Myra Gunness knew her forty-seven years on this earth counted for something to friends, family and those she helped out but she meant nothing to the men she had acquainted. She had learned to deal with this until she met Adam Parkey. He swooned her just like the others and became just as flighty when she wanted to be closer to him. Yet she had a means to get back at him and given the phone call she had received only an hour earlier, she knew the dish of revenge had just grown sweeter.
Much sweeter.
She cruised along the highway with a strange smile on her face. The kind of smile she wore while staring out the window of her one bedroom house at the squirrels playing about in her yard. She turned the wheel through the curves. All the while she hummed even though the radio was turned off. A little tune she learned long ago from her deceased mother. It got the old lady through the hard times and it got Myra through them as well. She smiled as she eased down the driveway of Adam’s beach house. The waves swashed against the rocks as she got out, carrying three packed bags of groceries. She nearly tripped when she swung the car door closed with her black high heel. She regained her balance, walked to his front door and rang the doorbell.
“Oh, Myra.”
Adam leaned closer to her as soon as the door opened. She giggled as they engaged in a passionate kiss.
“Adam. Adam, dear. I have groceries.”
“Oh? You making dinner? Wonderful!! Let me help you.”
She handed the bags over to him. As she went inside, she peered behind at the yard and the night. Just her and Adam and the waves. Just the way she liked it.
Before he proved to be another snake. The type who romances her into feeling something and then treating her like the random call girl. Well, like her mother always told her: “Honey, they will cost you everything.”
Once inside, Adam could not keep his hands off of her. While sex was not exactly what she had in mind, she figured one more go would be just fine. They scrambled to his bedroom and clothes were tossed about here and there. Actually she felt differently about her initial plan when he called. Maybe there was something sweeter about him now. He held her closer while they made love. He looked into her eyes the way she liked. She thought she might just abandon her plan to give him another chance.
But once the deed was done, he rolled over and fell straight to sleep. No words. No excitement. Just another pig she had let ride her. She shook her head, walked into the bathroom and took a long look in the mirror. Forgive him? He’s changed? Nope. She had the food and the secret weapon. This was going to be Myra’s night.
Normally when she visited Adam, they would make love and then she would spend the remainder of the visit dressed only in one of his dress shirts. She had to admit she looked pretty damn irresistible in the thing. Her legs were her best asset. However tonight she placed her dress back on- belt and all. She did keep her shoes off but this would not be like the other times. For things had changed.
Their affair began a year before. Myra worked as a secretary for an accounting firm where she met Adam. He was only twenty-five with no wife or children yet. However he did have a reputation for being a bit of a philanderer but she did not mind. She figured she could change him if she wanted. Although she had gone through three failed marriages, she did not see herself marrying Adam. He could just be like a boy toy, but she would be in control at last after giving up control to those three jerks she chose to marry. This time she would hold all the cards.
Myra had never been a good poker player and Adam soon taught her how men could be so good at it. They had their fling at the same beach house. He actually lived in an apartment in town, but they spent a few weekends at the beach house together. They sipped wine and ate wonderful meals usually consisting of seafood along with Adam’s favorite vegetable- green beans. He would suck the damn things done like a newborn with fresh milk. Myra found this cute at first, but it grew annoying fairly quickly after that. Yet she dealt with it because the times they spent were great and the sex had been amazing in the beginning.
But over the months, he indicated he wanted to see other people. She asked what she had done or where things went wrong, but he never would say. He just gave her the old “It’s not you. It’s me.” She felt horrible about the whole thing, but then he called her up one Friday night and invited her out again. While she knew it would be a mistake she went anyway. And then he left her alone for a while. And then he would come around again. But then he would lose interest for a while. This was the way it went. She never saw his apartment. She never met any of his friends or family. She was just his throw away woman. She decided that she was done with men unless he called her up again and she would have her revenge. Only now the revenge would be better than she could have hoped.
She thought she heard him stir as she stood in the kitchen. She poked her head around the corner, but saw no sign of him. She shrugged and returned to stirring his favorite vegetable in a sauce pan on the stove. Along with that, she had fried a basket of breaded shrimp and opened a bottle of Merlot. The kitchen had a nice aroma working. She breathed in while grinning to herself.
When he had called her up hours earlier, he told her he was going to be a rich man but he had to celebrate with somebody first. And he wanted that somebody to be her. She should feel so special. Right?
Adam made decent money at the firm, but he also had a lottery habit. A habit that had finally paid off. He purchased a ticket that rewarded him a hundred thousand dollars. And the idiot actually had the ticket in his pants. She searched the pockets earlier and discovered the ticket, but replaced it. At first she thought maybe she should just grab the ticket and run. Nope. That would not be good enough.
She opened his cabinets and pulled down two plates. On each she placed a helping of the shrimp and a side of green beans. She then poured a special little dose on his green beans and set the plates down on the dining room table. She poured two glasses of Merlot and lit two candles. Quite a lovely scene.
Walking back to his bedroom, she poked her head around the corner to find him beginning to stir from sleep.
“Come. Come, dear. Dinner is served.”
Adam picked at his food, but wasn’t really eating it. Myra could feel a bubble of frustration building inside herself. The pig always ate with a ravenous fury. Now he sat like some teenaged girl on her first date. Just picking and poking, but mainly staring into the plate.
“I don’t know, Myra.”
Myra finished her bite of shrimp and took a sip of the Merlot to wash it on down.
“Don’t know what, dear?”
“Maybe I should stay at my job. I mean a hundred thousand is a lot of money. But you know me. I like to spend.”
“Well, it’s your money, dear. I say do what you want with it.”
He nodded.
“But you shouldn’t make any decision on an empty stomach.”
He smiled to her like some little boy. Nodding his head, he took a sip of Merlot. Then he plunged into the shrimp. He popped several into his mouth. His crunching echoed throughout the whole house. That was another thing about men. They had no tact about them. Myra’s mother had pointed that out, too.
“You should try these green beans. They are excellent.”
Adam nodded, scooped a helping onto his fork and brought it up to his mouth.
“You know what?”
Myra went blank.
So damn close to victory.
Eat the damned beans.
“Oh. Um. What?”
“To hell with the firm. I hate that job. I will live off my winnings and see what happens next. I could make that last a couple years. Just need to exercise a little discipline.”
“Well sure, dear.”
He placed the fork down.
“Excuse me. I got to make a call right quick sweetie.”
“Okay.”
When he got up from the table, the damn klutz knocked his plate into the floor.
“Oh, damn. I’m sorry. Let me clean it up, sweetie.”
“No, dear. Make your call. I will get it.”
“Are you sure?”
She forced a smile.
“Yes, dear. I am sure. Go ahead.”
“Sweet! I’ll be right back.”
Myra cursed herself. She should have poisoned the damn shrimp instead. She raked the contents into the garbage and took down another plate. She piled another helping of beans onto the plate and a few more shrimp. She returned to her seat and waited. She finished off the glass of Merlot and poured another. She kept waiting. She found herself clicking her nails against the table. Clicking and sipping. She shook her head and found that she was now pouring herself a third glass of Merlot. She took a deep breath.
Calm down, honey.
Almost there.
Can’t lose it now.
He finally returned to the table.
“Well that’s it. I called my boss. Told him I would not be coming in on Monday.”
“So you quit.”
This could be a problem. Certainly any cop would figure this out and when she went to cash in the ticket, she would be spotted on the camera and she worked at the same place as Adam. She would be done.
“No. Of course not. Just told him I needed a day to myself. Think things over like you said. Thanks for the advice.”
She smiled to him. Watching him dig into the beans. Finally. As he stuffed himself, she was inching closer to freedom. In no time at all she would be…
Wait.
“Boy you were right. These beans are excellent.”
“Um. Let me get you some more.”
He protested, but she returned to the stove just out of his line of vision. She tossed in the last of the cyanide, took out another plate and piled them on. She walked back into the dining room and set the plate next to Adam’s.
“Now you just eat as many as you want.”
“Really, sweetie. Don’t think I can hold anymore. Excitement like this kills my appetite.”
She thought of all the things she could do. She optioned for the weapon all men bowed down to. She sexily picked up one of the poisoned beans and aimed it toward his mouth. This could be her last chance. She felt her heart leap inside her chest.
He took it. And another. And another. Ate both plates like a pig.
Myra had finally gotten over on a man.
When the police came for Myra Gunness, they found her in a catatonic state. She had left a grocery receipt at poison victim Adam Parkey’s beach house. What they did not know was that Myra carried his lottery ticket to the store to find out it was not the winning ticket. Naturally he kept that back in his safe at his apartment.
I live in Jackson, TN. I have four short stories published and I am currently seeking an agent to represent my novel. Writing is my passion and I will never grow tired of entertaining my readers