The Runaway Pastor's Wife by Diane Moody, Hannah Schmitt Read Free Book Online

bar. He opened a bottle of Perrier and poured it into a glass. “And somehow
you thought that spending time with other women would help you work out your
problems with Amelia. Interesting logic.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t go out looking
for someone. It just happened, that’s all. You have to believe that! You know
how it is—you start talking to someone, you have a couple of laughs. You start
to remember what it’s like to have a good time again. And the next thing you
know you’re looking for excuses to make a phone call or stop by—”
    “Now let’s see, which one are we talking about
here,” Elliot interrupted, dropping a wedge of lemon into his glass. “Would
this be a Ms. Anderson or—”
    “How dare you!”
    “—or would it be a Ms. Lindsey?” Elliot was back
in his seat once again searching through a file he had withdrawn from his
briefcase. “Let’s see, I believe that’s her name. Ah yes, Mrs. Lindsay.
She would be the married lady whose husband travels internationally. Rather
convenient, I suppose.”
    Michael forced himself to bridle his temper
before responding. “Look, Elliot. I’m not proud of any of this. But I’m not
gonna sit here while you parade through a list of women you suspect me of
having affairs with! It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m going to
divorce Amelia. It’s just over between us! And that’s all there is to it. It’s
time to move on. But I’m warning you—stay away from Cathy and Rachel. I mean
it, Elliot. Back off.”
    “Well, we’ll just see about that,” Elliot
responded dryly. “I don’t see how you’re in any position to be asking favors of
me, son. No, I believe I’ll be the one calling the shots on this one.”
    Michael sat down opposite his father-in-law at
the long conference table. He threw back the shot of bourbon and felt it burn
down his throat. He had to remain calm—that much he knew. And with each
accusation, he felt his stomach knot tighter. The heat of the alcohol was
coursing through his veins now, relaxing the grip of fear that had strangled
him for the duration of Elliot’s interrogation. Just as he was about to speak,
Elliot turned his chair to face Michael and leaned back heavily.
    “Michael, I think it’s about time we got to the
nuts and bolts of all this. You want to divorce my daughter. I will not have
it. That puts us in quite a quandary. Now, the way I see it, you can either
comply with my wishes or we’ll have to discuss other considerably unpleasant
alternatives.”
    Michael rubbed his face then suddenly stood up
and headed back to the bar. He quickly downed another shot of bourbon then
slammed down the glass. His head was beginning to relax, easing his mind into
position for battle.
    He slowly turned to face Elliot. “I’m getting real tired of all this,” he said in a forced whisper, his words measured. “I will never again ‘comply’ with any of your wishes, congressman, so deal with it. If you're
going to threaten me, then do it. I’m sick to death of your stupid little
games.”
    “Have it your way,” Elliot answered. “But never
forget I gave you the choice to handle this with diplomacy. If you insist on
taking this path, I assure you—you will most certainly regret it. I’m a very
powerful man, and I have no problem whatsoever doing whatever it takes to get
my way. And that certainly includes removing you from The Sports Page.
Unfortunately, you don’t seem to comprehend the fire you’re playing with here,
boy. It’s clear to see you don’t take me very seriously. That’s a real shame,
as I’m sure you’ll soon discover.”
    “Spare me the speeches, Elliot. Just spit it
out!”
    Elliot inhaled deeply. “Fine. You will either
drop these divorce proceedings first thing tomorrow morning, or I will take
full ownership of The Sports Page immediately. And never mind the protests. I
can do it in a heartbeat. You may hold forty percent of the stock, but what you
failed to recognize