Take a Big Bite Out of Life

Dirk looked at the stunning young woman lying next to him. He had enjoyed her thoroughly. Humiliating her throughout the night intoxicated him with pleasure. He remembered back two months ago when her innocence attracted him to her like a magnet. This woman servicing four men had been particularly exhilarating. He told her she would always be his baby by doing what he wanted. That was a bald faced lie.

She lasted longer than any of the others, he thought. Usually, it only took a month or two before he destroyed their self-esteem with his constant degradations. She had a strong upbringing and an excellent foundation of decency. Another few weeks and she would break.

Dirk was a billionaire. He found these naïve young women and brought them into his world of impossible wealth, influence, and power. The women always had magnificent possibilities flowing out of them; humans destined to be successful. He gave them access to whatever they wanted; however, they wanted it, whenever they wanted it. He told them life was their apple and to take a big bite. He showed them how everyone had a price.

He toured them through the world of the ultra-rich—a place filled with private jets, beachfront mansions, and personal yachts with shipboard helicopter landing pads. Every meal is an adventure, prepared at her request by internationally famous chefs.

He introduced women to his world with what he called “scenes from a movie.” Each move carefully choreographed. Once she agreed to a date with him, the following happened:

• A choice of beautiful designer clothing and jewelry for their date showed up at her apartment, along with a dresser and make-up artist.

• Kirk, his personal driver, picked her up in a limo and took her to the hotel.

• Johan, his butler, met her in the lobby and took her to his penthouse for a custom drink.

• After the drink, they went upstairs to board his helicopter. The helicopter flew them to his yacht, where a party was already underway. It was a Hollywood-style affair with “A” list actors, politicians, and other members of his “set” drinking and dancing to music from a top entertainer and their band.

• After the party ends, the guests retired to their staterooms or helicoptered to the destination of their choice.

• He offers her a stateroom of her own, making sure she knows he is right next to her. It doesn't matter if she comes to his room that night; if not that night, another night will do. But come to him, she would. Power is seductive.

The next day she has breakfast with him on deck. He always created a memorable, unique experience for each woman. He got them to take a bite of the poisoned apple. Within a few weeks, the women were essentially living with him. As they took gigantic bites out of the world apple, he took a colossal bite out of their decency, confidence, courage, self-esteem, and soul.

It was the most fun when decent people became his victims. He slowly but surely pulled them into horrific debauchery until they would do whatever he wanted. As soon as they were all in, he discarded them as one would a soiled Kleenex. Oh, they kept the jewelry, the clothing, and anything else he had given them when he was finished with them. Once their destruction was complete, he had no further use for them. They would never fulfill their life potential. Instead, they would always remain trapped in the memory of what it was to live with absolute power and fabulous riches. They would never again be satisfied with the lives they would lead.

That is when the real fun began. Watching the girls’ shock and horror as they realized what they had become for money and power—having them calculate if they wanted to go back to their painfully ordinary lives or find another man like him. They could have exchanged the items he gave them for money and lived comfortably, but they chose not to. Wealth was toxic. There were always millionaires hanging around him to finish using his leftovers. He was the great white shark in this ocean, and the other men were the pitiful hangers-on picking at his scraps. Sometimes they would fall in love with and marry these castoffs, never realizing they were second best. Dirk laughed; their husbands never knew, but he did.

Dirk stretched and slipped on his swim trunks. He would take a leisurely swim, as he did every morning when he was at his residence. The Olympic-sized pool was a pleasure, a heated saltwater pool with glass sides so his guests on the lower level could see everyone swimming. He walked down the stairs smelling the salt air. The pool was so enormous it created its weather system. There was always a mist over the pool in the morning. He loved it.

Slipping into the clear water, Dirk noticed someone had left the back wall up. The pool had retractable walls for times of inclement weather. There was a roof suspended over the pool. Was there some work being done? He would remind his team there was to be no work without his permission. Dirk slipped into the water and started swimming his laps.

He was well into his return lap when someone called his name. It was Jaycee’s father. How many times did he need to tell the man his daughter had killed herself? His team sufficiently greased the authorities such that there was no other answer. There would never be any different answer. She wasn’t staying with him when she died. The little bitch had not even survived a little three-person action—becoming so depressed she started using drugs and ended up addicted. He gave her as many legal and illegal substances as she wanted and finished playing with her. Once he finished with her, she ran straight into the addiction lifestyle; after all, she could afford it, at least for a while. Two months later, she was dead. The coroner reported she had overdosed.

Adam? Yea, his name was Adam. He had a bucket in one hand and a large spoon in the other, walking steadily toward him. Adam said, “You know Jaycee was a stunning young woman. She was headed to medical school. You broke her. You knew exactly what you are doing, and you enjoy it. Destroying them is a hobby with you. Your money made it damn near impossible to even interest the police in you. Once we got the police to open an investigation, you paid them off. Jayden kept telling me you wanted her to take a big bite out of life. You believe you are untouchable. You are right.” The man stepped over to the edge of the pool.

“You know I’m senseless with grief. Over the last few days, I’ve been doing irrational things where everyone could see me doing them. Told anyone who would listen to what a predator you are. I was wild eyed.” Adam smiled. And lifted the bucket. He went into the bucket with the spoon, pulled out bloody fish guts, and threw them into the pool near Dirk.

Dirk thought, “Oh hell, this is going to be such a mess. I hope I won’t need to have the pool drained again.” Dirk heard a splash at the end of the pool as something heavy dropped into the water from the enclosure. Adam reached into the bucket and threw more fish guts into the water. The stuff hit him on the shoulder. Then Dirk saw something out of the corner of his eye. When he turned his head, his visitor threw a rope lasso over him. The rope entangled him.

He saw something out the side of his eye. Jesus fucking Christ,” Wait, was that a great white shark? Was there a shark in the pool with him? Adam threw more chum into the water. Dirk was floating in a circle of bloody guts. The shark swam by, almost brushing his skin. “Oh, god,” Dirk said.

The last thing Dirk saw was the shark speeding toward him. He could see the rows of razor-sharp teeth in its mouth. Dirk got that final gigantic bite out of life, taken out of him.