Fortunes Obsession (6 page)

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     Collins ran on the treadmill. His alcohol free body was already starting to feel more powerful and filled with energy.

His hair was freshly cut and the scruffy beard of the week before was gone.  The impression he gave was that of a finely conditioned

athlete having a late morning workout.  He had his plan worked out.

On Thursday morning he would fly to New York and visit this Trans Orient Silk Co.  He would, if necessary, bully his way into seeing the bald man with the black beard.  When they heard his ideas, they would surely sit up and pay attention.

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     Marta Gomez, Fahd's secretary, received a call from him on Monday evening, advising her not to come to work until she got a call from him advising her to do so.  Mr. Fahd often did this when he was  out of town.  She was grateful for the days off and would spend the time visiting her grandchildren and doing some long needed shopping.  She couldn't understand how Mr. Fahd could just leave the office closed with no one in attendance.

She thought that he must lose an awful lot of business at these times. Oh well, she thought, that was his business and after all, she was getting paid anyway.  Mr. Fahd was very generous that way.

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     Dara awoke at nine o clock.  She had been accustomed to sleeping late.  Fahd had made great demands on her at night and she usually slept half the day.  Nine was an early hour for her but she woke up filled with elation and a verve for life for the first time

in a long time.  She took a long, luxurious bath in perfumed oil and afterward, rubbed her body down with body smoothing cream. She drank a glass of orange juice and two cups of strong black coffee and sat at the phone with her second cup.  She dialed with nervous anticipation. She held the card with the number of his private line in trembling fingers.

     " Hello, Peter, I'm calling to find out if last night really happened or if it was just a wonderful dream.?"

     " Who is this please? ", he said with a laughing lilt in his voice, " You know I'm kidding.......I was just wondering the same thing myself.  I'm black and blue from pinching myself."

     " Oh Peter", she said tenderly, " I can't wait till you get over here.  Can't you come right now?"

     " You're tempting me, you brazen hussy, I'll be there at one sharp, I promise."

     They spent the next five minutes making the small talk of new romance and each one, after hanging up, felt a great feeling of warmth.

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     Bey opened the door after looking through the peephole.

      " Ah, come in Mohammed, I've been waiting for your report."

     A young man who very much resembled Bey in looks and style, entered the room.

     " I have searched his room with a fine tooth comb.  He has nothing there that would interest us.  His case has nothing but duplicate material.  I have looked everywhere.  There was nothing."

     " Excellent job", said Bey. " I want you to follow him all day. I want to know if he has brought backup with him or if someone else is here in Detroit that is holding the information we seek."

     " I spoke to my operatives downstairs five minutes ago and he was still eating his breakfast.  I already took it upon myself to have him followed until he arrives at your suite this evening."

     Bey gave the young man a praising pat on the back and sent him on his way.

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     Peter stopped at Lance Corning's office.

     " Here are the calculations for the Montcalm Building. I think that everything we wanted to do with it is very feasible.  I hate to ask you this, Lance but I have some family business to attend to this afternoon and I don't think I'll be back.  Would it be possible for you to make the presentation to the owner?"

     " Don't worry about it Peter, I was fast talking owners when you were in diapers.  Have a good day......and by the way, great job on the concept and calculations...You're a whiz."

     Peter entered the elevator and thought about his last ride to the ground floor.  Life was wonderful.

     He stopped at a Korean fruit store that sold flowers outside and bought two bouquets of colorful flowers, which the proprietress made into one.  He stepped into a cab holding his flowers and wondered why he bothered to take a taxi.  He could have literally floated on air all the way to her apartment. When he exited the cab

and entered the building, the doorman after passing

him through on Dara’s instructions, seemed to look him over from head to toe, as if trying to memorize him.  He shrugged his

shoulders and entered the elevator.     

     She answered the door wearing a cream colored long skirt and a matching halter top. A simple choker of silver coins was around her neck and she wore earrings to match.  Her skirt was bikini height and her exposed skin was tanned to perfection.  Her glistening blonde hair and blue eyes made her the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.  He handed her the flowers and she held them against her breast and smiled at him.

     " They're beautiful", she said, " How thoughtful of you...you're wonderful."

     " And you're more beautiful than they could ever be", he smiled tenderly, " Are we going to stand in this doorway all afternoon?"

     She sat him on the couch where a chilled bottle of champagne sat in a bucket. She went to the kitchen and put the flowers in a vase and brought them out to the coffee table.  She sat down next to him and poured them each a goblet of champagne. They touched glasses and sipped the golden liquid, all the while looking into each other's eyes and smiling.

     She took his glass from his hand and put both glasses on the table.  She put her arms around him and kissed him on the lips.

He kissed her neck and could smell the fragrance of her perfume. He was in an erotic trance.  He felt as if he was breathing in her

whole being.  She wanted him desperately and propriety be damned.

She took him gently by the wrist and led him to her bedroom. The bed was king size and covered with silk pillows. Above the bed was a silk canopy.  The carpet was white and deep.  He felt as if he were in a sea of white softness. She stood before him and undid her halter, all the while looking into his eyes. She undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.  He could hear the soft music from her stereo and felt drunk with passion.  Soon they both stood naked. Two perfect bodies walked toward each other and tenderly embraced.  They fell to be bed and alighted on a fur bedspread.  They made love slowly and tenderly.  Their moans were like a musical symphony of love.  Dara felt as if she were truly giving herself. This was not a performance. This was real.

     " Oh my God", she screamed as she achieved orgasm, " I never knew it could be like this."

     "Neither did I"' he panted,  " This is different....very different.  Don't ever leave me."

     " I won't , I won't.....Oh my darling....Oh, I'm so frightened."

     She began to sob, putting her arms around him. After five minutes, she was still weeping softly.

     " What's the matter", he sat up with great concern.

     " Oh Peter, I know it's to soon, but I know I love you and I'm

afraid to lose you. There are things.....things about me....I mean you don't even really know me."

     Peter laughed. " You don't know how relieved I am. I was just

thinking the same thing.  I mean...I didn't want to tell you I love you after only two days......but I"m sure I do. What could there possibly be about you that I wouldn't like."

     Her gut feeling was that this was not the right time to confess all.  She dried her eyes and smiled again.

     " Come inside, I have a wonderful lunch for you, then we'll

come back in here and have dessert.

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     Fahd walked through the shopping mall killing time. He knew that the terrorists would have him followed and played the game of trying to pick out his pursuers.  He had been in this business for a long time and knew the ropes.  He had kept alive and become rich because he was always thinking ahead of his enemies.  He had been in countless arms deals throughout the world and had occasionally dealt in information.  In the twelve years he had been in this business he had banked a fortune in Cayman banks.  He never dealt drugs even though he had often had the chance.  He felt that the drug trade was infinitely more dangerous than what he did now.

The trouble was that the people he dealt with were becoming increasingly more violent over the years.  They not only eliminated their enemies but preyed on innocent people in the enactment of their trade.  It was not that he felt compassion for these innocents but felt that they would be hunted more relentlessly by the authorities.  He thought again about Dara.  Two years was about his limit for a mistress.  She had many predecessors. He had to admit, though, that this one possessed a combination of beauty and intelligence the others didn't have.  He always left them with wealth and possessions which more than repaid them for the pain of being cast off.  Dara might be different.  If she were really cheating on him, he might just turn her over to Bokaar.

     It was hard to spot them in Detroit.  Detroit has one of the largest Arab- American communities in the country.  Most of them were honest and hardworking citizens who had nothing to do with terrorism but they resembled the guilty in looks and were, in periods of unrest, sometimes looked upon with distrust.

     When he looked around him, he saw hundreds of people who might be middle eastern.  His tail would be hard to pick out.  It wasn't long before he spotted a frail looking young man with a Detroit Tiger's cap worn backwards.  Every time Fahd stopped and turned around, the young man turned to look into a store window.  Fahd decided to have some fun with him.  Fahd turned and walked back in the opposite direction. After walking about fifty yards, he turned and walked the other way.  After repeating this about four times, he sat down on a concrete wall and stared in the direction of the young man, who by this time was dizzy with turning around so many times.  He stared until his tail looked in his direction.  At that point, Fahd smiled and waved.  The boy looked down as if in embarrassment, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

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     Farley Collins jogged in the Florida Heat.  He couldn't believe how fast he was getting himself back into shape.  He wanted to be in top shape for the operation.  He was puzzled.  He had

called the phone number on the business card.  He dialed it several times but there was no answer.  He wanted to check the validity of the company but now he wasn't sure it really existed.  He decided that he would keep trying the number every day.  It certainly made no sense to fly to New York if the company didn't exist. It was, after all, his only lead.

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     It was four o clock in the afternoon and Peter was asleep, all of his energy spent in a wonderful afternoon of love making.  Dara ran a hand over his body and lay awake worrying.

     What would she do when Fahd came back and demanded her services?  Could she give her body to Fahd again, under any circumstances?  How could she break away from him without incurring  a violent reaction and thereby putting both herself and Peter in danger?

     Peter opened his eyes and smiled, leaning over and planting the tenderest of kisses on her mouth.

     " A penny for your thoughts." You look worried. Is this going too fast for you?”

       She took both of her hands in his. " Oh no darling, not at all.  I was just preoccupied with a million petty thoughts. It's really nothing."

     The answering machine was turned off as were the ringers on all of the phones and she wondered if Fahd was trying to get her.

     " Peter, I'd love to see where you live.  Why don't we go to your place so you can slip into something casual and we'll go out

for something light later this evening."  She felt that they would be safer away from her apartment.  She would take it one step at a time.  She wished that she could confide in Peter but all of the ideas had to come from her own mind and she wasn't thinking too clearly.

     " Great", he said, " Bring a change with you. I'd love for you to stay with me tonight but remember, I've got to go to work tomorrow morning.  I've almost forgotten I have a job."

     She looked relieved and happy and all but dragged Peter into the shower.

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     Fahd entered the suite dressed for business.  He wore a black, pin striped suit, a blue shirt and a striped regimental tie. The others were similarly dressed, except for Mahdi who still wore native garb.  The table was set with fine china and the finest silverware the hotel owned.  It was, of course, not propitious to discuss any business while the hotel serving people were in the room.  Pleasant small talk was made all during the meal, which consisted of a lamb dish which the hotel had done surprisingly well. After the meal, Cuban cigars were passed around and finally, the hotel staff departed.