Buzzard Bay (32 page)

“There’s a private club we want you to crash,” one of my bodyguards tells me. “You’ve got lots of money, spread whatever it takes to get in, and then make sure they all know you’re there.” At the door to the club, the doorman says, “I’m sorry, sir, but we’re all full for the evening.”

“Bullshit,” I snap my fingers. My man pulls out five one-hundred American dollar bills.

The doorman’s eyes get as big as saucers. “I’ll see what I can do, sir,” he rushes away.

hortly after, an American couple comes out, red-faced. “That’s the last time we’re coming here!” the man exclaims.

I tell my bodyguards to wait outside as the maître d’ escorts us to our table. The place is packed. My eyes soon became accustomed to the light, and I notice that many people here have no business being here on their incomes. I also notice that many of them are with women other than their wives.

“I’ve lived here quite a while in the Bahamas,” I tell Carol, “but this is a part of Nassau that I didn’t know existed.”

he shrugs, “Every place has a nightlife of its own. You’ve just become part of this one.”

A couple of drinks and I begin to loosen up. A few people stop by to say hello, and I can tell by the turned heads that word is getting around as to who I am.

hortly, I see Manly Waddell following the maître d’ to a secluded table back in one corner. On his arm is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Carol pokes me in the ribs, “There’s the woman you’re going to sweep off her feet, Mr. Bertrand.”

“God, she’s beautiful,” is all I can say.

“Well, okay,” Carol says, “so she sweeps you off your feet. I don’t care how it’s done as long as you two get together.”

“Manly looks like he got his nose put back on his face,” I tell Carol, trying to change the subject.

“Okay,” Carol says. “From now on, you’ve got to start getting some attention. Give me a kiss and run your hand inside my dress.”

“What?” I say incredulously.

“Come on, it’s just a tit. If you want her attention, you’ve got to do something to get noticed. It’s considered very suave in Europe to do something daring in public. Men in the know in Germany are very good at this. It is very common there for a man to fondle or expose a woman’s breast and for a woman to make a man hard under the table like this,” she runs her fingers over my crotch. “No one can see what you’re doing, but they can all imagine.”

“Are you fucking me around?” I ask, my lips touching hers.

“No way,” she says. “Actually, I think it’s a good idea to have your man hot by the time you get him home.”

I reach inside her dress making sure not to hide what I am doing. The soft flesh feels good in my hand. I can feel myself getting hard.

“That a boy,” I hear her say, “now we get up and dance.” I was never much of a dancer, but part of my training to be a well-rounded ladies’ man is to be able to move around the floor. We’d actually gotten pretty good, I thought, although she was a strong partner, I had to admit. Now I know why sophisticating Bob was such a high priority. This is where I will be seen and judged. Certain things are expected of me. Now is the time to establish my reputation.

We are doing fine; the music is slow, and Carol very erotic. The night wears on. We meet more people, just fish so far. I am fishing for sharks. It still amazes me that some of these people are here. One has to know all aspects of a person before he begins to understand them, I realize.

It is getting early into the morning before Waddell and his lady get up to dance.

I’ve been inside Carol’s dress a lot, the drinks making me braver; besides, it feels good, and Carol is not complaining.

“Pull one out, kiss my nipple, and then slowly put it back where you got it,” she whispers in my ear as we sway provocatively to the music. My groping hand spreads open her top, enough so that it isn’t hiding much. I hesitate; they are just hanging there waiting for me.

“Do it, damn it,” she smiles through clenched teeth. “What’s the matter, you’re so used to playing with watermelons that you can’t find my little titties?”

I laugh, knowing she is referring to July. Our crotches grind to the slow music. I reach inside her dress and pull out one tit. I admire it, then bend and nuzzle her nipple before slipping it back behind cover. I look up; her eyes are closed, her face showing the pleasure of an erotic encounter.

“Christ,” she even has me excited. I am sure it showed through the crotch of my pants. Now other women are envious of the attention Carol is creating and begin trying to turn on their partners with much the same tactics.

I realize most of these people are bored. They are looking for something different, something exciting. What I consider to be exhibitionism, these people consider erotic and something to break the monotony.

“You’ve got her mouth watering now,” Carol says breaking into my thoughts. I realize she is talking about Lena, Manly’s partner.

“She hasn’t taken her eyes off you since she’s come to the dance floor.” Carol says as she wraps herself around me. I can feel all of her. She has me hot, and everyone in the place knows it.

“Time to leave,” she whispers, pulling me out of the place.

We fall all over each other out front while waiting for our limo to come around and pick us up. When we get in the back seat, I am ready to fuck her right there and then. I kiss her, but she does’nt respond.

“Remember, as long as people think they know what’s happening in here, it doesn’t have to happen,” she tells me.

I lay my head back on the seat. “Thank you, Carol,. “I’m sorry I lost it.”

Carol is sitting back in the seat with a flushed look on her face. “I hope Lena jumps on you quick,” she says, “I don’t think I can take much more of this.”

“If you were Lena, I would have to fuck you, wouldn’t I?” Beginning to face the reality of what will be expected of me.

“Don’t be stupid, Mr. Bertrand. We both know what’s required to pull this off.”

I now understand when Ansly had told me it was a woman who had been the demise of the real Mark Bertrand. That woman is sitting beside me and expects me to perform my duties just as she executes hers.

I could have fucked Carol; it would only have been lust, the heat of passion, and it would not have made me feel less of her. However, it would have bothered me the rest of my life because of July’s loyalty and my love for her. It would have hurt Carol much more; a woman’s sex is much more personal and this has to be respected.

I have a million questions to ask Carol, but right now we are too close. To become lovers could only end in pain and jeopardize the goal at hand.

“Do you fall in love with every woman you play with,” she looks at me.

“I don’t usually play with women,” I tell her, “I respect them too much, just as I respect you for what you let me do in there.”

“It’s never easy, you know,” she begins to cry.

I bring her close. “Did you love Mark Bertrand?” I ask.

“It was so hard not to,” she sobs, burying her face in my chest.

“God,” I say to her, “that is all you needed, another man hitting on you.”

“No,” she looks up and dries her eyes. “I can tell you’re a very special man. That big blonde’s a very lucky woman.” She immediately changes, sitting back, gaining control again. “I think we did a good job in there tonight. It won’t be long now before Lena comes for your body, just don’t give her your soul.”

Carol went to see July the next day. July hadn’t told Bob the whole truth about where she would be. The narcotic agents were shorthanded. They found July invaluable in her assistance with identifying people, keeping her on the ship with people gathering information and formulating strategies.

July laughs when Carol describes how Bob had exposed her tit to the world. She wants to keep July informed as to what is happening as well as prepare her for the future.

“You know what will be required when he gets to Lena,” Carol tells July carefully.

July answers just as carefully, “I know, but that’s Mark Bertrand, not Bob Green. I just hope he can separate the two and I get Bob Green back at the end of this.”

Carol holds her hand. “You will, he’s a very strong man, but if we think he’s beginning to crack, we’ll let you go to him.”

July brightens up. “Let us hope that doesn’t happen. I want to get this over with so we can continue on with our lives.”

Things move pretty fast the rest of the week. I have meetings all day and party all night. I am popular now with lots of invitations to big parties and small; the agents try to keep me in the same circles as Waddell, scrambling to find out which places he will show, so Bertrand can be there too. I’m conveniently alone the night I first meet Waddell.

I ‘m dancing with a young girl I picked at the bar. She was sitting at Waddell’s table the night before and I am pretty sure the meeting was prearranged.

Waddell is dancing with Lena. They had become an item lately, showing up together at all the nightspots. The young girl introduces me to Waddell, and Waddell invites us to sit at his table.

“I hear you’re looking for investments here in the islands,” Waddell tells me.

“Yes” I’m looking for something interesting. So far, I haven’t met the right people for what I have in mind,” I answer him.

“There will be a man here later tonight who specializes in investments that you might be interested in,” Waddell tells me. “I’ll introduce you.”

“Perfect,” I tell him, “I’m looking forward to it.” I turn to Lena, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

Waddell smiles and introduces Lena to Mr. Bertrand.

“Mark is my first name,” I tell Lena, “and I love to dance, would you join me?” I lead her to the floor and know instantly she is used to the European style of dancing as she fell into a familiar rhythm. She giggles and says. “You certainly don’t waste any time, do you?”

“I never let beautiful women slide through my fingers. They’re like a rare piece of art only appearing once in a while.”

“Oh,” she says, “and romantic too.” The music stops, and we return to the table. Another man has joined us now; it’s Grundman.

I am enjoying this; both of them would like to see me dead, now they are going out of their way to meet with me. If they had any idea how close I am to saying “Fuck it” and killing the both of them, they would shit their pants. This is even better; I want to play with them for a little while. I’d have fun fucking them around while they suck holed after my money.

Manly introduces me to Grundman, and we talk for a bit.

“Why don’t you meet with me tomorrow at my office?” Grundman tells me..

Great,” I tell him grabbing hold of Lena and to her squealing delight, push her toward the dance floor where we dance for a long time talking and becoming more intimate as the night wore on. When we do go back to the table, both Lena and I keep the conversation lively. There is a number of young girls around the table now. They all want a dance with me, and I oblige them all, but every once in a while I lock eyes with Lena, letting her know I am interested. By the time the place closes, I know I can take any one of the young girl’s home with me, but I excuse myself.

“I have an appointment,” I wink at Waddell and leave the group, making them wonder what I am up to.

The next morning I show up at Grundman’s office early. His secretary is filing her nails and looks startled to see anyone come in this early. She phones him and after a while he shows up looking perturbed that I have come so early.

“You look a little bit under the weather, Grundman,” I tell him. “Rough night?”

He grunts and pours himself a coffee. “You’re looking for some investments?” he gets right to the point, in no mood for small talk.

“Yes, “In fact, I may have found one I’m interested in.”

“Oh,” he sits tapping his pencil on his desk, “and what is that?”

“The Royal Bahamas Bank is holding a mortgage on a farming operation on Andros Island. I can get it for a song, would you be interested in handling it for me?”

“What are we looking at?” he asks.

It is just as I think. He doesn’t know it exists. “The bank has a mortgage of over two million owing against it. I offered them one million, they’ve accepted the offer,” I tell Grundman . “I need you do the legal work and make sure the transaction is complete.”

“A transaction such as this could take months here,” Grundman tells me, taking a drink of his coffee.

“Say I give you a couple of hundred thousand American to have this done in a week.. Are you sure this couldn’t be completed?”

Grundman chokes on his coffee. “I don’t know, Let me make some phone calls. Come back at one, and I’ll know for sure then.”

I know he won’t phone Waddell, Grundman is too greedy to give him a piece of the pie. We also know he will have the work done for us; all he wants to find out is how cheap he can get it done for.

When I go back at one, it is exactly as we planned.

“You’ll have your title in one week and the bank will have the transaction completed tomorrow,” Grundman tells me. “I will expect my money at that time.”

“Perfect,” I tell him. “There’s one more thing maybe you can help with. I don’t want to upset Waddell, but how tight is he with Lena?”

“I’ve known her for years,” Grundman tells me. “They’re just friends. She’s new here and does not know many people. Why, are you interested in her?”

“Who wouldn’t be?” I tell him, “She’s a fuck of a lot of woman.” I can see Grundman’s mind ticking over. If he can get Lena in tight with me, would it be beneficial to him? Obviously, he decides it would be because he gives me her address and phone number.

“Why don’t you invite her to the dinner we’re throwing tomorrow for the government’s election campaign? We’ve got a tough fight on our hands to keep our present government in power,” he says. “The fucking bleeding hearts want a reform government in power here. If we let them in, nobody’s going to make a living.”

“Great,” I tell him. “I’ll be sure to bring my checkbook.”

I phone Lena that afternoon. I get the impression that she is expecting my call. “I’ve been invited to the fund-raiser tomorrow night. I need an escort,” I tell her. “How about going with me?”