Read Online Written In Blood by Shelia Lowe - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shelia Lowe
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attraction had to do with the size of Torg Sorensen’s bank account and the prospect of a glamorous life in L.A. She’d handled her share of cases where an older man had been taken in by a younger woman.
But that wasn’t fair. She didn’t know Paige well enough to make that kind of value judgment. Setting her glass on the table, Claudia gave Paige her full attention as she continued her story.
“Torg could be so persuasive. One weekend, about a month after we started seeing each other, he took me to Las Vegas and we got married at the Bellagio. It was amazing—he couldn’t do enough to please me. Expensive jewelry, beautiful clothes, the Mercedes. He took me to Europe. All I had to do was to say I wanted something, and the next thing I knew, it was being delivered.
“It’s just—he was so insecure about the age difference. He’d talk about how proud he was that I was with him; then he’d go nuts when men my age looked at me. Pretty soon it got so it felt like I was in prison. He made me account for every second we were apart. He’d start accusing me—” She broke off and wiped away the tears that filled her eyes. “I’ll tell you one thing, Claudia: Marry for money, and you can expect to earn every dime.”
So Jovanic had been right when he called Paige a trophy wife. Did she realize what she had just admitted?
“Were his children opposed to the marriage from the beginning?” Claudia asked.
“What do you think? They hated me before we even met. When Torg was around they’d pretend to be polite because they didn’t want to piss him off, but behind his back they were horrible—spiteful, malicious. The twins, anyway. Neil was always different. That was before his accident.”
“This is sounding like a nighttime soap opera.”
“Just wait; there’s more. After a while, I got tired of being a lady of leisure, so I asked if I could go to work at the school. They don’t have kindergarten, but I have teacher training, so I thought maybe I could be an aide or something.
“So Torg turns around and makes me headmistress— the rules are different for private schools, so he could, even though I don’t have a degree in education. That’s when the shit really hit the fan. Diana had had the job for years.”
“He took out his daughter and put you in? I’m sorry, Paige, but your husband had all the finesse of a buzz saw.”
“It was all about control for Torg. He did it because he could, and he knew there was nothing Diana could do about it. She wasn’t popular at the school, but still . . .”
“And the twins got written out of the will.”
“That was a power play, too. By the time he died, none of them were on speaking terms.”
Remembering her own reaction to Torg’s handwriting, Paige’s explanation made perfect sense to Claudia. Power and control were the chief motivating forces in his personality.
“So Diana hates you because she wants the school; Dane hates you because he wants the land. What about Neil?”
“Neil. Oh God, Neil. That’s another story. He’s had this huge crush on me from the beginning. Right after Torg and I got married, he started showing up at the house almost every morning after his father left for the office.”
“He was coming on to you?”
Paige exaggerated an eye roll and nodded. “He was so cute, and he kept making up one pathetic excuse after another for coming over. I might be a small-town girl, but I knew what he was after.”
Claudia couldn’t help wondering whether Paige had given in to Neil’s sweet-talking, but that was one question she couldn’t ask.
Paige’s voice hushed to the level of True Confessions . “He started getting more and more pushy. I was terrified that Torg would find out and think I was encouraging him. But the more I said no, the worse it got. Neil got crazy. He threatened to tell Torg that I was trying to seduce him— like that was going to help! Then he had this terrible accident. He was thrown from his horse and
But that wasn’t fair. She didn’t know Paige well enough to make that kind of value judgment. Setting her glass on the table, Claudia gave Paige her full attention as she continued her story.
“Torg could be so persuasive. One weekend, about a month after we started seeing each other, he took me to Las Vegas and we got married at the Bellagio. It was amazing—he couldn’t do enough to please me. Expensive jewelry, beautiful clothes, the Mercedes. He took me to Europe. All I had to do was to say I wanted something, and the next thing I knew, it was being delivered.
“It’s just—he was so insecure about the age difference. He’d talk about how proud he was that I was with him; then he’d go nuts when men my age looked at me. Pretty soon it got so it felt like I was in prison. He made me account for every second we were apart. He’d start accusing me—” She broke off and wiped away the tears that filled her eyes. “I’ll tell you one thing, Claudia: Marry for money, and you can expect to earn every dime.”
So Jovanic had been right when he called Paige a trophy wife. Did she realize what she had just admitted?
“Were his children opposed to the marriage from the beginning?” Claudia asked.
“What do you think? They hated me before we even met. When Torg was around they’d pretend to be polite because they didn’t want to piss him off, but behind his back they were horrible—spiteful, malicious. The twins, anyway. Neil was always different. That was before his accident.”
“This is sounding like a nighttime soap opera.”
“Just wait; there’s more. After a while, I got tired of being a lady of leisure, so I asked if I could go to work at the school. They don’t have kindergarten, but I have teacher training, so I thought maybe I could be an aide or something.
“So Torg turns around and makes me headmistress— the rules are different for private schools, so he could, even though I don’t have a degree in education. That’s when the shit really hit the fan. Diana had had the job for years.”
“He took out his daughter and put you in? I’m sorry, Paige, but your husband had all the finesse of a buzz saw.”
“It was all about control for Torg. He did it because he could, and he knew there was nothing Diana could do about it. She wasn’t popular at the school, but still . . .”
“And the twins got written out of the will.”
“That was a power play, too. By the time he died, none of them were on speaking terms.”
Remembering her own reaction to Torg’s handwriting, Paige’s explanation made perfect sense to Claudia. Power and control were the chief motivating forces in his personality.
“So Diana hates you because she wants the school; Dane hates you because he wants the land. What about Neil?”
“Neil. Oh God, Neil. That’s another story. He’s had this huge crush on me from the beginning. Right after Torg and I got married, he started showing up at the house almost every morning after his father left for the office.”
“He was coming on to you?”
Paige exaggerated an eye roll and nodded. “He was so cute, and he kept making up one pathetic excuse after another for coming over. I might be a small-town girl, but I knew what he was after.”
Claudia couldn’t help wondering whether Paige had given in to Neil’s sweet-talking, but that was one question she couldn’t ask.
Paige’s voice hushed to the level of True Confessions . “He started getting more and more pushy. I was terrified that Torg would find out and think I was encouraging him. But the more I said no, the worse it got. Neil got crazy. He threatened to tell Torg that I was trying to seduce him— like that was going to help! Then he had this terrible accident. He was thrown from his horse and
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