Sidney Sheldon's Mistress of the Game by Sidney Sheldon, Tilly Bagshawe Page A

away. “What are you doing out of bed so late?”
    Lexi frowned, then pouted, her deep gray eyes welling with tears.
    “Robbie!” she wailed. “I want Robbie! Where’s Robbie? Where is he?”
    Peter felt the bitterness choking him. First Alex, now Lexi. Robert had sucked away their love like a vampire, leaving Peter with nothing. Only with immense effort did he keep the emotion out of his voice.
    “Robbie’s not here right now, sweetie. Would you like Daddy to tuck you in? I could read that story you like. The one about Squirrel Nutkin?”
    “NO!” It was a yell. “NOT Daddy! Rooooobbiiiieee!”
    Mrs. Carter ushered Lexi back into her bedroom. Poor Mr. Templeton. He looked like he’d just had acid thrown in his face. He had to learn not to take things so much to heart. Mrs. Carter had four kids of her own. Like every mother, she knew that children could be spiteful and thoughtless, especially at Lexi’s age. You couldn’t take it personally.
    Once Lexi was settled back in bed, Mrs. Carter came downstairs. She found her boss in the study.
    “Is she asleep?”
    Peter’s voice sounded odd. Deadened and dull. Mrs. Carter noticed the tumbler of whiskey in his hand and the open bottle on the desk. The hairs on her arms began to tingle with foreboding.
    “Yes, sir. Sound asleep.”

    Peter took a big slug of his drink. When he looked up, his eyes were glassy.
    “Good. Thank you. You can go.”
    Suddenly Mrs. Carter didn’t feel right about leaving Lexi alone in the house with her father. What if Mr. Templeton passed out cold, and something happened to the girl? She’d never forgive herself.
    “It’s all right, sir. I can stay for a while. At least until Master Robert gets home safely.”
    Mr. Carter—Mike—would be at home expecting his dinner. He was bound to make a fuss, but it couldn’t be helped.
    “I can fix you some supper if you like. There’s leftover beef in the pantry. I could whip you up some Stroganoff.”
    “No. Thank you.”
    Peter drained his glass and immediately poured himself another.
    “Go home, Mrs. Carter. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    The words were polite, but the tone was liquid steel. The housekeeper hesitated.
    She thought about Lexi and poor Master Robert. Should she leave them here, alone, with their drunken father? Probably not. But if she forced the issue and demanded to stay, she might lose her position. Where would that leave her own kids? With Mike out of work, her salary was all they had.
    She reached a decision.
    “Very good, sir. As long as you’re sure.”
    The children would be all right. ’Course they would. She was blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Mike would get his precious dinner on time, and all would be right with the world.
    Far be it for that lazy bastard to learn how to turn on a microwave.
     
    Robbie sat up in bed, trying to focus.
    “I know you want it. You’ve been staring at me all evening. What are you waiting for?”
    Maureen Swanson, naked from the waist up, crawled across the bedspread toward him. Her repellent, swollen udders swung beneath her like bloated bagpipes. When she peeled off her panties to reveal a neatly trimmed rust-red bush, a pungent whiff of rotting fish assaulted Robbie’s nostrils. He felt the bile rise in his throat.
    What am I waiting for? I’m waiting for Scotty to fix the teleporter and beam me back to the Enterprise, that’s what I’m waiting for.

    Unbidden, an image of William Shatner in a tight green shirt and spray-on pants popped into Robbie’s head. He smiled. Then Maureen came closer and the smile died on his lips.
    “It’s okay,” she whispered huskily. “Everyone gets nervous their first time. You just relax and let Mama take care of you. Everything’s gonna be sweet.”
    Oh God, no!
    Even in his coke-fueled haze, Robbie could see the filth under Maureen’s fingernails as she slipped her hand beneath the waistband of his Calvin Klein briefs.
    “What the hell?”
    Maureen glowered at him