The Sandstone Affair

“Close the door, genius,” Mark says with a smile. “You’re not very good at this sneaky stuff.”

“Before Sandstone Ventures came along, I didn’t have to be,” I retort as I pull the door closed. What is it about him that makes me want to rebel and obey all at the same time?

“Where’s Jose?” I ask. I had never seen Mark driving himself before.

“At this point, it’s better if no one knows that we’re meeting.”

“Even Jose? I thought you trusted him.” The older man always had a smile and a joke for me whenever he drove us to visit Glenvale.

Mark’s silent look is answer enough to that question.

Mark turns on the map light in the back. It’s a surprisingly roomy vehicle for a single man to drive around in. Maybe it’s his mobile office. He reaches into the door side pocket and pulls out a folder with copies of the same documents Kenneth Allen gave me.

“Have you read these?”

“Yes,” I reply, unwilling to admit I can’t make heads or tails out of most of them.

“Then you know what the problem is, right?” Mark speaks in a clearly controlled focused manner. It’s hard to sound professional in the back seat of an SUV in an empty parking garage, but he pulls it off nicely.

“I know I lost my company, and it’s a problem,” I respond petulantly, and then remember he doesn’t have to help me at all. “Honestly, I really don’t know much about what they say. It’s all legalese to me.”

“They say you have thirty more days, four weeks, to save your company.”

“Thirty days?”

“That’s how long you have to file a rejoinder. About four weeks. If you don’t find a reason to file, or don’t file on time, Lynx Magazine’s assets, talent, stories and resources all become the property of Ladies World.”

“What do I need to file?”

“You need evidence that you were wrongfully put out of the company because of corruption, personal gain, or by an inappropriate system, and you want the matter legally reviewed. If you have evidence, a judge can stop the merger to Ladies World. But you need real proof, not just theories and venom.”

“I don’t have it. Do you?”

“No, but I have a plan. It’s going to take almost all thirty days, and it’s risky for me, but I think I might be able to find something you can use to file. However, I’m going to need your help and I’m going to need you to trust me.”

“I must trust you, I’m here aren’t I?”

“I mean you need to trust me with more than a passing glance. You need to trust me body and soul, to give your whole self to me and rely on me to do what’s right.”

“Here we go again with a lecture on what I need. Can you please stop being my life coach and just help me save my job?” I’m shocked by this turn of events, and this talk about my body makes me edgy and wet all at the same time.

“I have a proposal for you. Are you ready to listen with an open mind, or should I wait a few more days while the clock ticks down on Lynx?”

His face is passive, calm, waiting. I consider throwing another casual snide comment at him, to drive a barb into him, to spur him to drop his cool exterior just for a second. I want to see the real Mark again, the human one, the one that can feel pain. The Mark that had been in the office. The caged animal just underneath the surface that had grabbed my hips, bent me over and used me like an object. That Mark had been frightening, but even more terrifying is how much I want to see that part of him again.

Stop it. This isn’t just about me, or my company. Dad is counting on me. So is Janice. And the rest of my employees. Time is not on my side and tossing cruelty at Mark won’t bring me any closer to getting Lynx back.

“I’m ready,” I say with my head down like a school child in the principal’s office. How does he keep doing that to me?

“Here’s my proposal. I think I have a way to get you the proof you need to file a rejoinder. I can’t tell you what it is, or how I’m going to get it. But I’ll need your trust, your cooperation, and a source inside the magazine you can go to who won’t reveal you. You need to be very close to your former employees. I will give you my expertise, time, investment, and strategy to make this plan work. In short, I will give you your job back and the humility necessary to run it.”

“And what do you expect in return?”

“You will give me your body, your will, your trust and your obedience for the next thirty days. You will do what I say without question, and you will submit to my instructions, my desires and my discipline.”

I freeze for a second, trying to process what he said. My body?

“Are you serious?” I ask him. “Is this something you and Blake designed together? He f**ks me over and then you get to f**k me?”

Mark continues speaking in that clear controlled way as if my accusation just bounced off the ceiling into oblivion.

“You will submit every part of your body, your mind and your soul to my will. While we are working on getting your company back, you will also be learning the basic things you need to know in order to keep it. Remember that if you had heeded my advice, you would never have gotten yourself into this position in the first place. If the reed will not bend, it must break. But I promise you this: on the day I hand you the keys to your office and your sexual freedom you will be thankful you said, ‘Yes’ no matter how challenging the next thirty days may be.”

“You think that just because of what happened in the office, you can blackmail me like this?” I ball my fists.

“Not at all. I want to be very clear, Julia. If you accept this proposal, we will go forward in what will be an interesting and risky adventure. If at any time you wish to stop this agreement—whether it’s getting your evidence or the sexual submission, all you have to do is say, ‘I don’t want this anymore’ and I will stop. I’m not here to force you. I’m here to offer you a chance.”

“I trusted you, Mark.” I turn away from him.

“And I trusted you. I trusted your judgment to make the right decisions for Lynx. I never forced you to make any decision you didn’t want to make, but you never trusted me enough to take my advice.”

My hand reaches for the door handle. I’m trembling slightly, but I don’t open the door. I don’t run. I don’t leave.

“Julia, by helping you, I am putting everything on the line. I am going against a decision that my own company has made. If I do this, I may be planting the seed to destroy everything that my father has built. Why should I risk it to return Lynx to your hands if you’re only going to dig yourself into a deeper hole later on?”