Nano

CHAPTER 41

“How about a little more of the Pinot Grigio,” Pia said, extending her empty glass in Berman’s direction. They’d left the question of her future hanging. When Berman had disappeared into the den, Pia got rid of her glass of wine in the same manner she had with the scotch the last time she’d been to Berman’s house: under the furniture. She wanted to play the tipsy role and thought it would be more convincing.

“Absolutely,” Berman said, pleased with the request. Perhaps Pia was relenting. He got up with the bottle and filled her glass. As he finished topping it off, he smiled and Pia smiled back. After making it look as if she had taken a sizable drink of wine, Pia set her glass down on the cocktail napkin. She then hefted the camera and took off the lens cap. She stood up and pretended to have trouble with her balance.

Berman watched her antics with a slight smile but then his brows knit as she brought the single-lens reflex camera up to her face, peering through the viewfinder and aiming directly at him.

“Wait a second!” Berman said, reaching out with his hand and extending it toward the camera. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been taking pictures all afternoon,” Pia explained with a giggle. “I wanted to take a few more. I want to take some of you.”

“Why?” Berman questioned. The fact of the matter was that he had a reflex aversion to being photographed. He’d been burned before by overzealous paparazzi. Cameras made him leery.

“You’re a handsome man,” Pia said.

“I don’t like cameras.”

“Oh, come on! Relax!” Pia lifted the camera back in position for her to see through the view finder. Berman’s hand stayed in the middle of her field of vision. She lowered the camera. “Hey, it’s digital. If you don’t like it, it can be erased.”

“Maybe later,” Berman said. “Maybe we can take some photos of each other.”

“Just a couple?”

“No! Sit down. Let’s talk about your settlement.”

Pia settled back into the couch, placing the camera next to her. The charade was going to have to be extended.

“Okay,” Berman said, visibly relaxing. “Here’s what I propose.” He went on to outline the terms of a settlement for Pia, and it was very generous indeed. As he kept talking, Pia became confused.

“Wait, are you offering me a job?”

“Yes, it’s a personal services contract, not with Nano but with me directly. Rather like the one Miss Jones signed when she started working for me. And she is, as you know, a very valued and well-compensated employee.”

“You mentioned confidentiality agreements.”

“Yes, of course. They’re an integral part of the negotiation. You need to sign a confidentiality agreement that covers the nature of this conversation.”

“You mean before we negotiate the details of the job.”

“Yes, it’s standard for top-level employees who work directly with me. And extremely watertight. I have one here for you to sign, as well as a contract.”

“You have one ready for me?” Pia had noticed that when Berman had emerged from the den with his refreshed drink, he had been carrying several sheets of paper.

“Not exactly. As I said, it’s standard. It’s what I had drawn up for Whitney.”

“Wait, you’re going much too fast. What would I be doing for you?”

“Well, that would remain to be arranged. With certain employees, I prefer to secure their services under contract and then find the niche that they fit into. I know you will be a valued member of my staff, because of your scientific expertise and your other… talents.”

“And what might those be?”

“I said that the lab might not be the best place for you to work, but I want to keep you around. I’d like to have you here and with me on some of my travels. You’re very intelligent and perceptive and persuasive, and frankly I’d much rather have you working for me than against me. You’d be a great asset. Also I am very attracted to you, Pia. I think that is rather obvious, especially after that regrettable episode on your doorstep.”

“So you want to get me under contract. How romantic.”

“Come on, Pia, you came here voluntarily after nine o’clock at night. What was your idea for this evening? What did you think we were going to talk about? Or do? We’re healthy adults.”

Berman was speaking softly, leaning forward so that he was very close to Pia, who was sitting catty-corner on the couch.

Throwing caution to the wind, Pia stood and went to sit on the arm of Berman’s chair and draped an arm over his shoulder. She put her mouth close to his ear and whispered.

“Just tell me you had nothing to do with my accident.”

Berman tilted his head up and said softly, “I swear.”

“You’re a liar,” Pia said abruptly, and gave Berman a sharp jab in the kidney with the arm she had had over his shoulder. She stood up and ran around the other side of the glass coffee table as Berman came after her.

“Come here you, little bitch,” he roared. He was smiling broadly, enjoying the chase.

“What are you going to do, beat me up?”

“You hit me…”

Pia skipped around the furniture until she stood near the lobby. She held up her arm.

“That’s nothing. Look at me. My arm is broken in two places, and I had broken ribs and had a head injury. And I lost my spleen.”

“I had nothing to do with it,” Berman said, raising his hands in mock surrender. He was laughing and, at the same time, pleading almost.

Pia knew she’d judged him correctly. He was most likely a physical coward who probably enjoyed inflicting pain. Berman reminded her of her despised uncle.

“Do you enjoy thinking about women being hurt?’

“No, Pia, believe me. Maybe I like to play a game or two, but it’s always consensual and in good fun. Come on, Pia, you’re torturing me.”

“I know.”

“Is it the money? I can offer you more money.”

“Okay, offer me more money.”

“I’ll double the money.”

“So write it down.”

Berman scurried back to the desk and scratched on the contract with a pen. To Pia, he was weak, desperate, and pathetic. If he couldn’t control an issue, he wanted to buy his way to a solution. Pia’s confidence grew with her realization that she’d seized control of the situation.

“Let me see the number.”

Berman handed her the contract.

“That’s more like it. Now come here.”

He walked toward her, and she pushed him back down into the club chair.

“Where do you keep your toys?”

“My toys?”

“You know what I mean. A man like you in this big house.”

“In the bedroom. In the cupboard on the right next to the bed.”

“Stay here.”

Pia killed the lights in the living room and went up to Berman’s bedroom. She found the cupboard and, indeed, as she suspected, it was full of sex toys, masks, and a coil of nylon rope and a lot of things she didn’t recognize. She worked quickly before she lost her nerve. She found a blindfold and some handcuffs and took the rope, not exactly sure what she was going to do. Then she struggled out of her jeans and shirt, leaving on her panties and bra. She gathered up the sex paraphernalia along with her clothes and returned downstairs.

Berman’s eyes opened wide when he saw her near nakedness and the booty from the cupboard in her free arm. “Don’t you move!” Pia ordered as she dumped everything onto the couch except the rope.

“I haven’t. What are you going to do to me?” Berman was good at role playing. He was transfixed by her activity and body, watching her every move.

“You’ll see,” she said. She stepped behind him, told him to lean forward, and to put his hands behind his back. He complied, trying to catch sight of her over his shoulder. With some difficulty with her cast, Pia managed to tie his hands, but not too well. She wanted him to be able to free himself but only after some effort. She then returned to face him and pushed him back into the chair. “I said you’ll see. But I was lying.” Pia slipped the blindfold over Berman’s head. She then popped all the snaps on the front of Berman’s shirt, exposing his chest and his admirably flat abdomen. “Is this what you like?” She ran her hand down the contours in front of him stopping at his belt. She gave his belt a tug.

Berman groaned and shifted in his seat.

“What I’m trying to do here,” Pia explained, “is give you a good premonition of what it is going to be like when I fully recover. I told you I have broken bones, so unfortunately we’ll have to wait for the real thing, won’t we.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t want to wait!”

Pia got the camera and, standing directly in front of Berman, made sure it was in focus. She then reached out, pulled off the blindfold, and snapped a rapid series of photos of his face with his eyes thrown completely open in surprise.

“What the hell!” he shouted.

“Perfect,” Pia said. “These will go well with my wildflowers.”

“I told you I don’t like having my picture taken,” he said.

“You said you didn’t like cameras,” Pia corrected him. Quickly she replaced the blindfold before Berman knew what was happening. He shook his head violently in an attempt to get rid of it.

“Hey. Take this thing off!”

“Sorry,” Pia said. She took another picture of Berman with the blindfold in place, and then quickly retrieved her clothes and the camera lens cover.

“What are you doing now?” Berman demanded as he struggled to free his hands.

“You have to wait for next time. I want to be fully healthy. And in case you are interested, I wanted to have a few photos in my possession just so you don’t hold all the cards, Mr. Berman. I assure you that they are for my use only.”

Berman struggled to his feet and then buried his head in the chair in an attempt to dislodge the blindfold.

Pia grabbed the contract from the table and ran to the front door, carrying her clothes. She didn’t want to be there when Berman got himself free. Nor did she bother to put on her clothes when she got down to her car, not wanting to take the time. She didn’t know if Berman could remotely keep the gate closed at the base of his driveway, but she assumed so and didn’t want to take the chance of being caught on his grounds. When the gate opened as she approached it, she felt a great sense of relief. As she drove away on the county road, she suspected there would be some consequences to what she’d done, but at least she had the photos.