Marrying Bart gave Lisa money, position…all the things she'd thought important. But he was controlling and boring. She was trapped. On vacation in Mexico she decided to have a little fun. But the fun caught up with her; now she's being blackmailed. So one problem became two. But a clever and impatient girl like Lisa isn't going to let that stop her. Maybe she can solve both at once.

~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~

“Sometimes I think you overdo all this worrying about security, Bart,” Lisa Titus told her husband over the breakfast table. They sat on the patio, in the backyard of their house, overlooking the pool. Bart wanted to eat inside, but Lisa insisted on having breakfast where she could enjoy the California sun.

He shrugged. “I am a prominent figure,” he said. «People notice me. They know we have money. Some people are jealous of what we have. It makes sense to be careful. That’s all I’m doing, being careful.»

She smiled. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper and more fun just to hire some bodyguards? I’ve seen some on television that are very attractive.”

“Employees are a pain in the ass,” he said. “I like the idea of a system that won’t quit when you need it most. Besides, it is already installed. So read the brochure carefully. It’s important for you to know how to use it. Have Helen read it too.”

“Our maid? Why do you want the maid to know how your security system works?”

“Our security system. If Helen doesn’t understand it, she might inadvertently disable it when we want it on, or set it off, or panic if it does go off. Also it could be a good thing if she knows how good it is. All the people she knows will hear that we have a state-of-the-art security system. It might keep them from trying to rob us.”

“Good thinking, Bart,” Lisa said. Then she laughed. “I have this picture of all the servants from the houses on our block getting together over coffee to compile regular reports to the guild of thieves and robbers.”

“It sounds dumb, okay. But word of mouth helps. They hear about a system like this and rob someone else—some family that is less careful.”

“Of course, finding out that we invested in a system like that could also tell them we have things worth stealing.”

He looked at her. “Lisa, they can tell that by looking at the house from the street.” He kissed her cheek perfunctorily. «Study the brochure. It’s part of the house now, whether you like it or not. I have to get to the office. I don’t know what time I’ll be home.» And then he left.

Probably because you don’t know if you can get one of your sexy young interns into bed, she thought.

Bored, Lisa flipped through the fancy brochure as she finished her breakfast. This thing has enough security for NATO headquarters, she thought as she read through the list of features. A lot of it was just technical nonsense. How could a person learn anything from it? What on earth were you supposed to make of something called audio deterrent? She imagined the system shouting, “No! Put that back, you bad robber!” She shook her head and poured a cup of coffee.

“Mrs. Titus, there is a man at the front door who says he needs to see you on a personal matter.”

Liz Titus looked up from her coffee. “Does this man have a name, Helen?”

Helen shrugged and held out an envelope. “He wouldn’t give it. He said this would give you a reason to see him.”

Curious, she opened the envelope and saw a receipt stapled to the outside. “Hotel Caribe,” it said. She noted the date sourly and then nodded to the maid. “Ask him to wait in the parlor and offer him coffee. It seems right to be civilized. Tell him I will be with him shortly.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ed Teja

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