert”, “succubus” and all manner of other insults that only they understood leaving a horrified Debbie Bindman witnessing this assault aghast.

Debbie Bindman gulped and started with an “As I was saying,” but Mason hadn’t finished.  Wild-eyed and furious, he roared.  “You got me suspended from school.” 

“I did not,” denied Christina. 

“Did so,” Mason snarled. 

“DID NOT,” Christina snarled back, “it had something to do with you exposing yourself at school assembly yelling, look there are only two.”

Mason looked up at the ceiling in memory and then smiled.  “Agh, yes.  Quite right.  One of my all-time favorite memories.”  They stared at each for a bit and then laughed. 

Turning to Debbie, Mason asked.  “Would you mind giving me five minutes alone with Christina, please?” 

Debbie looked at Christina for acknowledgement and she nodded.  “I’ll be right outside the door,” Debbie said pointedly.  Looking between Mason and Christina she left, closing the door behind her, but standing sentinel outside in case she was needed.

Mason flicked his black hair out of his eyes and focused on Christina.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. 

Mason sighed.  “You’ll have to ask your husband.” 

“
Ex-husband
,” Christina said meaningfully.  Soon to be eviscerated ex-husband.  He knew how much she hated Shanwick.  What the hell was he playing at?

“Him too,” Mason quipped.  “Rumor has it he’s your new boyfriend?  I tried to stop you from getting your hideous tentacles back into him and sucking the life out again, but he seems to have some kind of defect that way.  We have a project happening in our glorious hometown that needs some delicate handling.  Your
boyfriend
doesn’t want to use our normal lawyers for it.  Something about them being…”

“Scum?”  Christina asked.  In the legal profession, Mason’s lawyers were notorious for the lengths and filthy depths they would go to for their clients.  Clients, who were equally notorious, like Mason Glenn. 

“Riley wants a different type of moral compass,” grinned Mason.

Christina felt pleased – she was still angry about being stuck with this project, but she was flattered despite herself. 

Mason saw her face and laughed.  “Not yours, Darth.  Yours is about as twisted as mine.  We’re borrowing Debbie Bindman’s, but you’re going to take point.”

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth turned downward.  How dare he compare his moral compass to hers?  He was a pervert on multiple levels and the Shanwick panty stealer.  She was nothing like him.

Mason looked at her and pursed his lips.  “Riley wants this Dina.  God knows why, but he does.” 

She was caught.  There was no way she was getting out of this and maybe bringing Mason Glenn into the firm as a client for Bindmans would lesson the impact when she left.

“Aagh,” sneered Mason, “Yes – you realize now don’t you?  You’re well and truly stuck.  You’re a smart girl, Dina.  It’s one of the few things I like about you.” 

Mustering up a defiant smile, Christina said, “You know what I like about you, Mason?” 

She saw the surprise register on his face.  “What?” he asked. 

“Nothing,” she snapped.

Mason laughed and his eyes glittered.  “Can’t say this has been pleasant, Darth, but I’ve enjoyed it.  I’ll let you get on and I expect you in Shanwick by the end of the month.” 

One week
, Christina thought
, I have one week and then I’m back in purgatory
.  Mason waved at her and exited her office.  She only just resisted the urge of flipping him the bird, but curbed her enthusiasm when Debbie Bindman came back into her office.

“Christina, I’m so sorry.  We need this,” Debbie said, “I had no idea you and Mason Glenn had such history.”

“How long am I back there for, Debbie?” 

“We haven’t agreed on any fixed time.  He mentioned three months with a further option of another three, but we can fix that in the contract,” Debbie said.

“Good,” said Christina, “Because I’m not doing this indefinitely.  Three months is long enough.  Six is cruel.”  Debbie looked concerned.  “I want your assurance – in writing – that I am still on my
sister’s
case,” Christina said icily.

 “Of course,” Debbie agreed, “I wouldn’t ask you to do this Christina if it wasn’t important to the survival of the firm.” 

Christina nodded and waited for Debbie to leave her office before swearing in a way that would make Bonnie proud.  She picked up her cell phone and sent Riley a blistering text, but there was no response.  He’d planned this down to the last detail, including him making a great escape before she could get her hands on him.  Nicholas Xavier Riley had some
serious
explaining to do.

********************

Mason

Mason Glenn waited until he was inside the town car before he allowed himself a smile that turned into a full belly laugh.  He’d enjoyed that much more than he thought he would.  Darth Martin had hated it, which made his satisfaction grow in size.  He looked down and rearranged his trousers.  Her hitting him behind the bike sheds
had
given him an erection. 

Although he’d had to mask it from Riley, all his female warrior and dominatrix characters in his games, and applications had been based on Darth.  His favorite was a large breasted, serial killer, with large, dark dominant eyes that he’d named The Evil Queen.  She sucked the life out of her victims in a pornographic way and then ritually sacrificed them. 

Mason once thought her mother was one of the sexiest women he’d ever seen.  He’d stolen her panties off the clothesline on purpose and pretended it was a mistake.  As far as he was concerned, the ass whooping Darth had given him was a small price to pay.  Definitely:  worth it.

The little Martin girl was like her mother in looks, but not in personality.  She was also dark and twisty, like her sister, and Christina had put him off the Martin sisters forever.  As much as he’d have liked to make an attempt on Gabby, self-preservation was his over-riding evolutionary imperative.

Mason smirked.  He and Darth would never be friends, but he did respect her, even though the feeling wasn’t mutual.  She took no prisoners and he had a grudging admiration for that.  He was one of the few people that thought she had murdered Riley when he disappeared.  Rather than disliking her, she rose in Mason’s estimation.

He shook his head.  He would never understand altruism as long as he lived.  It was a foreign country and he didn’t understand it – not even observing it by third party, watching Riley try to do something good for Darth.  If Mason’s spidey senses were right, Riley was in for a world of angry and done himself no favors. 

Mason laughed out loud thinking about it and sent a text:

Mason:   It’s done.