Sesame started braiding the ends of her Dolly wig. “This formula was unique because, in addition to raising testosterone, it also amplifies the effect of any estrogen in the body. So not only does the subject experience sexual arousal, they also experience uncontrolled giggling.”
“Something about the dilation of the blood vessels apparently loosens the vocal cords,” Tommy added.
“Giggling?” Riley repeated.
“Not just a chuckle or a guffaw,” Sesame said. “Fits of hysterical giggling.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Brian said.
“It’s not dangerous at all,” Sesame assured them. “The trial proved that the drug did what it was supposed to. But it also showed that the patients’ partners were too annoyed to actually want to have sex.”
“Which makes it a disastrous side effect,” Riley guessed.
“Exactly.”
“So it works great to turn men on and their partners off,” Josie surmised.
Sesame nodded, still braiding her wig. “When I realized that even if we managed to get FDA approval, the lawsuits would lead an investigation straight to our doorstep. I told Tommy’s aunt and uncle that we had to shut it down or we would run the risk of losing everything we’d already built. They refused to listen. The valuation in the billion-dollar range convinced them that it was worth the risk.”
“My aunt really likes her mink eyelashes,” Tommy said.
“Billion with ab,” Riley asked, wide-eyed.
Sesame nodded. “They made it clear that they were moving forward with the trial and the launch. I told Tommy we had to get out while we could. Sesame and Tommy Hemsworth had to disappear. They gave me no choice. We were on a sinking ship, and I knew if it went down, they wouldn’t hesitate to pin it all on Tommy and me. That’s when I knew it was time to come home.”
“That’s why you wanted us to leave?” Tommy asked.
Sesame nodded. “Your aunt and uncle were furious that I wanted out. I didn’t trust them to do the right thing. And when you balked at leaving, I decided to come home to my brother and work out a plan to get you out of the business whether you wanted it or not.”
“Aunt Lurlene convinced me that you left because you didn’t like having to split the profits four ways. She said you would never settle for a millionaire when there were billionaires out there to marry.”
“Oh, Tommy.” Sesame sighed.
“So when exactly did you decide to follow her out here?” Nick asked Tommy.
“You weren’t answering my calls, and I was missing you so much. I decided I was going to fly out here and make a grand gesture to win you back. You were right—we didn’t owe my family more than what we’d already given them. You built them an empire, and they were careless with it. I stopped by their house on my way to the airport to tell them I was leaving. I let myself in, and that’s when I heard the gunshot. I didn’t think, I just ran inside, and that’s when I saw them.”
Tommy’s face was stark white. He shook his head as if to get the image out of his mind. “Gunther was standing over Wilson’s body holding a gun. There was this pool of blood on the tile floor. I was shocked. When I looked up, Uncle Royce said he was just tying off loose ends to keep our investment safe.”
“Now I’m calling the cops. They can sort this shit out,” Kellen said, reaching for his phone.
Sesame put her hand on his arm. “You can’t call the police.”
“Give me one good reason why,” he demanded. “One honest truth that will convince me not to report all of this to my superiors.”
She nodded solemnly. “Okay. I didn’t actually go shopping.”
“No shit,” Josie said, working on her fourth piece of pizza.
“I went to Manhattan to meet with a lawyer and…” She paused dramatically. “The FBI.”
Tommy’s pizza slice fell out of his hand to the floor.
Burt pounced on it and gobbled it up.
“The FBI?” Tommy repeated.
“We couldn’t start the next chapter of our lives if we were tied up in all this illegal activity. And the Lionworths were a sinking ship.”
