The word struck her like a blow, and she gasped again as he tightened his fingers in her hair, her soft red lips parting as humiliation seemed to suff...se her body, making her face burn, her stomach clench, and a dark, horrible excitement flood her. He KNEW. Oh God he KNEW, she thought wildly as his lips met hers hard, bruising them, his tongue sending chills through her as he forced it into her mouth. His hand was hot on her thigh, the thigh with the ‘K’ symbol on it, she realized, almost. Youdo control your secret money. You kept that out of her reach. It is solelyin your name. But the bank and its income is more iffy. Her name is on itstitle. Not yours anymore. You are its president. But she still controls thedeep, the title and the board. You could be removed any time. But you havethe education and knowledge." Could I buy it?" John asked. "Buy its shares, I can afford that." Sure, but that would take some time." Jerry told him."And I want to do it in such a way, they don't. As darkness gently cloaked the night sky, the meandering clouds seemed almost draped above the horizon in wisps of reflected color, as if painted on by a single brush stroke of a master artist. It was a glorious display, as only nature could provide. As beautiful a sight as was presented before me, I could not fully appreciate it. It was as if somehow the beauty of the world seemed lost on me. Once out to sea, Mike resumed his bartending duties, making sure neither of us was without a drink for. Fuck sometimes. Go to sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat as the shampoo bottles say.I barely remember her name most days. Her memory is like a photo in someone else's house. Blond hair, blue eyes smiling up at me. But like those photos, I don't know her. I've never met her.The final papers came in the mail four years ago. I signed them and put them in an envelope with too many stamps. Not an absurd number. Maybe four. I stuffed the envelope in one of those big blue mailboxes so it the post office.