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overhead light with her key to unlock the door. As
it swung open, she flipped on the lights and took
in a startled breath. The walls were a soothing
color of beige. Geoff had come and had finished
painting her living room.
With a small exclamation of glee, she threw the
mail onto the coffee table, dropped her bags, and
rushed into her office. All the furniture was back
in place. The off-white walls claimed the
boundaries of the room. The space finally looked
like a true office. Her own home office. An air of
triumph expanded her chest.
Tori ran into her bedroom and the sight took
her breath away. The room was beautiful. She was
pleasantly surprised he had taken the time to hang
the border, the royal blue curtains and valance.
She took a few steps. The lack of sound brought
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her attention to her feet. A large, thick material
area rug covered a good portion of the floor. Bold
black and white lines outlined the gray
rectangular center in the middle of it. Kneeling
down, she lifted a corner and noticed a thin layer
of padding under it. When she rose, a single long
stemmed white rose on her new burgundy
comforter caught her eye. Next to it was a note
and her key. She flung herself on the bed, grabbed
the paper and read it aloud.
Sorry I missed you, Victoria. I hope everything
is to your satisfaction. We ll finish up the final
details later. Don t worry about the rug. I
remembered I had it stowed away in my attic. I
have no use for it so it s yours. I hope your
weekend went well. Thanks for the beer. G. He,
too, had closed his message with a smiley face.
With the letter in hand, she sprang from the bed
and trotted to the bathroom. The washroom
looked different and larger somehow. The gaudy
floral wallpaper was gone, replaced with the plain
light beige.
Yes, she was very satisfied. She placed the
paper against her chest with her hands crossed
over it and a sense of completion filled her soul.
She d have to find a way to show Geoff her
appreciation.
Divining a plan, amongst other things, would
have to wait, though. Since she hadn t had time
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Concealed Affairs
during the week, a pile of mail needed her
attention first. Then there was the bath she had
promised herself.
From her office, she retrieved the parcels, and
in the living room, added the new pieces of
correspondence to the pile on coffee table. Within
minutes, she had all the mail sorted into three
stacks bills, junk to read and junk to be thrown
out and one straggler a plain white envelope.
Her heart raced lightly wondering why Geoff
had left her another note, and curious to see what
he had to say, she tore open the lone piece of mail.
She pulled out a heavy piece of typing paper and
unfolded it.
A lump formed in her throat. One boldly typed
phrase was in the center.
CEASE AND DESIST.
She stared down at the paper trembling in her
hands. What the hell did that mean, cease and desist?
And, who the hell put this in my mailbox?
Maybe it was Geoff s way of saying the work
was finished. She shook her head. No, it wasn t
finished and somehow she knew he wouldn t
have put that it was in such a manner or typed it.
Perhaps a neighbor? Someone who didn t like
her fixing up the place? She did have some
neighbors neither she nor her grandparents had
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gotten along with and others who were nosy and
looking for something to complain about. She
shook her head again. They may complain, but
they weren t the kind to act on their complaints.
Could someone be warning her she needed a
permit? She didn t think she needed one, not for
painting, but to be sure she jotted down a note to
call the municipal building in the morning.
She crumpled the note in her hand. Why
couldn t whomever had written it just have said
what they meant and not have been so vague?
David.
What if it had been from David? She wouldn t
put it past him, especially with how he had been
acting lately and her lack of contact. He hadn t
been too pleased with her and his dislike of Geoff
was apparent. Could he be jealous? She chuckled.
There was nothing to be jealous about because she
and Geoff were only friends. It was still a
possibility, though, and she figured the only way
to find out would be to call him. Tired as she was,
she knew all too well she wouldn t be able to sleep
until her mind was put to rest about this.
The phone rang and she reached for it.
He s mine, you know.
Tori heard the angry voice shout before she
could say hello. Excuse me?
He s mine and you best be remembering it.
Who is this? She choked back rising fear and
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Concealed Affairs
anger.
Does it matter who this is? I m tired of being
put on the back burner while he tries to make up
his mind, and you re not helping. I ll have no
woman in my way of getting him.
Tori frantically searched her mind to match the
voice with a face only to realize the distorted voice
was too deep, as if the person talked through
something other than the handset. Plus, with all
the people she came in contact with, there were
too many voices, too many faces to even start to
compare. What person had her information who
would do this to her? Who are you and how did
you get my number?
You of all people should realize information,
no matter how private, is obtainable with a few
clicks of a keyboard.
Tori felt the blood drain from her face, leaving
cold swaths of skin as the words and the sound of
a disconnected line sank in.
It was true. People could find out anything they
wanted if they knew how.
With a shaking hand, she replaced the receiver,
then picked it up again and laid it down next to
the cradle.
* * * *
CHAOS_Z: I ve gotten the ball rolling and have
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more ideas.
CHAOS_X: That s great. I, too, have a plan.
CHAOS_Z: Care to share?
For the next fifteen minutes, the two chatters
bantered back and forth in their private room
exchanging their thoughts, elaborating on some,
dispelling others. By the time they were finished, a
stratagem was in place along with alternatives
they both were pleased with and agreed upon.
CHAOS_Z: Some of this sounds a little
dangerous to me. We aren t going to get caught
are we?
CHAOS_X: I should think not. Then again, how
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