“Where’s Chet now?” Mac asked darkly.
“Texas.”
“When this is over, I’m going to kill him.”
She could tell by the look on his face that he knew what was in the pictures.
“She was really a cute little blonde, Mac.” Keiley gave him a droll look. “I think she was really proud of that picture, too. It was on her Web site for several months before she took it down. But by then it had spread like a virus. You two were very popular for a while.”
“Good Lord, she’s enjoying this.” Jethro was staring at her as though he had no clue she had a sense of humor.
“I thought you would have known, to be honest.” She stared back at them in confusion. “You two were pretty wild back then. Didn’t it occur to you that someone might take pictures? A video? Something?”
Evidently it hadn’t.
“Look, I don’t like this any more than you do. My bare butt might not be showing, but someone has a picture of me enjoying the hell out of having my bare butt covered. But let’s be realistic about this. There’s not a damned thing we can do to stop it. That doesn’t mean we have to be ashamed of it.”
“You are the girl who cringes at the thought of anyone gossiping about us, right?” Mac snapped as he jerked to his feet and went to the refrigerator. She knew exactly what he was after.
Two beers. He handed one to Jethro before twisting the cap of his with a furious movement of his wrist.
“Damaging gossip. Lies. Yes,” she amended. “But do you really think we’re the only ones playing bedroom games in this county?” She snorted. “Or the only ones who will be living openly in a ménage relationship? You know better, Mac.”
His pride was smarting, though, and she knew it.
“That’s not the point,” he retorted furiously.
“No, the point is that someone stole it and there’s no way we can take it back,” she guessed. “You can’t control it, so you have to fight against it. If you do that, then the gossip will only get worse. We go out, hold our heads up, and show them we don’t give a damn, and it will become old news.”
“Except to the perverted flakes jacking off to the thought of you being double-fucked by us?” His voice rose angrily.
“Yeah, well, what about the perverted women masturbating to the thought of being between you and Jethro? Just think of all the hot dogs we’ll sell at the festival next month.”
She swore they paled. Both of them.
“Call Gladsteen in cybercontrol now.” Mac turned to Jethro. “Now. Get Delia’s e-mail address, it’s in my address book. I want it targeted. I want every computer that attachment went to, was forwarded to, or viewed by, annihilated.”
“Gladsteen will charge you the moon.”
“I’ll pay f**king Venus!” Mac snapped. “I don’t give a f**k. Do it.”
“I’ll call her.”
“Her?” Keiley frowned. “Gladsteen is a her?”
Jethro ignored her. He moved from the kitchen, his feet pounding up the stairs.
“Gladsteen is a her?” She turned on Mac.
“I’m going to my office.” Mac finished his beer. “Come in here and sleep on the couch while I program in some information on that program you made for me. This shit is getting taken care of.”
He came to his feet with a surge of energy she wished she could just imitate.
“Who is Gladsteen?” She wasn’t letting that go. “You didn’t say anything about paying a her whatever was required. And if Venus is a sex trick, I’m going to be pissed.”
She trailed after him, aware of Pappy moving in closer, brushing against her legs as they moved into the office. She never even knew that dog was around until he slid past her.
“Venus is not a sex trick,” Mac snapped as they moved through the back hall to his office. “It’s a figure of speech. Stop worrying. The most she’ll ask for is a case of Scotch for her booze-licking husband.”