"Are you ok?" She asked.
Trying to not to show any weakness, he assured her. "Yes, I’m fine. So what brings you to the Citadel?"
She said, "I'm interested in buying a parcel of land outside of your town. I understand that your bank holds the deed of interest. I started the process with one of your underlings, Mr. Quimby, in the real estate department, but I told him I wanted to deal directly with you."
He asked. "With me personally? Should I take that as a compliment?"
She smiled. “You are a powerful man, Carson, and you are the President. I wondered what you were like.”
She squeezed her thighs together and looked him up and down. There was a hole in his knee, torn from where he struck the desk. Her eyes lingered at the tear. She brought the flaw to Carson's attention.
He was embarrassed. "Oh, that's just great."
"Not your best day, I take it?" She asked.
"No, not exactly, but I suspect it may brighten up now that you’re here."
She smiled and he studied her face. She looked a little older than the women he typically chased, but she was attractive. She had an aristocratic nose and a perfectly placed beauty mark on her cheek.
He asked. "Did you have the address for the property of interest?"
She removed a file folder from the bag. It was information about the old McDougal farm. She smiled as she handed it to him. Her heart began to pound.
He looked at the paper shocked. "This old place? Why would you want that?"
She wanted to push him out the window at the insult, but stopped herself. She looked at him angrily. "Perhaps I was wrong in coming to you.”
She stood to leave.
He stopped her. "No, no, don't leave. I’m just surprised that a woman of your station would be interested in a farm in the middle of nowhere. That’s all."
She sat back down and snapped. "Well you don't need to know, the whys."
He said, "I guess that’s true. When were you looking to make the purchase? "
She said, "I will give you the full payment in cash today, if we can agree on the terms."
She tapped her floral bag as proof of payment.
He was surprised. "Ok, please excuse me while I go collect the necessary paperwork."
He disappeared from the office. Normally he would have let his employees handle this type of deal, but he wanted to get quick cash into his billings as soon as possible.
A while later he returned with the folder. The Betty behind the façade recognized it from her late night explorations. Her heart jumped for joy, but Elisabeth’s face maintained an expression of marginal interest.
He sat down behind his desk and worked at his noisy adding machine. He was surprised that she wanted that land but he was glad to get the loss of the books. No one was interested in it, and ever since he repossessed it, the bank had been responsible for the taxes. They were actually losing money on the deal. He finished his figures and presented her with a price. He was ready to negotiate. It was a game he liked to play.
Betty ignored the price and slowly unzipped her suitcase. She began removing wrapped sets of bills and stacking them on his desk. He could smell the unique fragrance of the cash and sniffed deeply. He added as she stacked. “What is all this about?”
She stopped. “Are you going to sell the land to me?”
He said. “If we can agree on a price, then yes.”
She said. “I’ve already decided the price I’m going to pay. It’s all in the bag. Now we are going to play a game. If you want all the money in the bag, you will have to do everything I say. Everytime you do something I like, I will put more money on your desk. Every time you do something I don’t like, I will put money back into the bag. If you want it all, you are going to have to work for it. If you stop, all the money goes back in the bag and I leave.”
He’d met other wealthy eccentrics, but he hadn't run into this game before.
He smiled and said. "Ok, I’ll play. What’s first?"
She said. “I want you to beg me to buy the land back from you.”
“What?” He asked with an uncomfortable laugh.
She said. “I want you to beg me to buy the farm.”
He looked cross and was about to speak.
She said, “Before you say anything, think about how bad it's been going for you lately.”
He was getting angry. “What do you know of my life?”
“I’ve done my research, my family has ties to people who work higher up than the second floor in this bank, if you know what I mean. Your superiors are suspicious of you, due to all your recent mistakes. Consider this game a part of your punishment.”
He calmed down and asked. “Did they put you up to this?”
She shrugged and smiled coyly. “I just want to know what you’re willing to do to keep your customers happy.”
He asked, “Why? Do you want me to beg?”
She smiled. “Because I like to hear bad men suffer.”
This was by far the most unusual business meeting he'd ever had. She had an erotic air about her, though. If this was his penance from up high, he had little choice but to obey.
She coaxed, “Don’t disappoint me. Don’t disappoint them. Beg.”
He coldly said, “Please take the farm from me.”
She corrected him. “Say it like you mean it.”
He added emotion. “Please take the farm from me.”
She added, “Say my name too.”
“Please take the farm from me, Betty.”
She smiled and said, “Good boy.”
She stacked more money on the desk
In an alluring voice, she said. "Come to me."
The way she teased reminded him of a Razzles girl. He walked past her and locked his office door first, then returned to her.
She said, “Get on your knees.”
He chuckled, and complied. He was becoming aroused.
She stroked his hair with her long fingernails. It gave him chills. He stared into her eyes. They were so much like Jewel's.
She reached into her bag and placed more money on the desk and said, “Good boy.”
She said, “Now, I want you to tell me that you are sorry for stealing the farm from me.”
He was confused. "I don’t get it."
She frowned and grabbed a bill stack from his desk.
He grabbed her arm. “Wait. Just wait. I’ll say it.”
He took a deep breath, and quickly said, "I'm sorry I stole the farm from you."
She said, “Say it like you mean it, and add my name.”
He did. "I'm sorry I stole the farm from you, Betty."
She leaned in and kissed him gently.
She said, “Say it again.”
He did and she kissed him again, only this time it was a little longer. He broke off from the kiss and asked, her, "I get a money stack too, right?"
She laughed, "Boy oh boy, you are piece of work."
She gave him extra. 'That’s for making me laugh."
She said. “Now, I want you to tell me you hate yourself.”
He gulped, and looked at the money.
She added. “You’ll get another kiss, too.”
He closed his eyes and said, “I hate myself.”
She said, “That’s a good boy. You can have the rest now.”
He was very aroused and needed to calm himself down to complete the deal. She sat back in the chair and clenched the upholstered arms with her fingers. She wondered if this was what it was like for him when the situations were reversed. She had complete power over him and she loved it.
He played with the money as he counted it. It was plenty. Then he said, “Yes, this should cover it.”
She asked, “Do we have a deal?”
He was flushed. With a big grin he said. “Yes.”
She said. “Then give me the deed.”
He signed over the deed to her. Betty signed it with her fake name, for now. In the future she would sell it back to herself to get the McDougal name back on the document, where it belonged. They shook hands and Carson escorted her to the door and unlocked it. He handed her the empty floral bag. She turned to him and said in a whisper, “It was a pleasure giving you the business. Goodbye Carson.”