Blackmailed Bride Ch. 21

Tiffany agreed she'd go home around midnight, so I let her stay. She showed the others out of the door and she returned to the couch and we talked about anything else. I told her Suki was almost finished with the last painting, but there was no way Tanner was going to have it. Nor did I want another painting of me floating around Atlanta, so I'd have to figure something else to do with it. I asked her if she'd said anything to the others about my 'situation'.

"Not my place to say," Tiffany said. "You'll need to tell them in your own way and own time."

"You're showing an incredible amount of restraint. Heaven knows it a real juicy tidbit."

"This is not some idle gossip, Brooke. This is your life. It's horrible and it's been done to you by people who should have been looking after you. It's the worst sort of betrayal. I don't know if I could have survived the same sort of thing. I'd want to die. It's why I'm worried about you."

"I don't want to die." Yet. "I want to get even."

"And I'll help you. We're going to nail these bastards to the wall."

"Sure we are, Tiffany. I want to thank you from the bottom of my poor shriveled up heart for everything you've done for me. I don't know if I deserve a friend like you, but I thank my lucky stars I've got you. I'd like to take a nap now. The last few days have been pretty rough." I kissed her, full on the lips. "I love you."

"Sure. I love you too," Tiffany said. "Come on. Let's get you to bed."

I laughed. "Come on along then, Ms. Swenson, if you don't think I can make it into bed on my own. I haven't even had anything to drink. I think I can get my bra off all by myself."

Tiffany laughed too, but she followed me into my bedroom. I stripped off all my clothes, all modesty gone.

"Nothing up my sleeves," I said, running my hands up my arms. "If you want to check my cunt and my ass, you'll see there's nothing up there either. I'm going to bed now. Do you want to join me?"

"Don't be rude, Brooke. Not under the covers, but I do want to stay for a bit."

"Suit yourself." I slid under the covers and curled into a small ball. Tiffany slipped her shoes off and lay down on top of the covers, putting her arms around me. I had to admit it was a comfort her being there. It was nice to know everyone around me wasn't a traitor and I still had some friends in the world willing to do almost anything for me. Too bad my husband wasn't one of them.

I received a text from Tanner around 10:30. I showed it to Tiffany.

My boss said I could come home for Thanksgiving. I should be home in a week.

It was with the utmost restraint I answered back an innocuous, That's wonderful. I'm so happy. I look forward to your return. You bastard.

A little FaceTime fun?

I'm sorry, Tanner. I have a headache. I'm trying to sleep. You'll be home in a week. I'll make it worth your while. Fuck you, asshole.

Sorry to hear it, Brooke. I'll see you then.

I love you, Tanner. I'll see you in a week. I'd love to shove a harpoon up your ass and shred your balls in a meat grinder. In a week, toots, I'll have them served to me on a platter. Tiffany approved of what I'd said. Calm, cool and collected, that was me.

As much as I tried to sleep, closing my eyes and slowing my breathing, I was still wide awake at midnight when Tiffany left. My mind was firing on all cylinders and I couldn't shut it off. A hundred different scenario's of what I wanted to do to Tanner and Oliver floated into my mind, only to be rejected. None of them were bad enough. I think I finally fell asleep around five AM with the fragments of an idea in my mind.

******

At one PM the next day, I was at Tiffany's meeting Hilda Oppenhoffer. Hilda looked like a female Nazi SS Officer, so ramrod stiff, severe and buttoned down, she looked ready to pop. Exactly the kind of person I wanted handling my divorce. I wanted this to hurt someone. It seemed to me, the way to make rich people miserable was to make them poor, and I wanted to turn all the Mason's into paupers.

"Is this a matter of infidelity?" Hilda asked.

"Infidelity, incest and a whole lot more," I informed her.

"Tell me more," she said.

Without going into every grisly detail, we made Hilda aware of what had happened to me and who was responsible. I told her I wanted my husband and his entire family broke. I wanted them to have to empty their bank accounts, brokerage accounts, sell their house, give up their golf course and country club memberships and live on their social security benefits alone.

"I think I can make that happen given what you've told me, but I may need proof."

"We've got proof of everything we've claimed," Tiffany said, "though we'd like to keep from sharing Brooke's blackmail information with anyone who absolutely doesn't need to have it for this thing to happen."

"Of course. You can count on my discretion. What about your husband?" Hilda asked.

"He needs to give me the apartment, every cent in his bank accounts and everything else but his car and clothes," I said. "We have some other plans for him, but I think we'll be able to manage those things on our own."

"Very well," Hilda said. "I'll get right on this."

"We'd like it all to be ready by next Friday," I said. "Tanner is supposed to be 'returning' from Osaka next Friday, and I'd like to present him with the divorce papers then."

"Kind of a surprise Welcome Home gift," Hilda said.

"Something like that," I said.

"They'll be ready."

"I dearly love a competent woman," I said. "Thank you for your help."

"I'll call if I need any more information than what I have now."

"Someone will drop off video evidence of the incest at your office this week," Tiffany said.

"Thank you. I appreciate your business. This should be quite lucrative for both of us."

Tiffany let her out of her apartment.

"Now let me tell you about what I want to do to Tanner," I told her.

Tiffany listened to me outline my plan.

"That sounds pretty extreme to me," Tiffany said, after hearing of the plan. "Not so much what happens to Tanner. He deserves all you give him, but it sounds pretty rough on you. Are you sure you want to go to those extremes?"

"Hell, yes. Every bit of it."

"Who are you going to get to do it?"

"Jackson should know some guys who would be happy to do it. I'll talk to him later and see if he'll fix it up for me."

"Just don't bite off your own nose to spite your face, Brooke. Seriously. Don't do anything that will hurt you as much as it hurts Tanner."

"Don't worry, Tiffany. Don't you know I'm a whore now? You've seen all the evidence of it."

******