Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

someone better. Surely there would be no harm in doing one more session together. In the meantime, she would be certain to mention her marital status and take care not to stare at him too openly.
    At the end of the session, Teri maintained an aloof, professional manner as they made an appointment for him to bring prints for her to see on Wednesday. As soon as he left, Teri decided to have a talk with Selena right away. "Now, was that so bad?"
    Selena shrugged. "No, I guess not, but probably because you were here."
    "I really don't think he's the type that would suggest you have sex with his camera." Teri smiled, but it was obvious Selena wasn't convinced. "Look, he's definitely got talent. I think he's going to get the pictures I need to move forward with the new project."
    Selena exhaled heavily. "Fine. Did you like him?"
    Teri felt her cheeks warm and turned away under the pretext of getting two cups from the cupboard. "I liked the way he worked. How about a cup of tea?"
    "Sure. He liked you. I could tell. And I don't mean professionally. I wasn't so sure about you."
    Teri would have let it go if she hadn't caught the hint of a whine. Selena seemed to be asking for another kind of reassurance... but about what?
    She was aware of a childlike dependency Selena occasionally demonstrated toward her, and she understood the cause. At twenty-one, Selena had already suffered the death of her father, her stepfather and her mother. Teri's parents had also passed away, but she was much older than Selena had been when she lost them. Under the circumstances, she had no objection to being Selena's surrogate mother figure.
    Teri carried the two cups to the small dinette set and motioned for Selena to sit down with her. "If you're asking if I found him attractive, I did, but not to the point I would do anything about it. Believe me, I've got my hands full with Rico."
    That was all Selena needed to hear to shift her concern away from Drew Marshall. "I knew something happened before. Tell me. Talking it out might help."
    Sighing deeply, Teri let her shoulders sag a bit. Maybe Selena was right. As young as Selena acted some of the time, she could also be very level-headed and she was discreet. A few of her and Rico's arguments had been within Selena's hearing, and no one else ever found out about them. "Rico and I have had our problems in the past, but I kept hoping... Anyway I can't take any more."
    "I thought you said he was being all romantic and thoughtful?"
    "An act. All of it's been an act. I have been such a fool. Over and over." She felt tears well up and fought them back. "Ah, damn. It probably would do me some good to talk about it. And as long as you're willing to listen, I may as well get it out of my system."
    Teri had been keeping her problems to herself for so long, it took her a moment to decide where to start. "About a year ago, I asked Rico for a deposit slip for our joint savings account and his reaction was so defensive I just knew something was wrong. I tried checking the account on line—you know I avoid the computer if at all possible—but I couldn't access it. My password was invalid.
    "Rather than ask him about it, I went by the bank and had them reset my password for me. While I was there, I asked for a current statement. I was positive they'd made a mistake when it showed a balance almost thirty thousand dollars less than I thought we had."
    Teri's lashes lowered with remembered embarrassment. "I had them print out a copy of all the transactions for the previous two years. It was unbelievable. Money had been going in and out of that account as if it were an active business. Unfortunately, the balance column showed that whatever the business was, it was a losing one.
    "All that time I would give Rico a check and he would take care of depositing it because it was on his route. He always brought me back a deposit slip. I just didn't know about the withdrawals he made in between. He always said he liked taking care of the family bookkeeping and I was glad not to have to deal with it. Stupid, I know." She paused to take a sip of tea in an attempt to ward off the sudden chill she felt.
    "When I questioned Rico, he confessed—a real heart-wrenching, Academy Award confession. As he put it, my success made him feel unmanly. Since I wouldn't quit, he wanted to bring more money into the house. He thought gambling was the answer. He never meant to let it get out of control, but he kept thinking he could make it all