The Restraining Order

"Of course it was just one. I don't even remember that one. Anyway I said I'd scan it and email it to her tonight so I'd better go and do that."

"You be careful Ritchie. That could be classed as contacting her."

"Don't worry, I'll set up a new hotmail account then deny all knowledge of it."

Richard went off to his room.

*****

Looking back, I really can't think of how I came to be living with Tony. There was no big sensation. No finding him in my every thought, no falling in love, only him always being there. I'd been devastated by those photos and I'd turned to him for support. I leaned on him and he was always there helping me make decisions. He more or less took over the divorce and I felt dependant on him.

When I needed a hug he was there, comforting me, telling me it was not my fault. He started taking me out, to "bring me out of myself" he'd said. We went out had a few drinks shared a few kisses and ended up in bed together. I was really lonely at home without Richard. When he'd suggested moving in with me It seemed like the ideal solution. I liked him, he was always kind to me and the children. I felt no real passion for him but it could work out.

Now I saw another side of Tony, cruel and vindictive. Richard would never have said such a cruel thing to a little girl, no matter who her father was. If Tony was behind the injunction then it definitely showed something I hadn't seen before.

That night in bed he spooned into my back and put his arm around me. His hand started moving down over my stomach and between my legs. He started stroking my pussy. I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away as I got out of the bed.

"I told you, I'm not in the mood. I want to get some sleep tonight even if you don't so I'm going to Maddy's room."

I crept into her bedroom and climbed onto the top bunk. I lay awake listening to my little girl sleeping. My mind kept going back to that injunction. I'd seen a statement from me saying the Richard had been harassing me at work and made threats to burn the house down with me in it. I knew I'd never made that statement, it simply wasn't true. I'd been shocked to see my signature at the bottom. I resolved to set legal minds to work on it.

There was a frosty atmosphere at breakfast the following day. Tony wasn't happy at being left alone in bed all night. Maddy and Tom made it clear they blamed Tony for not seeing their father and I was getting over a largely sleepless night. In the end I was a relieved to drop the children at school and go on to work.

At work I got out the restraining order and worked through it again. The statements which formed the basis of the injunction alleged Richard had threatened both Tony and I with physical violence. My statement said that he had spent several evenings sitting in his car outside the house. None of this was true yet it had my signature at the bottom. It stated quite clearly that the injunction was requested by Pendleton, Syms and Woodcock on behalf of their clients Mr Anthony Woodward and Mrs Cathleen Thompson. I pushed it around my desk for a while. By mid morning I had made up my mind the best person to help me was the senior partner Mr Michael Pendleton. I left my office and went up to see him.

"Good morning Cathleen what can I do for you. I haven't messed up my expenses again have I?"

"Oh no sir, nothing like that. I have a legal problem that I hope you can help me with."

"Ah well I'm not sure I'm the best person to help you. As you know, we specialise in corporate law."

"I know sir, and it makes my problem even more curious." I put the injunction on his desk. "This injunction was served on my husband. It was requested by this company and it's based on statements that I never made yet they have my signature on the bottom."

He read through the injunction and the statements. Then he read them through again.

"You realise you are making a very serious allegation here. I want you to think very carefully before you answer my question."

"Are you saying that you never asked anyone at this firm to secure this injunction?"

"I don't need to think about that I know I never requested it."

"Are you saying that you never made the statement the injunction is based on?"

"Yes sir, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"Finally are you saying that the incidents never occurred?"

"I can't be certain about those in Anthony's statement. He certainly never mentioned anything to me about them. I can be certain that none of the incidents in what is supposed to be my statement ever occurred."

"So what do you want from me Cathleen"

"I want that injunction overturned, so my children can see their father again and I want to know who is behind all of this."

"Forgive me asking this, but aren't you in a relationship with young Anthony? You realise that if he is involved in falsifying evidence it is likely to be the end of his career."

"No sir, I didn't but it makes no difference. My children need their father and the injunction prevents him making arrangements to visit them and stops him coming to pick them up. Whoever requested it was not acting on my behalf so they have lied to the court. If that person was Tony, then he wrecked his career not me"

"Leave it with me I'll see what I can find out. I'll get back to you this afternoon."

I left his office and went back to work. Later, just as I was about to leave, Mr Pendleton called and asked me to go up and see him. I rang Penny to ask her to pick up Maddy and Tom.

"What do I do if Richard turns up?"

"Don't let him take them, obviously, but it's OK if he wants to talk to them for a while."

"What about this damned order of yours? You're not using me to trap Richard."

"That's why I'm going to be late Penny, I'm trying to get it overturned. It doesn't cover the children anyway so you don't have to worry."

We said our goodbyes and I set off for Mr Pendleton's office. As I stepped into his office he stood up and came to meet me as if I was a client.

"Cathleen, good of you to come. I know it's time for you to leave I hope you've been able to get someone else to collect your children."

"All taken care of thank you Mr Pendleton."

"You ladies are so efficient. I don't know how you do it. Please take a seat."

I sat down and he took up his usual position. He rested his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers. I realised he was having trouble knowing how to tell me what he had found out.

"First Cathleen, let me tell you how much I appreciate you bringing this matter to me. If you had taken this elsewhere it could have caused the company a great deal of embarrassment."

He paused, still trying to put it all together in an acceptable form.

"I've been in touch with the clerk of the court, with respect to your statement. Normally they would only accept an original" he explained, "but in the case of this injunction a photocopy was submitted. He knew he should have refused it but didn't like to offend such a prestigious law firm as ours. On closer inspection of that copy he suspects your signature was added in a cut and paste operation."

I sank down into the chair knowing what was coming next but hoping I was wrong.

"Davinda Trent requested the injunction. I've spoken to the young lady and I'm satisfied that she was acting on instructions from Mr Woodward, who apparently expressed himself very forcefully. We will be dealing with Ms Trent in due course. A petition to overturn the injunction will be placed before the judge tomorrow morning and it should be lifted by lunch time."

He looked at me sympathetically.

"I'm sorry Cathleen I can see that you were hoping for a different outcome. You must understand the firm had nothing to do with this matter. Young Anthony was working alone on this one and using our good name to get what he wanted."

He got up, walked around and sat on the edge of his desk and looked at me.

"Are you OK? Do you want to sit for a minute or two to let things sink in? Shall I ask Jenny to fetch you some tea?"

"No! No thank you sir. I think it's time I got back to my children."

"Of course my dear, and please call me Michael"

He put his arm around my shoulder and guided me to the door.

"There is one more thing sir, Michael. What Anthony did deprived my children the chance to see their father for three months. I can't forgive that. I don't think I can continue to work here."

"Please Cathleen, don't do anything hasty. Let's wait and see what Monday brings."

I agreed and left his office. I called Penny and told her I was on my way.

*****

That night while the children slept I started to think. If Anthony could interfere in one part of my life what else had he done? I got out all the legal correspondence from the last year. As I dropped them on the desk the photos dropped out. No matter how often I saw them they still made me feel ill. I went through them and found myself thinking aloud.

"Oh Richard, Richard how could you do this to me. If you had to fuck someone's ass what was wrong with mine. How could you betray me?"

Suddenly it hit me, I looked again. I saw her sucking his cock looking at his tattoo. I looked at him fucking her arse. There it was, or rather there it wasn't. That damned tattoo, I should have been able to see it but it wasn't there. It wasn't Richard in that picture there were two men in that room. In some his face was visible but always with his eyes closed. I spread them out on the desk. I could only positively identify Richard in half of them. Why didn't he tell me about the other man, he must have known. I looked at the papers for the divorce. At the time I had been in such a state that I couldn't remember much about it. Now I looked at the grounds, That Richard Thompson did commit adultery with Ms Eva Balinkowa. Where did the lawyer get the name? I never knew her name but there it was. The only other person who discussed the divorce with the solicitor was Tony. He did it because I was too upset to deal with anything.-- Eva Balinkowa, I'd seen that name before somewhere. I thought it had something to do with work. The next day would see more investigations.

*****

The following morning I started with a computer search using the woman's name. I found a number of payments to her. The last one, almost a year ago, was for £2,000. All the payments came from Tony's cost centre. I went down to his office to talk to Maggie, his secretary.

"Hello Cathy what brings you here? You know he is away don't you."

I smiled at her before making my excuses. "Yes I know he's in Southampton. I was hoping you could give me some information. We are doing an audit and we've found a number of payments to Ms Eva Balinkowa. I don't suppose you know who she is?"

Maggie blushed. "I do but I wish I didn't. I don't think it's right using women like her to secure business."

"What do you mean women like her."

"She's an escort. Mr Woodward uses her sometimes when he wants to keep a client sweet. I don't think it's right so he has to deal with her direct. I want nothing to do with it."

"Do you have a file on her Maggie?"

"Yes, I'll fetch it for you."

She got up went to the cabinet and soon came back with a file. She opened it and looked inside.

"She's a lovely girl. You'd think someone who looked like that could do better than earning a living lying on her back."

She passed me the file. "Mr Woodward isn't in any trouble is he."

"Oh, no more than normal Maggie, don't worry"

I didn't open the file until I got back to my office. I sat at my desk and went through it. Maggie was right she was a beautiful woman, and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kiev indicated she was intelligent. The pictures in the file certainty showed her in a better light than the divorce pictures. I found the phone number and called her. I was not surprised that at 10.00 am it went to voicemail. I left a message asking her to call me and continued with my normal work.

It was nearly midday when she called me.

"Hello this is Eva Balinkowa. You called me earlier."

"Hello Ms Balinkowa, my name is Cathleen Thompson from Pendleton, Syms and Woodcock. I have a matter I'd like to discuss with you could we meet for lunch."

"You work for Mr Woodward? I told him, I don't work for him no more."

"No I don't work for Mr Woodward. I really do need to talk to you."

"Is for work? We don't need to talk, you give me name, time and place. I do the rest and send you a bill."

"I'm afraid this one has a few special requirements we need talk about. Do you know Roberto's? I'll meet you there at 1.30 pm."

"Yes I know Roberto's. OK we have lunch, you pay. I see you later Ms Thompson.

*****

I arrived early and she was fashionably late but there was no mistaking her arrival. Every man and some of the women turned to look. We shook hands and she sat down. A waiter came with menus for us and took her drinks order. He returned later and took our order. I looked across at her and realised why she commanded such a high price.

"Would you like to eat first or should I start now."

"We talk while we wait, what do you want me to do?"

I reached into my bag pulled out a photo and put it on the table. She took one look at it. Her bright laughing eyes suddenly turned cold and her face lost its colour. The anger in her voice was obvious.

"I tell him, now I tell you. I never do that again. You go now, you tell him."

"Tell who Eva?"

"Woodward. He sent you. I don't work for him no more."

"Eva I don't work for Mr Woodward."

"Then who are you?"

I tapped the photo of Richard. "I'm his wife."

She had started to get up but she slumped back down in her seat.

After a long pause she looked at me again. "Well quite frankly I'm disappointed. When a man spends most of the night telling me how beautiful his wife is. I expect her to be outstanding. You are pretty but to be thinking of you while he is with me is a little insulting. Now put that picture away and tell me what you want from me."

Our food arrived and Eva started to tuck in. "Please, we eat now talk later."

We ate in relative silence until the plates were cleared away, then Eva spoke again.

"So what do you want?"

"I want to know what happened that night, and why did it upset you so much"

"I am escort, yes? People have no respect for me, but I respect myself. What I did that night make me stop respecting myself. My job is to make people happy, but Woodward paid me to make your husband very unhappy. Nobody deserves that, your husband especially. He is a good man you know. I invited him to my room but he wouldn't come. He told me his wife is a wonderful woman and very beautiful. I had to get him so drunk he could hardly stand and took him to a room Woodward book for him. When we got there he was too drunk to manage anything. I tell you now I am very experienced if I can't get a man hard nobody can. He was too drunk to manage anything I have to pose with him, pretending."

"What about the arse fucking? You weren't posing then."

"That was Woodward. He said for what he was paying, someone was going to fuck me so he set the camera on automatic and he fucked me. I am an escort, yes, so I deserve to be raped."

I reached out and took her hand."No Eva, nobody deserves that."

"Your husband, he is a nice man. Woodward said he needed the pictures for insurance in case your husband didn't do what he promised. You know what make me feel really bad. I see him checking out in the morning and I smile at him. He say to me sorry have we met before? Then he say."

"No if I'd met you before I'd remember." I interrupted. "That's so cheesy and he uses it on all attractive women he meets. It's as close as he gets to flirting."

"Yes that's what he said but I knew he didn't remember me at all. I felt so cheap. He did nothing but I helped Woodward blackmail him. If you have the pictures I guess he didn't do what Woodward wanted. I am glad, Woodward is a bastard. Your husband is a good man, you keep him, yes."

"I'm sorry Eva, I lied to you. He is not my husband. He is my ex-husband."

"You divorce him because of me?"

"No I divorced him because of those pictures, which is not quite the same thing."

"I told you, Woodward is bastard. Your Husband, he didn't do what Woodward wanted? I told you, he is good man."

"It wasn't about business Eva. Richard never did business with Mr Woodward."

Eva and I sat and talked for another half an hour. She was a really nice woman. I could understand any man wanting to spend time in her company. She would make him feel like a million dollars.

I returned to work and called Mr Pendleton. He queried the payment for the services of Ms Balinkowa. He seemed concerned that the firm had paid her and asked for details of all the payments made. I called my mother and asked her to pick up Tom and Maddy and take them to her house for the night. I didn't want them in the house when Tony came home.

My head was reeling. The man I thought had betrayed me, hadn't. The one I had trusted to help me through my turmoil, turned out to be the cause of my problems. I sat at my desk and cried my heart out. I saw people come to my door and turn away. Eventually Brenda came in and spoke to me. She asked what was wrong and I let it all pour out. Brenda just sat on my desk and listened until I got it all out, then started to ask questions.

"Do you love Tony?"

"No I don't think so. Certainly not now I don't. In fact I don't think I ever really knew him."

"Richard, how do you feel about him?"

"I don't know, I'm so ashamed. You should have heard the way Eva was talking about him. She made him sound like the perfect husband".

"A year ago you would have agreed with her."

"You're right, I would. I wish I'd never seen those damned photos."

"Well you did, and you divorced him. Most women would have done the same."

"I should have listened to him, talked to him, believed him."

"It's easy to say that now but a year ago things looked very different. Why don't you go home and think about what you are going to do. Sleep on it."

"I haven't got time to sleep on it. Tony get's back tonight. Still, I know what I'm going to do about him."

*****

I started as soon as I got home. I pulled out the two biggest suitcases and started packing Tony's belongings into them. It took all of my strength to lug them down the stairs. By 5.00pm I had as much as I could find packed up and ready to go. I sat down with a glass of wine waiting for Tony to arrive. I thought about Richard. He had a right to know what I'd found out. I didn't know how I was going to tell him but he certainly had to know.

It was half an hour later that I heard Tony's key in the lock. I went to meet him at the front door. As he came in he saw the suitcases then looked at me.

"What's all this, are we going somewhere?"

"We're going nowhere. You are moving out."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're moving out and you are going now."

"What the hell has brought this on?"

"I know Tony, I know about the injunction. I've spoken to Eva Balinkova, I know it all. I want you out of my house and out of my life."

"Now hang on, let's talk about this." He said as he put his hands on my shoulders and started to push me back towards the dining room. His hands were pressing into my shoulders as he spoke. "I don't know what you thought was going to happen, but I'm going nowhere. I've invested too much time, effort and money in this to walk away now."

"Tony, you're hurting me."

"Oh you've noticed have you? Well this is just a taste so why don't you sit down and I'll tell you how it's going to be?"

We'd moved back into the dining room and I felt a chair behind me. Here I had plenty of room to move. I quickly pushed both hands up between his outstretched arms, knocking his hands off of my shoulders. I must have caught his nose with my nail as blood started to run down it. He ran his finger down his nose and looked at the blood on his fingers.