Chapter 27

After Mika walked out of my office, essentially my life, I had to do something. I decided to clean. I had all intentions of clearing out my mother's belongings that I had yet to get to, but I was not prepared for what I was about to find. It was as if God had made me his personal entertainment for the last few days.

I had removed all the files in the last drawer of my desk. The bottom of the drawer jiggled when I placed my hand on it. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to get it open and when I did, I found a single file named, “Elizabeth”. I put it on my desk and opened it. There was a Polaroid of a newborn clipped on the back left side; on the right, there were documents. There, before my eyes, were all the documents of my daughter; the paperwork that Julian signed, the hospital documents, and the adoption papers.

The adoption was a closed case. There was no information given other than the parents’ names, no leads. I grabbed the file, put it in my purse, and drove to where I needed to go without giving it a second thought. Gregory Switzer was the best private investigator in Miami and he had been working for VIP for years.

“With all due respect, Madam, I don’t have much to go on here.” His thick German accent wafted through the small office.

“Are you telling me that you can’t do it?”

“That is not what I’m telling you. I just need some more information. Anything you can remember would be helpful.”

“Then you’re shit out of luck, Gregory…I don’t remember anything.”

“I can read the file, but how about you tell me what you know. Maybe there’s something in your head that’s not in here,” he pressed. It only irritated me to have to think about it all over again.

I sat in a chair across from his desk and crossed my legs. I’m sure my attitude was blatant, but I didn’t give a shit. He worked for me, not the other way around.

“I had a baby. She was adopted.”

He stared at me, waiting for more. But he wasn’t going to get more.

“The only thing you need to worry about, Gregory,” I said his name with such distain it made him squirm in his chair, “is finding her. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Madam. But I hope you know it will take some time.”

I stood up and pressed my hands to his desk, leaning over until we were face to face. “My mother had this information for a reason, and kept it from me for a reason. I’m assuming she had gotten it from somewhere. And since you are the one that worked for her, one could only assume where she got it from.”

I straightened back up and fixed my blouse. “VIP is mine now. I had no problems cleaning house after I took over. Would you like me to add you to the donation pile as well?”

“N…no, Madam.” He radiated with nervousness, and if I had a cock in my pants, it would have been standing at attention. Not because of the sweaty man in front of me, but because of my power.

“I was not involved in her finding any information, I swear it,” he pleaded.

“Too bad. If you were, you would at least have a place to start looking. I suggest you halt any other projects you may be working on, now or in the future, until I have what I need.” I turned to leave but he stood up.

He came around his desk and stopped me from leaving. For the first time since walking in, he seemed like a man. He wasn’t shaking like he had been, nor was he acting nervous. It made me notice his muscular arms and reminded me of how attractive I used to think he was.

“I’m talking years here, Madam.”

I grabbed his tie and pretended to straighten it. Instead of fixing it, I tightened it as hard as I could around his neck and used it to pull his face to mine.

“If you’d get out of my way and start working, I’m sure it’d take less time.”

I licked his lips and then released him. He didn’t move from where he stood.

I grabbed him by the balls, the only way to let a man know you mean business, and moved my lips to his ears. “Do this…and I’ll let you do me. I know you’ve always wanted to, Gregory. I noticed how you used to look at me. And I see the way you look at me now.” I backed away and released him. “Don’t do it, and I’ll make sure you never stick your dick in anything warm again.”

Without a glance back, I walked out of his office and closed the door behind me. It had been a while since I felt that kind of power over someone. Sure, I had VIP and held all of the power over that, but to watch the pupils of a man change so drastically by one touch, or one word; it had been a while.

I could still feel his lips on my tongue, and I knew what I had to do.

I made my way to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. My girls were always busy with handsome, rich men, while I stood back and worked the business. I was over that. It was time for me to mix a little pleasure with my business. And I knew just where to go.

One of my girls was set up with a new client. I met him once when he came in to sign his paperwork. He was devilishly handsome for someone around my age. Maybe it was the slight salting of his hair on the sides that did it for me. Whatever it was, it was going to be his pleasure to stick his cock in me for the night.

I knew where they were meeting, where they were going to be, and I was going to make an appearance.

I went straight to the hotel room that had been booked and opened the door. These minimum wage hotel clerks would do anything for a tip; including giving a stranger a room key.

Cynthia was already on the bed, spread eagle, and her company was beginning to undress. They never even heard me come in. I walked up behind him and began to unzip his pants.

“Here, let me help you with that, darling.”

He spun around, excited to see me. Cynthia on the other hand, looked a bit shocked but stayed where she was. She knew better than to move or cover up.

After helping the client out of his pants, I sank into the bed next to my VIP, smelling her body on my way to her face.

“As much fun as I could have with you right now, I think I’ll have you go. I can handle Mr. Morisette from here.” She looked shocked but didn’t say anything as she removed herself from the bed and dressed.

I put my heels on the edge of the bed and opened my legs wide, showcasing the fact I was not wearing panties. “What do you think, hmmm? Think you can handle me?”

“Only one way to find out.” He began to move over me, placing his body between my legs to move up.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Gabriel,” I said as I placed my heel right in his chest. “Why don’t we start here?” I insisted, pointing to my pussy. “And by that, I mean with your mouth.” He grinned and dove right in.

Gabriel Morisette was a power player and he fucked the exact way that he did business; hard, rough, and dirty. The best kind of way. Leaving that room that afternoon made me feel like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My mother was wrong about a lot of things; who I was, who I’m supposed to be, and who I will become…

Moments of weakness build character and reinforce stability. You take the good from the bad and vice versa. We pick and choose our demons, just like we do our battles; it’s the beauty about being human.

Everything happens for a reason…just remember that.

<>-<>-<>-<>

A year went by and it was December 16, 1994, I got the phone call that I had anxiously been waiting for.

“Madam,” I answered.

“It’s Gregory,” he immediately replied.

I felt my heart speed up and all the blood from my face drained. “Yes…” was all I could say. It felt like an eternity for him to reply but I knew it was only seconds.

“She’s gone,” he stated those two words that could change my entire life.

“What do you mean?”

“She ran away from home in 1990 when she was thirteen, and no one can find her. She was adopted into a nice home with very comfortable surroundings. Nothing looked suspicious. Her parents tried all avenues to find her and ended up with nothing. No one has heard from her. I have used every resource I have to find her, and still nothing,” he hesitated. “I’m sorry, Madam. She’s gone.”

“Thank you.” I said and hung up.

There are some things in life that are better left unsaid, and at times we want answers to questions we don’t even know. I had never run across a problem where throwing money at it didn’t fix it. The fact that I had no control over finding something that belonged to me fucked me up in more ways than one. There was no bittersweet moment, no resolution, and no clear conscience on my part. I take care of what’s mine and I wasn’t even given the opportunity to make things right.

I finally felt what I was trying to hide all those years.

I hated my mother.

And I think she always wanted me to.