Mathew scoffed. "How? You're certainly not my CFO after today. And I doubt you'll be able to get any kind of accounting job once word gets out about your tendency to steal from those who hire you."
The word made her wince. Clearly, she hadn't thought of herself as a criminal until this moment. Mathew knew her story: She was only "borrowing" the money until Bill got another job, or she got a raise, then she'd pay it back, quietly and over time. Sure she would've. He knew that most embezzlers convinced themselves that they would pay it back. Nine times out of ten, they never get around to it unless they were caught.
"Please don't say anything. I can get another job and pay you back out of that!"
"Do you really think I'd let you loose on another company knowing what I know? And how would you pay me back, by stealing from them?"
"No! No! I wouldn't! I'd work overtime. I'd take a second job. I'll never do anything like this again. Please."
With elaborate slowness, Mathew reached over and secured a small calculator from his desktop. He looked over it to Jessica's tear-stained face. "And just how much, approximately, do you think you'd be able to pay me each week?"
"Well, if that bastard husband of mine gets a job..." She stopped, as if she realized that wasn't Mathew's problem. "I think I could manage, um, two-three hundred a week." Her eyes were bright as she contemplated a way out of this mess.
Mathew punched in the numbers. "Let's see, two hundred, forty seven thousand, divided by three hundred..." He looked up. You could pay me back in sixteen years. That's assuming I don't charge any interest, which I'd be a fool not to. So, with interest, let's say an even twenty years, shall we?"
Jessica looked blank, her reddish brown eyes opened wide.
"So how old are you now?"
"Th-thirty-two."
"So you expect me to keep quiet and hope that you continue to pay me until you're fifty-two? The statute of limitations runs out in five years-you could just stop paying me then and I'd have no more leverage. I'd be stuck for most of the loss. What kind of a fool do you take me for?" He reached over his desk and turned the phone around to face him. He picked up the receiver.
"Please! What are you doing?"
"Why, I'm calling the police, as I told you I would. I see no way out of this."
Suddenly, she came off of the chair and kneeled in front of Mathew, putting a hand on his leg. "Mathew, I know you find me attractive. I could make it worth your while to wait."
Mathew paused, holding the phone halfway to his ear. He turned and leveled his gaze at her. "You're kidding me."
"No, I'm not. Anything but... the police."
"You really think your pussy is worth a more than two hundred grand to me?" She jerked back as if electrocuted. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you are an attractive woman. But if I need to get my dick wet, I can find a dozen elegant call girls for, say, a thousand a night-that's a far cry from two hundred-plus grand."
"I-I didn't mean just for one night. I'll be yours, to do what you want, until you feel I've paid you back."
"Well, that's a very tempting offer, I must admit." Jessica's eyes grew hopeful. "But let's run the math again, shall we? Since you aren't a professional, let's say I pay you five hundred a session, and we fuck twice a week." He used the crudest words on purpose, just to watch her face flinch. "That's two hundred forty seven weeks to pay off your debt, or about five years. Plus interest, we'd have to make it about seven years. That's a long time to be my whore. What would your husband say?"
She made a face. "He wouldn't care, not if it meant I'd be taking care of our money problems, as usual."
Mathew laughed. "You don't really expect me to believe that'd he'd just sit by and let me fuck you anytime I wanted for the next seven years, do you?"
"Well, if he doesn't like it, he can leave. It's about time he carried his own weight."
"Okay." Mathew let the matter of her husband drop for now. He could tell there were a lot of cracks in the Sanchez marriage. "But what about me? I'm forty, and still dating women, one of whom might end up being my wife someday. What if I found someone in the next seven years? How would I explain you to her? 'Oh, don't mind Jessica, I'm just fucking her as part of a business deal. I don't think that would go over too well."
"Please, Mathew. We can work something out. Just tell me what you want."
Mathew's ear was assailed with the beeping tone of a phone that had been off the hook too long. He realized he was still holding it mid-air. He quickly hung it up. "What do I want? I want my money back. One way or the other. Either I get it in cash, or I get my pound of flesh by seeing you sitting in prison."
Her face fell. "So you aren't interested in me, um, you know, sexually?"
Mathew locked his eyes on hers. "I didn't say that. I admit to being attracted to you. But I don't let that interfere with business, you understand?"
She nodded. "All right. So you want to do this from a business perspective. Let's talk business. What will it take to keep me out of jail and my CFO reputation intact?"
"You're not serious."
"Yes I am! I'm very serious. I mean, I'm serious in finding out your price. I'm not sure I'll be able to agree to it, but I'm willing to listen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you've enjoyed my work or simply want to support a student chasing both dreams and deadlines, your kindness truly means the world. Thank you for being part of my journey.
https://ko-fi.com/plashmount