Sally set to work immediately. There was no time to waste. Jason had to have a bed mate, a girlfriend who would at least warm his bed at night and cause the loneliness he felt if not to disappear completely but at least to be reduced to the barest minimum.

She organized a party n their mansion. Alot of guests were invited. Many of them their friends and others, acquitance.

The place was full and there were alot of single beautiful ladies in attendance.

Alot had come to try to win the billionaire over. He was now the most eligible bachelor in town afterall. Sally did not want to get her brother hooked to just anybody. The experience they had had with Rebecca was enough to last them a lifetime without having to repeat the same mistake.

Just as she had suspected, the bank manager had called to intimate Jason on the state of the joint account he had in the bank.

'As at a minute ago, you have $0'.

'But how is that possible? Is there a month that I do not deposit about a million dollars?'

'You had a mouth watering sum until a few days ago when your wife came into the bank and transfered the money into another account. We did not feel the need to ask her approval because we felt you had already given it. Remember you had told us that your wife was free to come in and use the funds in that account as she deemed fit and that we should not bother asking for your approval because we already had it by default?'

Jason rembered. The money in her account should have been enough but her greed had led her to emptying their joint account as well.

He wondered what would happen when she and her lover finished the money. would she leave Terry for a richer man or start prostituting? She definitely would not dream of coming back to him because he was damned if he would take her back.

He had wanted to make her one of the signatories to other accounts he owned but had not seen the need for that. He wondered now what would have happened if he had.

He saw the way alot of ladies were giving him the eye at the party but he found that his distrust of the female folks could not allow him enjoy their company.

He decided that they were good for only one thing and that was gracing his bed. He had decided that the best thing to do to guard against another heartbreak was to flee any form of commitment but to take his pleasure wherever he found it.

As Sally came towards him at the party with a beautiful girl called Deborah.

She was a fashion designer. Sally introduced them and they startedd discussing.

Truth be told, Jason was not really ready for any relationship even one lacking commitment but to make his sister happy, he endured the discussion with Deborah.

He found her boring and knew her kind was one that would need commitments and he was not willing nor ready to give that. After a while, he excused himself and another sophisticated lady came wadding towards him. She was wadding because that was the only way he could describe the way she was moving towards him.

He recognised her. She had always made passes at him even while he was still married to Rebecca. He had not given her the time of day then and didn't think that he would give it to her now.

Sophia Palmer was a divorcee. She had been married three times and had divorced all three of her husband's and was a woman of loose morals. Anyone with a full pocket could have her.

He walked briskly away before she got to where he was.

When he got back, some friends he had spoken to came toward him with a pretty girl who they introduced as their new neighbour who they had invited to the party so that she would not feel alone.

Jason felt intrigued. He got to discussing with her and they seemed to get alone and they agreed to a date sometime the following week.

Sally saw this and from a distance assessed the girl and realised that she could not have chosen a better partner..

She heaved a sigh and came towards them for introductions.

'Jason, may I meet this pretty lady you have been speaking with?'

'Oh, this is Phoebe Walkman. She is the new neighbour of the Simpsons.

Phoebe, this is my elder sister, Sally Whitman'.

'I am pleased to meet you ma'am', Phoebe said.

'No, you don't. Ma'am makes me feel old. Please do call me Sally. All my friends do'.

'It's a pleasure meeting you Sally', Phoebe amended.

'The pleasure is all mine. You must be a good friend to my brother or you will answer to me', she said jokingly and they all laughed. Though Jason felt a little uncomfortable.

Phoebe had been briefly told that Jason was an eligible bachelor and she was in need of a husband and if that husband happened to be rich, then so much the better.

She was not going to allow such a golden opportunity pass her by. She had seen the shadow lurking in his eyes and knew instantly that he must have been hurt recently and she was determined to take advantage of it.

She would do anything she could to get close to this Jason man and other things would definitely follow swiftly, the way she planned it.

She looked deep into his eyes and found him looking at her with amusement.

She blushed be ause she felt that he had somehow read her mind.

'You were so lost in thought. Hope I am not being a nuisance?' Jason asked, pretending not to have read her mind

'No, of course not. I was just thinking what a lucky woman your wife or girlfriend must be'. She said coyly.

Jason smiled because her utterance had just confirmed what he had suspected.

Her words did not hurt as much as it would have previously, funny enough because he was determined to go on with his life and not ruin it because of someone who was not worth it.

'You do not have to worry about that. There is no woman in my life presently and I love it that way, Champagne?'

He asked as he picked another cup from the servants passing by with a tray of drinks on his hands.

'Please', She replied,accepting the cup with a smile.

You may think that you like it that way but I shall change your mind soonest, you wait and watch. She thought to herself as she smiled at him again mischieviously.

Phoebe Walkman had come to Lake District from the city of London. She had had a job there as Sales Representative in a textile company.

She had a steady boyfriend, Richard who was not employed. They had known each other for a very long time and had been lovers for just as long.

She had been the one footing the bills and caring for him. In fact she did everything for him but found out that he was not as faithful as he claimed to be. He was busy milking other girls like her. promising to love them for all eternity.

She confronted him one day after her friends had told her of his activities.

'Richard baby', said started one day after a steamy love making.

'Hmmmm?' he murmured obviously sated.

'Carol and her friends told me something the other day but I refused to believe them because I know my man and my man could never do what they had accused him of'.

Richard could not believe that Carol had gone ahead and told Phoebe about him.

'And what may that be?'

'She said something about having caught you with different girls at different occasions and that you had seen her as well but had seemed unremorseful. She Confronted you on a couple of occasions and you asked her to mind her own business'.

'Really? And what was your reaction to that?' Richard asked. His feelings for her had grown cold. He had other options now. He knew he was lazy but his goodlooks and charisma had always attracted the ladies to him and made them make alot of sacrifices for him. He could afford to let Phoebe go. There were others in the line. Yet he still wanted to play his cards well. Because a hundred geese laying the golden egg was better than just a few but he would sooner get rid of anyone of them that wanted to burst his bubble.

'I told her that I didn't believe her and that you could never do such a thing to me. We both have come a long way. But she insisted I ask you about it. I am just trying to fulfill all righteousness. Tell me sincerely, why would Carol lie about this? She's never done this before'.

Richard decided to play Carol game against her.

'What you don't know baby is that Carol has been jealous of our relationship for a very long time now. She has wanted me to herself. I can't tell you everything. It is just that I like her alot because she is your friend. But I could not betray you that way and definitely not with your friend but she would not have it. So, if she sees me speaking to a girl, she assumes the worst.

She's even asked me why I would speak to another girl when she was there ready for me but I had ignored her,thinking that my own baby Phoebe does not even stop me from socializing, how would this jealous wench do that?

I did not know that the matter was as serious as this. Now it is not enough that she wants us to be secret lovers,she now wants to come between us,drive a wedge, so that she can be with me without interruptions. How disloyal can this girl be? Richard wailed.

His acting was so impeccable that Phoebe had not known what to do. She could not believe that Carol could do such a thing. But then again, one can really not know the thoughts that lurk in the hearts of people.

Since Ralph had jilted Carol,she had been unable to find another man to call her own. Could it be then that she had been eyeing her own man,plotting to make him hers?

Could Carol have cooked up this story of Richard's unfaithfulness just to break them up and claim him as hers?

She did not know what or who to believe. Both of them had been so convincing.

She had had to start seeing her boss on the side to be able to meet the riding demands of Richard. He didn't know this of course and she wanted it to remain that way. She was doing all this with the hope that she and Richard would eventually get married. She was not getting any younger.

She decided to be diplomatic about it and carry out her own investigation.

Richard seeing her indecision, tried harder to convince her through emotional blackmail.

'I can see that you do not believe me. That is the kind of love you have for me, is that not so?

You claim to love me but you do not trust me. We have been seeing each other for how long now? Many years. Yet the first news you heard about me, painting me in a bad light, you believe instantly. You believe your friend over your fiance? Wonderful!'

He made to get up from the bed feigning anger and Phoebe had to placate him.

'You got it all wrong. Just like I have been with you for a very long time now, I have also been with Carol since forever. All these are confusing. I do not doubt either of you and yet I cannot ignore what both of you have told me. I just want to digest it but if it makes you feel any better, I do not think you are being unfaithful to me. With what money would you care for the girl or girls? You couldn't be keeping another girl by the side, using the money I laboured for to take care of her. That would be the height of wickedness and you are incapable of that. Rest assured that my faith is in you'.

Richard lay back on the bed but decided that he had to start looking for an alternative accomodations where he would have enough privacy and where it would not leave him stranded in the event that this fool be ame wise to his activities and throw him out because he knew that he'll had no fury than a woman scorned.

To take her mind off their discussion,he drew her into his arms again and started stoking her breast.

She moaned with pleasure, forgetting the discussion they had been having.

By the time Richard took her nipples into his mouth, she was as wet as a soaked wool.

Richard who had an appointment with one of his money breeding ladies, immediately thrust his penis into her and started driving them both to the abyss of mindless pleasure.

Phoebe continued her illicit affair with her married boss.She made money from him because he gave her enough money to take care of herself. They often went on business trips and in such trips, hey had fun with each other. The man could never get enough of Phoebe and was not ready to give her up. Phoebe who had entered the relationship so as not to fail Richard, found that she enjoyed all the attention as well. And the money came in handy. Apart from Richard, she had material needs of her own that nobody cared to fulfill. She was the one taking care of everyone. It felt good being care for for a change but she still did not want to lose Richard. His lovemaking drove her wild. She felt that her body was used to his kind of sex that others fell short where his was concerned.

Whenever Phoebe went on such trips, Richard had time to be with as many of his female friends as he wanted. He prayed for more such trips in fact. Not just for the opportunity it accorded him to cruise with his girl uninhibited but Phoebe always came back from such trips loaded.Her boss must be very generous.

It was on one such occasions that Carol had seen him and he was going to teach that witch a lesson of her life.

Richard organized for a group of boys of questionable character to ambush her in a secluded area near a lake surrounded with mountainous hills,there they were to rap her.

She was on her way from somewhere one day, when she was abducted and taken to the arranged place and the boys were going to take turns with her. It didn't matter if she was raped to death. They had been paid handsomely for this and they were to get sexual satisfaction from it as well. It was not a bad deal at all.

When Carol saw what was going on and what the men had in store for her, adrenaline pumped I to her bloodstream,she was infused with a strength she did not know she possessed and fought like like a rabid dog.

How she did it, she could not really tell but she got the rag with which she was gaged out of her mouth and screamed. Her wail echoing through the hills.

Some young men who were not too far from there heard her cream and thought it must be some sea gulls or any other kind of animal. But when the scream came again and this time calling for help.

'Help me please, help meee'.

Then the sound was muffled. The young men came running towards the sound and after searching for a while, they were going to give up because the voice was no longer guarding them to where it came from but a movement caught their eye and they motioned on one another to keep quiet and moved stealthily towards the movement.

They going a young lady bound and gaged. She was in a state of half nudity. They untied her but before they could do anything further, they were attacked but they were mountain men and fought their attackers fiercely, the drugs the attackers had taken was already wearing off. They hadn't known that other girl would be this much trouble,else they would have asked for more money.

Seeing that they were overpowered,they ran off leaving the men with the helpless girl.

The young rescuers finished untying Carol and removed the gag from herouth.Her throat was patched but she managed to thank them.

'Are you alright?'

'I am now. If you hadn't come when you did,I do not know and do not want to imagine what would have happened to me. Thanks alot', she said.

'We were just being human and performing our duty to humanity. Anyone else could have done that'.

'You are mistaken. Not all would have risked their lives to save money and my dignity'.

'Don't think about that now. Hope you are not hurt in any way?'

'No just feeling a little cramped where I Was tied but I shall live,thanks to you'.

'Enough thanks for one night. If you can get up and walk, we shall accompany you away from this place. There may be more of such beasts who attacked you lurking around'.

Carol shivered and stood straight. She walked briskly as though trying to run away from that area.

The young men asked her what she had been doing there and she narrated to them how they had abducted her on her way from work and brought her there through some crooked path.

She asked their names.

'It would be impolite of me not to know the names of my rescuers'.

'I am Tim'.

'I am Mac' .

'And I am Palmer', the one who seemed to have done most of the job said.

He was staring at Carol strangely. Carol blushed and looked away. She liked him. This guy called Palmer.

'Snd what is yours?' he asked.

'I am Carol. Carol Pitts.

They got talking and his other two friends gave each other a sign that they should walk faster and give the couple a little privacy to get to know each other better.

Carol and Palmer exchanged contacts and addresses and promised to call each other.

By this time,they had got close to her house.

Coincidentally, Phoebe was coming towards them, she had gone to see Carol and tell her of her discussion with Richard but had not met her at home. She had tried calling her but her mobile was unavailable . She had waited a bit and was just on her way home when she met them.

They introduced themselves as Carol introduced Phoebe to them.

'Please take better care of your friend. She was nearly molested by a mob of drug addicts just now'.

'What?'

'Its okay. I was rescued by these young men. But for them, I might have been raped to death.But we can talk about all that later.

Thanks once more Tim, Mac and Palmer. Hoping to hear from you'.

They smiled at each other and Phoebe did not miss that. She was happy for her friend. She was finally going on with her life.