Whispered Confessions (Touched By You) (8 page)

“What were they for?”

Flushing, Cheryl said, “Artwork. He said he was an artist and used them for sketches, for his paintings. I know—how naïve could I be, right?”

“But you said he couldn’t publish them.”

“Right, but do you know how long ago that was? Let’s see…I was just starting, so, oh gosh, more than twenty years, at least.”

“But the agreement is still valid.”

“Sure, if I could find the guy. I can’t even remember his name, and I have no idea where he lives. How would I enforce the agreement?”

“There must be a way.”

“That’s not what has me freaked, anyway. Nobody has to publish them. It’s the age of social media.”

“Yes, so you think whoever sent the email will post them?”

“Of course.
My face is known in many countries, because of my modeling. And you know when I married Dani that was big news. A supermodel marries Russian billionaire. That’s why we eloped, if you recall; we didn’t want the media crawling all over us.

“But now it’s not just that I don’t want pictures of me, naked, blasted through the social media channels. Yes, it would affect my career. Heck, it might help my career.” Cheryl gave a disgusted laugh.
“But Dani. What about Dani?”

“Oh, I see.”

“Right. He is a respectable businessman in Russia. So now he marries some Italian model he meets in New York, and nude photos of her are everywhere, on every handheld device, computer, probably even in print. The magazines would go crazy over it. Even if they didn’t print the pictures…the controversy, can you imagine?”

“Not good.”

“No, not good at all. Dani doesn’t know yet. I’m not sure how to handle this. I just got the email, but that’s a threat. Whoever it is dangled those pictures under my nose for a reason.”

“Money?”

“Has to be. I doubt they’d ever see the light of day, except that I’m now married to a rich man. I’m a target. I should wear a huge bull’s-eye on my shirt.”

“Let’s think. He hasn’t done anything yet that you know of, correct?”

“Not yet. And by the time I find the guy that snapped those pictures,
if
I find that guy, it will be too late. All it takes is a click of the finger and they go live on the internet.”

“Take a breath. Whoever sent those hasn’t asked for money yet. He is just scaring you. We have time—a little time, anyway. Let me call Tanner. If I know one thing for sure, he knows how to investigate, or has a team that does anyway. He will help us.”

“Okay. I’m not ready to call Dani yet. I have to get myself together.”

Natalie pushed Cheryl’s wine glass closer to her, indicating she should drink. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed Tanner at work.

*****

Before one crisis abated, another rose for Natalie to face. Doctor Gene called to advise her that Emma’s condition had declined. The progression was slow, but expected. Cirrhosis of the liver was incurable, but treatments could minimize the damage and reduce complications. He’d been working with the specialist to that end.

Emma had edema, swollen ankles and legs, and was bruising more easily. The doctor reassured Natalie that these symptoms were common with the disease, and treatable. The good news was that her mother’s disease had not progressed into more severe symptoms, and Natalie breathed a sigh of relief that it was still uncertain if her mother would need a liver transplant. That was the last resort when treatment was no longer effective.

But with the type of treatment she’d received and the appropriate diet her live-in cooked for her, Emma was better than would normally be expected—although symptoms would appear as time went by. The doctor had ordered a change of medication and a diuretic, plus a low salt regimen. As a result, he expected Emma to show improvement.

Natalie thanked the doctor, and the next day went to visit her mother. She tried to get over to see her whenever she could, but having to travel kept her away more than was ideal. Plus her career was demanding. Somehow, she’d see Emma more often.

Martha let her in, and Natalie expressed her gratitude for the good care she provided to her mother. Blushing at the acknowledgement, she ushered Natalie to the kitchen, where Emma was having tea. “Hey, honey, good to see you.” Emma smiled.

Natalie gave her a big hug and joined her for tea. They chatted for hours. Despite Emma’s condition, she continued to sew. It gave her pleasure to help the children. And at church she’d met some other women interested in helping. She was going to set up a sewing group, with the purpose of providing more clothing at the care facilities.

Jazzy had been to see Emma recently too, and her mother talked excitedly about Asher. The prospect of adoption made her eyes sparkle, and Natalie realized what great pleasure it would give her to be a grandmother. “I remember him from that day we all went together. He’s such a sweet boy, and so lucky to have Jazzy and Ellis.”

That was certainly true, Natalie thought. She loved seeing her mother animated and looking forward to life. But Emma had always been like that. Raising her daughters alone, she’d never considered it a burden. Though she’d had to work hard, Emma had only expressed joy toward her family and love for her children. Now, any physical distress was cast aside as she focused on helping others, and on her family, as she always had.

Andre drove her home, and Natalie shooed Sara out of the kitchen. “You go with Andre. We are eating out tonight. Don’t worry about us.”

Wrapping his arm around his sweetheart, Andre said, “I’m taking her for a late dinner. Thanks, Natalie.”

Natalie beamed. She felt like a matchmaker, when all she was doing was giving them some time to be together. Both of them worked hard. Now was their time. She watched them leave then went to the bedroom to change for the evening. Tanner would be home soon, and he texted that he had news. She couldn’t wait to hear.

Natalie wore the silver Merlino dress she’d purchased in Rio, and Tanner did like it. In fact, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her. They went to Le Bernardin, a restaurant that only served fish and did it well. The dining room had a huge mural on one wall of ocean waves during a storm. It was very dramatic and lovely.

They decided to do the chef’s tasting, which began with sashimi. The wine pairing for each course was overseen by the professional sommelier, so each wine was perfectly suited to the chef’s presentation. The first was a 2012 Sauvignon Blanc by Saint
Glinglin. “Dry, fresh, and fruity,” the waiter described it.

While they ate and drank, they talked. Though they were never apart more than a few hours, it seemed there was always so much to catch up on. Natalie wondered if they’d ever run out of things to talk about with each other, but she doubted it. “Okay, I can’t wait. Tell me about Cheryl.”

“Well, that worked out well. This guy who was going to extort money from her sent the email from his home computer. It wasn’t that hard for my team to trace the IP address. He was hoping to remain hidden. When we knew not only who he was, but where he lived, that pretty much ended the game.

“I’m glad you called me right away.
Dani is in Russia, so I was glad I could help out here. I talked to Cheryl and told her all the details. She is relieved it’s over. Although she said Dani told her if they had been published on the web it wouldn’t have harmed his reputation as much as she feared.

“He was more concerned about the embarrassment for her. And if those pictures had shown up on the web, he would have taken action against the perpetrator. I think this idiot knew that. Going up against
Dani would be foolhardy, thus the need for anonymity. Once he couldn’t hide, it was over.”

“Thank you for helping. I know Cheryl is grateful.
She texted that it’s all fine now, and she’d tell me all about it when we get together. I’m glad the panic is over.”

“I’ve known Cheryl for a long time. Everyone does things in their youth they could be questioned for later. That doesn’t give anyone the right to use it against them for monetary reward.”

“Exactly,” Natalie said. “By the way, I didn’t get a chance to tell you I saw Susan.”

“Susan Allen?
Your former assistant?”

“Yes, I ran into her one day when I was grabbing some coffee.”

“I wasn’t sure she was still in New York.”

“Yes, and working for Margo and Company.”

“Is that so? She went to a competitor. Well, it is a business she knows. So you spoke to her?”

“Just briefly.
It was awkward.”

Tanner put his hand over hers. “I know, baby.”

“But it’s all right. I just hope we don’t keep seeing her, since she works for a competitor.”

“Not likely. I try to stay away from competitors, not attract them,” Tanner said. “By the way, I spoke to Ellis today.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I wanted to let him know I did what I could to assist with the foster care approval. I know someone in that department, and although no promises, it impressed him that
Jazmin and Ellis are relatives. I don’t normally have need to use my status to impress anyone, but I’m hoping it will help in this situation.

“We will have to see what happens. He said he’d do what he could. I don’t want to get
Jazzy’s hopes up, because I don’t know if my contact can pull any strings or not. I can only imagine how she will feel if this doesn’t work out.”

“I didn’t know you knew anyone at the state.”

“I don’t have a lot of dealings there, but through my work at the foundation I know quite a few people.”

Natalie nodded. “I imagine you would, now that I think about it. I was going to tell you I went to see Emma.”

“Oh, how is she? My uncle told me about her condition.”

“She’s pretty good. This project of making clothes for the kids has grown. I guess other women at church want to help now. Emma is in good spirits and not slowing down.”

“I’m glad to hear that. She’s an amazing lady.”

Dinner included a series of tastes paired with wine, the fresh ingredients perfectly prepared. The finish was a dessert of crushed strawberries over Tahitian vanilla ice cream paired with a 2012 Italian
Moscato. The food was sumptuous.

They hadn’t talked much through the last several courses. “You seem quiet now.”

Natalie smiled. “Oh, I just drifted off. It’s probably all the wine.”

“Drifted off where?”

Lately, Natalie felt like she could tell Tanner anything—another advantage of marriage, she guessed. “Am I different from other women?”

Tanner looked puzzled.
“In what way?”

“Um, I guess my tastes. You know what I told you, about my sexual preferences. Are other women like me?”

“Don’t women talk about those things?”

“Not really, it’s sort of private.”

“Well, you are more passionate than other women I’ve known.”

Natalie felt her cheeks warm, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the wine or if she was blushing.

“I’ve known women with the same preferences, as we recently talked about. But since you are asking my opinion, I’d say relationships based strictly on sex are different than those based on love. I admit that, for the latter, I have a sample of one, because I’ve never loved anyone before. But everything I do with you is different, because I love you.”

“It seems to blur the line.”

“No, I think it sharpens it. Giving you pleasure excites me more than any quick thrill. I love you. Everything is better with you. And I don’t know if you are like other women, but you must never doubt yourself. What you feel, what you need, is good. You are good. Your love is good.”

“You make me feel that way. You always make me feel good for…my desires…my needs. You understand me.”

“I adore you. I’ll never stop adoring you.” Tanner’s blue eyes turned a shade darker, and his look became intent. “Let me take you home and show you just how much I adore you right now.”

Tisch Children’s Zoo was designed for children age six and under. It had an enchanted forest featuring a petting zoo with goats, sheep, cows, pigs, rabbits, and more. Natalie enjoyed watching Asher hugging and petting the animals. Like any young boy, the experience was exciting for him.

After weeks of waiting and stressing, the approval for foster care had come through. Ellis had taken the day off to go with Jazzy to take Asher home. Neither knew how he would react, and whether he’d be happy to go with them or afraid to leave what he knew. That evening, while Asher slept in his new bed, Jazzy had called to tell her sister about their first day together.

“We wanted to make it easy for him, and give Asher a chance to get used to us. He seemed timid, but I expected him to be. I got him a few things, but didn’t want to overwhelm him. There were some items at the care center that were his. We brought those, hoping he’d feel more at home.

“His ball, of course, was one of the items. Most of the clothes he had when he lost his mother don’t fit anymore. Other than one outfit he’d gotten from what Emma sent over, his wardrobe was lacking. But shopping on the first day didn’t seem right. I purchased clothing ahead of time, and things fit him pretty well.