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This is the entire Chapter 3 for day three of National Novel Writing Month, so I’ll see you tomorrow!

La Revanche des Trois is a novel intent on giving you sensual noir.

I encourage feedback. No, I demand it! Because I love it. Good and the bad.

If you’re doing NaNoWriMo and you want to connect with me, please go to: http://nanowrimo.org/en/participants/sylviahubbard1

Synopsis:

3 Friends and one finds herself extremely unhappy as she realizes her friends are using her.

Yet revenge isn’t as sweet as she thought it would be when she falls for her friend’s boyfriend and then ruins another marriage.

Author Note: I should let you know there’s a slight spoiler alert if you ever read Emperor’s Addiction. Not many will pick it up if you didn’t read that live story and it’s waiting for traditional publisher release, so don’t ask me when you’ll be seeing that one. Ask a big publisher to pick me up so I can publish it. LOL. (that’s so cruel).

Author’s Response to a reader’s online questions:

• Stefanie is not strong enough to be Lethal’s girl.
• Yes, I hate Lauren too and I hope i get a chance to shoot her somehow or fatally wound her. (same thing)
• I promise I’ll be as detailed as possible. LOL (I ain’t even gonna tell you what that question was for, but the person who ask will know what I mean.)
• Enjoy reading!

Chapter 3

Right before Stefanie had met Treasure at the college alumni affair, it had been the first time Treasure had been out in six months. Her twin sister had died from gun shot wounds.

Once they began to talk at the alumni affair, Treasure revealed her plan to get people together that had a difficult time getting together. The idea had come from her family who had odd taste in partners, but since she was around a lot of wealthy clients from her cousin’s business, she had garnered the respect of finding information or connecting people to where they needed to be.

It was inevitable for Treasure to go into business for her own because most of her cousin’s had their own type of business or worked for Lethal Heart with their own specialty.

She was her namesake. People trusted Treasure with information they wouldn’t trust with anyone else and her knack for networking was superior to none.

So with Treasure giving Stefanie an opportunity to connect with someone that would please Stefanie, the curiosity to see if Treasure really could do what she promised was just too tempting not to resist.

What did she have to lose? Another night of feeling nothing?

And she would still be able to get to the club without Jezica and Lauren ever finding out.

“St Royals Hotel?” Stefanie asked to be sure.

“Yes, I can make the arrangements immediately and you’ll have to trust me through this whole thing.”

“And you said he had particular tastes? Kinky?”

“Not the first time. Most likely it will be if you two are really compatible and any other time, I think it may get exploratory, if you know what I mean.”

“Is he safe? I mean sexually?”

“Yes. All my clients are and I know you are from your annual two months ago.”

“How do you-” She stopped herself. Treasure was a computer informational retrieval specialist for her cousin Lethal as well. Stefanie was very familiar with Treasure’s power to manipulate a computer to give her whatever information she desired. That’s why they got along so well. “Stay out of my life and my medical files,” she warned.

“You don’t think I would ask something like this if I didn’t know everything,” Treasure said with a playful snort. “I have to know everything in order to please you.”

“I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

Stefanie looked at the empty pillow on the bed and knew she needed something different. Could this be what she desired all along?

***

            She wanted to smoke, but waited until she parked and stood outside of her car to light up a cigarette. Her hands trembled as she lit the cigarette and she took five quick puffs to blow them downwind away from her hair and clothes.

Grinding out the cigarette under her black frumpy pumps, she took a swig of the mouthwash she kept in the car and then looked in the mirror to see if she had to touch up the light make up she usually wore.

If she changed her mind now, would Treasure be upset? What the hell was wrong with her? This was crazy!

There was still ten minutes before she had to go up and she felt a knot in her stomach began to grow.

Yet, she realized she wasn’t emotionally ill anymore. This was something different -Something she needed to do in order to take the next step in her life.

Ever since Kenneth had given her the breakdown of what her friends owed her, she wanted to feel one time in her life that someone wanted her other than her money. She had tried to find this in men before, but today Treasure had promised her something different.

Her phone rung just as she had spit out another mouthful of antiseptic mouthwash. Kenneth’s number blinked up and she answered.

“Did you get my fax?” he questioned. His voice was nasal and always serious. The few times she met Kenneth Biachi, she was always amazed to know he was so young at thirty-five when he sounded and had nuances like a fifty year old man.

She could just imagine him sitting at his large desk in front of his computer adjusting or cleaning his glasses because they never seemed to fit properly for him or were never really clean enough for him.

“When did you send it?”

“Just a few minutes ago. I knew you were going out with your friends tonight, but I thought you should have details and let me know what you want to do about the debt they owe.”

“Why should I really care, Kenneth?” she questioned.

“Why?” he asked. “You really need to ask me that, Stefanie? Even if you just want to discount Jezica’s loan amount, I can’t ignore the figure I get when I add up what Lauren owes you. After the amount she owed from the loan, prior to that, after going through several bookkeeping errors and erasers by that dipstick nut who was handling your account, I found that over hundred thousand is owed by Lauren.”

That ill feeling swelled up in her stomach. “H-How? How could she possibly owe me that much without me…” It felt hard to breath suddenly.

“Easy, Stefanie, it’s not your fault totally -You were consumed by work and you were running a small company by yourself. They used that against you,” Kenneth said. “She had that accountant paying bills here and there. According to him there was no embezzlement going. You agreed to pay some things but other things were added to accounts.”

“I’m confused.”

“For instance, her dry cleaning bill was paid by you several times in person over the years, but other times there were just charges that were just automatically ran. Most likely she ordered them to do this in your namesake thinking she would pay you back sooner or later. According to the accountant this was done with your approval as part of Lauren’s tab. He kept detailed records for you about her spending with your money as if he wanted you to know or eventually ask him. I found these instances with food, salons, boutique and even clothing purchases. You paid for them one time or another at mostly specialty boutiques and she made when she was there an open account was made in your name, which she just made herself at home with.”

Stefanie was getting angrier and angrier by the second. “How the hell could she-“ Too angry to even speak more, she bit her lip and wanted to light up another cigarette, but was conscious about her breath.

She didn’t want this guy to feel like he was licking an ashtray. Poignant words she remembered her mother saying all the time when her mother had a “visitor” coming over.

“Are you still there?” he asked worriedly.

“Unfortunately, but I feel like tissue on the bottom of someone’s shoe about now. That’s a lot of money, Kenneth.”

“I know and money retrieval isn’t my forte but I do have someone who can.”

“I’m not sending people after my supposed friends for money like a loan shark, Kenneth. That would be cruel.”

“Look over the fax and then call me tomorrow morning. Maybe you should see the details about what she did to you and then we’ll go from there.”

Stefanie really wanted another cigarette, but forced herself not to light up as she proceeded into the hotel. Walking to the front desk, she asked the attendee, “Do you have an envelope for Stefanie Kent?” she questioned.

After a second of looking around the desk, the attendee found a black envelope with gold lettering on it.

Her name was beautifully engraved on the five by eight envelope with a TH in the left hand corner.

Opening up the black paper letter that matched the envelope that was inside, Stefanie took a deep breath and read each word slowly:

Do not waste today’s pleasurable moments on yesterday’s worries. Put the blindfold on before the elevator gets to the floor and then open your mind and yourself to what lies ahead.

Treasure Heart.

Inside of the envelope was a gold card key that read PH4. She knew that meant Penthouse and asked the attendee where she would go.

The female attendee looked very impressed and said, “Penthouse four is located by the private elevators around the corner down the hall. There’s a guard before you can get on the elevators. You have to show him the key and then once you get in the elevator there’s a slot to stick the key in. The elevator will go straight to the room.”

Even Stefanie was impressed with where she was going and felt very under dress in the frumpy shoes and simple red dress. She had a red headband with her hair combed back and some earrings.

The guard was huge, but soon as she showed the key, he stepped aside and pushed a button. The doors to gold elevators opened and she stepped inside alone. Putting the key card in the slot, the elevator beeped before the doors closed and then started rising without stopping at any floors.

Her heart rate pounded as she checked her make up once again and even her hair. Feeling childish, she snatched the headband out of her hair, but then couldn’t figure out what to do with her hair without it, so she put it back in and hurriedly tried to fix her wayward strands with her fingers. Nothing seemed to work to make her feel she looked better, so she snatched off the head band and growled in frustration.

It was then she remembered the blindfold and put it on so she didn’t have to look at herself, but also to obey instructions from the letter.

The doors to the elevator opened and she tried her best to gracefully step out, but not used to walking in heels when she used her eyes, she stumbled clumsily out before the doors closed.

La Revanche des Trois (Revenge of Three) – Chapter 3 (c) 2011 Sylvia Hubbard. All Rights Reserved.

Please leave your comments below and let me know how you like the start of my National Novel Writing Month project.

Let’s pray by November 30th I’ll be at 50,000 words, but for now, it’s just 3245.

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