Page 66 of S.O.S. Perk

“Okay.” Perk affected a bored look, like it was nothing, and walked forward.

He took note, as he passed the heavy doors in question, that they were, indeed reinforced, and with a quick glance, he noted they even looked as if there was some kind of complicated locking mechanism. He’d bet his left nut that when the queen wasn’t in her chambers, this wing was completely sealed off.

Walking up to the closed door in question, Perk raised his hand and knocked.

“Enter,” Jennifer Nelsin called out empirically.

Perk turned the knob and walked in.

“Mr. Perdudan,” the woman purred from behind her desk as he shuffled in. “So nice to see you. Have a seat.” She pointed to one of two chairs which faced her from across a large expanse of desk.

When Perk sat, he could barely see Mrs. Nelsin’s face behind the wall of computer monitors that were spread out across the polished wood surface.

She tapped out her password on her keyboard, waking her system up, then sending her eyes to one of her monitors. “I’ve been checking up on you,” she told him slyly. “And it seems you’ve got good roots. You’re from a rather wealthy family who has made a name for themselves in financial advising circles.But…” She drew the word out. “…you’re also a bit of a bad boy.”

Perk had memorized the bio the FBI had put together for him, and knew his purported past, backward and forward. She could ask him anything, and he’d give her the same answersshe’d procured from any search of the history the Bureau had concocted.

“Yeah?” Perk gave her an unaffected look. “So?”

“So, tell me. With your record of causing problems, why should I be letting you into my house to befriend my son?”

Perk leaned forward so he could see her face better. He wanted to give the woman some information that would intrigue her, but not too much.

“Because I was misunderstood by the teachers at my old school. Any records you might have found probably say I was ‘troubled’. But I never got caught doing any big stuff,” he bragged. “I went to detention a lot for minor infractions. Like just last week atthisschool, I got caught smoking in the boys’ room and I didn’t do a bunch of homework. Not a big deal here, and it wasn’t in my old school, either.”

Jennifer’s eyes narrowed. “For now, I’ll choose to believe you. But if you’re going to hang out with my son, I want no further infractions with your current teachers or fellow students. I don’t want any undo attention on Jeremy. Am I understood? It wouldn’t be good. Is this something with which you can comply?”

Perk shrugged nonchalantly. “I can try,” he responded offhandedly.

Jennifer’s mouth pinched like she’d been sucking lemons.

“There is no try,” she snapped.

Only do, Perk completed in his head, managing somehow not to smirk.

“Thomas. Do you understand where I’m coming from?” she probed sharply.

This was where Perk had to be extra careful. He didn’t want to look too eager to become friends with Jeremy, but neither did he want to be banned from the house.

“Jeremy’s smart,” Perk began, leaning forward and spreading his fingers on the desk’s surface in front of him, contemplatively. “And I think he can teach me…things. But I’m also certain I can help him out with regards to some…projects he’s doing. I’m a very handy kind of guy. And very social, too, which can only aid your son, who I’ve noticed interacts with a pretty small group at Waterston.” Jeremy, for sure, wasn’t able to reach a huge swath of the kids who had money to burn.

Perk continued baiting the hook. “I havelotsof friends here already, and a ton more back in Cincinnati. I’m also headed back there for two weeks over the winter break that’s coming up. Which means I’ll have plenty of time to let them know about the people I’ve met here, like Jeremy, and fill them in on anything…interesting that they might want to become a part of.”

Perk hoped—if Jennifer was truly the one in charge of the money-grab—that by dangling those facts in front of the woman, she’d see dollar signs.

Mrs. Nelsin got up from her chair and slowly made her way around the desk to approach him. Perk tamped down his revulsion as she placed a hand on his shoulder and began to…stroke his arm, up and down.

“I can see how a good-looking boy like you could have people eating out of his hand,” she cooed. “Maybe youwillbe good for my son; helping him expand his circles.” She continued her creepy massage, eventually walking her hand up to the collar of his T-shirt where she ran her fingers across the skin of his neck. “However, young man, if you show any signs of betraying your new friendship with Jeremy, I won’t be happy.” Her long, red fingernails embedded sharply into Perk’s flesh, and it took everything he had not to flinch before she delicately removed them.

“And when I’m not happy,” she bent to hiss in his ear, “bad things happen.”

She nipped Perk’s earlobe, and…

That was it. He’d had enough.

He leaped to his feet, trying to look embarrassed instead of repulsed. “I, uh, don’t think you need to worry,” he said, backing away. “Jeremy and I have hit it off so far, and we’ve evenshareda few…projects already.”

If Mrs. Nelsin knew Perk had gotten rid of Kaelyn for Jeremy, she’d know what he was talking about and hopefully understand he wasn’t someone to be messed with.

---