More than Money can Buy (closed for PaleIllusions)

Tom had to consciously slow down his speeding SUV. His rage addled mind made it easy to push harder on the accelerator, but he knew at this time of night, there were cops abound. Mostly out to catch the drunk drivers, but despite being beyond sober, they wouldn't hesitate to slap him with a ticket. He whipped the big truck into a vacant lot and slammed it into park. The big vehicle was in a way an accurate representation of himself. Not in it's size, even though he was tall and well built, but more in it's dedication to supporting a family. He fumbled in his coat pocket for his phone. Pulling it out, his still shaking fingers managed to find the number he was looking for.

"Tom?" came the groggy reply

"Drew, man, you're never going to believe this." he said, trying hard to calm his voice

"Jesus, it's almost 3am! If you're in jail, dude, I'm seriously not..."

"I'm not in jail, I'm not fucking 21 anymore....it's Rebecca....I just came from our house"

Drew read the tone in Tom's voice now.

"Okay...what happened? He said in more earnest now.

"She's been cheating" Tom paused a second, then started again just as Drew was about to speak. "...AND she's been paying for it! Do you fucking believe that?"

"Fuck..what did you do?" Drew asked

"I lost my fucking mind...I smashed some furniture, a lamp and then I left...I'm...." he gazed at the storefront in front of him. "I'm in the Costco lot right now."

Tom had a fiery temper, and Rebecca knew it, but she also knew that he would never hurt her, not physically anyway. That knowledge drove her to remain defiant when he made the discovery. She told him it was his own fault. Told him that he spent too much time at work, that he never had time for her. Told him that she needed someone in her life, not just a bottomless wallet. He knew some of it was true...he did spend most of his time running his businesses, but how could she not see that it was all for the good of the family?

"What are you going to do?" Drew's voice snapped his mind back to the present.

"I'm going to see how she fucking likes it." Tom responded

"What? Like get a nasty-ass call girl?"

Tom hadn't really thought it through. All he knew was that he needed an outlet, an outlet for the pain, and if it meant inflicting that pain back on Rebecca, so be it.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Drew crept quietly to his bedroom door and peeked through the crack. Samantha was still asleep, where he had left her to answer his ringing phone. He took it away from his ear and scrolled through his recent text messages. There it was.

"I need to see you soon"

There was no name, just a number. The message itself was conspicuous enough without her name at the top. He brought the phone back to his ear and spoke again, this time in an even more hushed voice than he was using before.

"Tom, listen, I know someone....take a day, let yourself cool off a little, I'll let her know you'd like to get together."

"Okay..okay...you're right....I'll give it a day and see how things go...but tell her...I'm serious about this Drew" Tom responded.

"I will...goodnight" were the last words from Drew.

As he hung up, Drew heaved a sigh. "Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this" he said to himself as he began to type, responding to her text.

"I can't... I think Samantha is on to me" he lied. "But I know someone else. Text me back tomorrow during the day. I can set you up for tomorrow night."

He pressed the SEND button, then deleted the messages before crawling back into bed, putting an arm around his sleeping wife.

"I can't... I think Samantha is on to me. But I know someone else. Text me back tomorrow during the day. I can set you up for tomorrow night."

Bethany read the text as she sat in front her computer. It was late and lately, sleep didn't come easy these days. At the the age of 27, she should be out, having fun with her friends. Perhaps out on a date but no, she was at her run down apartment looking through the help wanted ads online. She had been looking for a 3rd job to add to her already growing occupation list to help pay the bills.

Bills that seemed to keep piling up as her late husband's past caught up with her. All the loans he had taken out before his sudden death a little more than 9 months ago. On top of that, his funeral expenses added to heap.

Reading the text again, Beth didn't bother answering. It wasn't necessary. She didn't want drama out of this. In fact, she didn't even know what all 'this' was. She had answered an ad on Craigslist from a frustrated husband who had been looking for some fun on the side and was willing to 'compensate' if needed. For dinner expenses and her time out.

Of course, it all ended in sex.

Sex that put $500.00 in her purse.

It only happened twice, so far, but it wasn't like Drew didn't have the money. He only made it clear that there were to be no feelings involved. Just sex.

Which was fine with Bethany. She didn't have time for drama. She didn't want drama. All she wanted was sex.

And the money after was nice.

She didn't want to be classified as a prostitute. Nor a call girl. Which is why she kept it to one guy. That was it. But now, if his wife was becoming wary of it, Bethany knew that would soon end her fun and profit. But she didn't really worry about it since the text stating that he knew someone else.

Bethany was anything but gorgeous, she was OK looking, if not in the plain category should the truth be told. Her long, blonde hair fell in waves down her back and she had green eyes to match the typical blonde look. She was thin, but had curves in the right places, but the looks card wasn't something she really played with. At least not lately, since her only goal was surviving day to day living.

****
The next day, as the breakfast rush was ending, Bethany finally had a break and decided to text her 'friend'. He had said to text him but she wasn't sure what time but figured now was a good a time as any.

Waiting for the response, Bethany sighed and cleared up a table, collecting a tip and putting it away in the apron of her uniform.

Her phone buzzed, indicating she had a message.

"Meeting with Tom at 7:00PM, Rawlings Hotel Restuarant. Wear the green dress."

Tom woke with a start in the drivers seat of his SUV. He quickly looked down at his watch.

"Fuck" he said as he squinted in the morning sunlight. He was parked in the lot of the after-hours club he had went to after calling Drew last night. He reached down and felt the keys in the ignition. He started the big truck, pulled out of the lot and headed toward his office. It was only 15 minutes from here, but that gave him plenty of time to reflect on the previous night. His rage had long subsided, leaving behind his calm, calculating rational mind.

It was this shrewd intellect that had gotten him all he had acquired to this point in his life. Everyone around him knew him to be a problem solver and an idea man. His business colleagues, associates, and even his employees admired him for it. It overshadowed the temper that he often unleashed, the one that had twisted his mind when he discovered the truth about Rebecca last night. But that was all gone now, leaving him to ponder what he always pondered when faced with a hurdle, whether it be in his business or personal life: "What next?"

Last night, the answer to that had been revenge, plain and simple. But that solution was fueled by his rage, and those decisions were never the ones he let shine through. He had to let his rational mind make the final call. What would revenge get him? Would he tell Rebecca "Ha! I fucked someone else too!"? No, if he knew her at all, she'd say "Good...fuck her all you want, maybe she'll appreciate your wallet more than your time." Nope, that wouldn't help the situation at all. Would revenge make him feel better? No, it wouldn't erase what she had done.

With these thoughts in mind, he pulled into the lot for his office building and briskly walked inside. He B-lined it to his personal office, but not before his ever-so-honest secretary took one look at him and said

"Wow, Tom, you look like shit!"

"Thanks Mel" he responded without even looking at her. Every CEO should be blessed with such an honest and trustworthy secretary he thought.

Once inside, door closed, he pulled out his phone. Plugging it into the charger, he dialed Drew's number.

"Hey man, how are you feeling today?" came Drew's immediate response.

"I slept in the truck, if that answers your question" Tom said dryly.

"Better than the Vette" Drew laughed. "Calmed down though I bet"

"Yeah, alot...I'm still not sure about what I'm going to do, but you can disregard what I was saying last night...I don't need that."

"Dude, I already set you up, too late to back out now."

"Just call her and tell her it's off, call girls stand guys up all the time, remember that time with Pete?"

"She's NOT a call girl Tom, I told you that last night." Drew's voice sounded strangely earnest. "You CANNOT stand this girl up."

"So you're going to hold me to this?"

"Yes" was Drew's simple response.

There were very few people in the world that Tom would let steer him in one direction or another, but Drew was one of them. They had been friends since his first year in college, so many years ago. Drew had invested in some of Tom's craziest ideas, loaned him money when he was down, and taken part in most all of Tom's adventures in his adult life. The only person Tom had trusted more than Drew was Rebecca, but now, after all this, Drew had taken a top spot.

"Fuck, alright" Tom conceded.

"7:00, Rawlings Hotel Restaurant...her name is Beth. Don't let me down on this Tom."

"You know I wouldn't do that, thanks"

"I know, I have to get back to work...call me later when you're on your way"

With that, Drew hung up. So this was going to happen. Tom sat for a moment in silence, lost in thought. Sometimes, before a big business meeting, he would put himself in his prospective opposition's shoes...what were they thinking? What was their motivation? Something about thinking about tonight as a business venture seemed strange, but maybe it WAS what he needed to see things from Rebecca's side. And after all, there would be money exchanging hands right?

He picked up his office phone.

"Mel, cancel my 4:00, I'm going to be leaving early today"

He'd have to go home to shower and change before Rebecca got home with the kids.