I Opia (19 page)

“What do you need, baby? Tell me,” he whispered as he clutched a handful of her hair. “I need to hear it.”

Blaine wasted no time in responding, “I need you to fuck me. Please. I. Need. You. Now.” She gasped.

Stephan complied and began to slowly pull himself out of her and slowly return himself into her. She clutched the back of the couch in frustration. “More. Please. You know how I like it.”

“I do indeed, baby. That’s why I am here.” And with that he increased the pace and the intensity of his thrusting, moving faster and harder in and out of her wetness. Her head tilted back as she came and all the muscles in her pelvis tightened around his erection.

The wetness and the tightening of her muscles around his erection were more than he could take. He too threw his head back as he began to come inside her, filling her even more. When he was spent, he remained inside her from behind and pulled her toward him, holding her as she stood, still in her suit, blouse undone and skirt bunched up around her waist.

Blaine sipped a glass of wine
as she dressed for the evening at the Hunters’. She decided to dress conservatively.
I definitely do not want to show cleavage tonight.
Plus, after an afternoon with Stephan her breasts were tender so keeping them covered was definitely in her best interest.

Vince had also been sure to again show her a picture of
Les bords de la Seine à Argentueil
, the Monet that
Fred Hunter owned.

She looked herself over in the mirror after she had put on her jewelry.
What a waste of an outfit. Oh well, all in a day’s work
.
Take one for the team Vince said.

The doorbell rang signaling her driver had arrived. She had, at least, convinced Charlotte that Bob did not need to pick her up. That she would have her driver take her so as not to inconvenience Bob before they had even met. Plus, she needed to get Stephan out the door, so she could transition to the evening.

She met Gino at the door and he gave her an approving glance that she ignored. She sat glumly in the back seat as they drove wondering if all this were really necessary.
Why is it always me and not Vinny who has to take one for the team?

Gino tried to make small talk, but soon realized that she was in no mood for chitchat and turned up the music instead.

Blaine perked up once they approached the gate and the security guard. She immediately began to take mental notes of the entrance to the Hunters’ neighborhood. Gated communities always presented somewhat of an extra challenge, but nothing that she and Vince couldn’t conquer. The guard and Gino exchanged information and the guard waved them through after checking his notes.
Damn. I hate guards who check the list.

She could not help but be impressed by the homes they drove past as they made their way to the end of the cul-de-sac where the Hunters’ home sat. Each home sat on at least a four acre lot. Each lot was tree lined.
Perfect!
The neighbors are all secluded behind private gated drives and tree-lined lots. Lots of room for Vinny and I to work.

As the car pulled up to the Hunters’ gate, Gino rolled down the window again and punched the button. A muffled voice and Gino talked briefly and the gate swung open.
Holy crap! This one just might be a bit tougher than we thought.

Just like the neighbors’ homes, the driveway was long and tree-lined, and led to a circular drive. Gino pulled in and parked. He stepped out and opened Blaine’s door for her to step outside. “Do you want me to wait or just call me when you are ready?” Gino asked.

“Well, I would ask you to wait in hopes I won’t be long, but I already know that won’t be the case. I will text or call you when I am ready.” Blaine said. What she really wanted to do was just crawl back into the car and have him take her home.

“No problem,” Gino replied, “Just give me a half hour to get back.”

He was closing the car door when the front door of the house flung open and a familiar raspy voice called out, “Sugar, you are here! Come in and grab a drink.”

Charlotte embraced Blaine as if she hadn’t seen her in years and Blaine returned the hug. Charlotte linked arms with her as they walked through the entryway and the living room to the bar. The two men stood up when they saw them. Blaine and Fred exchanged hugs and she kissed him on the cheek. Then she turned politely to the other man as she was introduced.

Bob was every bit what Blaine expected. He was much too old for her taste, of medium height, and a bit portly. Bob, on the other hand, was most definitely impressed with what he saw and made no attempt to hide it.

“Well, you are every bit as beautiful as Charlotte said you were, and every bit as sexy as Fred said.” He winked at her as if this would be their special joke.

“Now Bob, don’t be telling everything we talked about.” Fred grinned. “Blaine, please forgive us old gentlemen and let me offer you a drink.”

Blaine smiled, “Boys, a girl is always flattered by such attention. I would love to have a glass of wine, red preferably.”

Fred lit up at the request. “Why don’t you come see the cellar and help me pick the wine? You are the first one to ask for a glass, and it would be my pleasure to have you help.”

“You just want to show off, Fred. She doesn’t want to go with you to the wine cellar,” rasped Charlotte. Fred immediately looked disappointed, but Blaine quickly recovered.

“Oh no, Charlotte, I really would like to see the cellar,” Blaine said as she batted her eyes at Fred.
Of course I would really like to see the entire house, but good enough to start with the wine cellar.

Fred beamed, “Let’s go then,” he said as he offered her his arm.

Bob jumped in, “Well, I want to go too. Not sure that I have seen your cellar in awhile,” he said as he took Blaine by the arm.
Holy crap! He acts like I am a trophy he just won at the fair or something.

The wine cellar was really spectacular—one of the best Blaine had seen, and she marveled at the investment. She made mental notes as Fred described each vintage. She knew that the likelihood of a client wanting any of the wine was slim. Still, she was enticed as always by what money could buy.

Fred opened a couple of bottles for tasting and they were sitting and chatting when she noticed that Bob seemed to lack access to clippers for his ears. Blaine kept trying not to focus on what appeared to be small, furry animals protruding from each ear.
What the hell could Charlotte have been thinking? Do I look that desperate?

She was relieved when they were called to dinner. She tried to quickly get up so as to walk alone, but Bob continued to cling to her. Blaine was getting frantic
How am I going to see what I need with this bozo clinging to me
?
I have to look around and get some pictures.

She was instantly relieved as they were seated for dinner. The painting that she needed was in the dining room. In fact, she was seated so that she could admire it. Dinner was delicious and Blaine found that she really liked Fred. He was gregarious and had a thousand stories, all worth hearing. In fact, it appeared that he and Charlotte had been just about everywhere.

“So, when is your next big trip? Surely you two have something fun planned soon.” Blaine asked. She always felt a twinge of guilt when baiting someone for information.

Charlotte laughed and said, “You really wouldn’t believe Sugar, but I am making Fred take me fly fishing in Argentina!”

She and Fred laughed and he said, “Yep, my gal watched some movie and decided that fly fishing was something she wanted to try, so by God, off we go.”

“Well, it is the only other sport I can think of besides golf where I can smoke and drink,” Charlotte said laughing, “We leave Wednesday and won’t be back for three weeks, Blaine, so I won’t be able to golf with you for a bit.”

Great and great—two incredibly good pieces of information. Entrapment works both ways
. Instead she laughed and responded, “Well, good! That means I have three weeks reprieve from losing!” They all laughed.

As they finished dessert, Blaine was just going to ask for a tour of the house to see Fred’s art, when Bob chimed in, “Well, what I want to know, Fred, is when you are going to show us your new toy.”

Toy? What toy? Well if Bob wants to see it, then so be it. Works for me! Never know what these people may have hidden somewhere.
She flashed Bob a smile that caught him off guard and he blushed.

Fred wiped his mouth, threw down his napkin and said, “Now, I have been waiting all night for someone to ask. Let’s go!”

They all moved away from the table. Blaine was a bit perplexed, but followed the group. Bob still refused to give her any space. The study was gorgeous
.
Accenting the rich wood shelves were beautiful pieces of art. In addition to several paintings, sculptures of obvious value were arranged throughout the large room, each of which tastefully exuded money. The floor was covered in what Blaine guessed was a very expensive Persian rug, and even the furniture was perfect for the room.
What exquisite taste these people have. I am impressed by this collection. There has to be a few million dollars of art in just this room alone.

As Fred continued to chat, he pushed a button and part of the bookshelves moved and revealed a safe. Blaine was almost beside herself with anticipation. He opened the safe with the push of a few more buttons and the door swung open to reveal car keys. Not just a set of car keys, but what appeared to be at least 100 sets all neatly hung on hooks and labeled.

While Fred continued to chat, he meticulously removed a set of keys, placing the others back exactly as they had been. “Alright, anyone want a refill of their cocktail before we go out?”

Charlotte laughed, “Well, hell yes, baby. We all need a full drink before we see your new baby!”

They walked back to the bar where the evening had begun. After they each refilled their drinks, they proceeded together to a detached building behind the house that Blaine couldn’t see when she pulled in. With Bob clinging tightly to her arm as if she might blow away, Blaine surveyed the surroundings as best she could. The building had four large garage doors and its own drive that circled around the house.

Charlotte, always one to share too much information, was prattling in Blaine’s other ear about Fred’s true hobby—collecting cars.
Holy crap!
Blaine thought as she continued to smile at Charlotte,
We didn’t do our homework on this one—I didn’t have a clue he collected more than art.

Charlotte gushed about Fred’s newest acquisition—a 2002 Spyker C8 Double 12R, a Dutch-built GT car with a 4.0 V-8 and 620 horsepower. Though Blaine wasn’t exactly sure what a Spyker C8 Double 12R was, she listened intently as Charlotte went into detail about how it took years to find one. The car was extremely rare and very hard to get into the country. In fact, Fred has spent as much on legal fees to import the car as he had on the car itself.

Fred pushed a button and opened one of the large bay doors to reveal a fleet of beautiful cars.
Where the hell is Vinny when I need him? He would know what these cars are and what they are worth! I don’t have a freaking clue!

As Fred walked them through the garage, Blaine was in awe.
Crap! I must have pictures of these for Vince to see.
Suddenly she was struck with an idea. She turned her charms on Bob, squeezed his arm and handed him her phone, “Bob, will you be a sweetie and take some pictures of me with these cars? They are just so beautiful.”

Bob, flattered by the extra attention, exclaimed “Honey, I will be more than glad to.”

Blaine proceeded to pose by various cars as Bob snapped away, never realizing he was helping her catalogue potential inventory.

“I don’t believe I have ever seen anything this sexy, honey. You with these cars is just almost too much!” Bob gushed.

Blaine just smiled,
If only you knew how sexy this truly is!

The next day
Vince poked his head in her office, “Should I ask or not? How did your, um, date go?”

To his surprise Blaine smiled at him, “Well, there is good news, great news, and so-so news. The so-so news is that Bob was every bit as bad as I expected. The good news is that I did see the
Les bords de la Seine à Argentueil
and it is totally accessible and the great news is . . .”

She was about to tell him about the cars when Delores came down the hall. “Mr. Marcellis, I am sorry to interrupt you, but Eric is on the phone and says it is important.”

Vince grabbed the breast pocket of his coat, “Damn, I left my cell phone in the car. B, I will catch you later, I gotta take this.” He said as he sprinted down the hall to his office.

Blaine just shook her head.
Thank goodness I don’t have a ball and chain! Too much drama.
Vince was gone for the rest of the day and for the next two days. Eric had a migraine and couldn’t bear to have Vince leave his side. So, it wasn’t until almost a week later that Blaine had a chance to reveal her surprise find of the Hunters’ spectacular car inventory. And she was able to do that in the most delicious of ways.

Julian Chow, Vince and Blaine were gathered
in the iOpia, Inc. conference room. Chow’s assistant Lia and his bodyguard Joe, flanked him as usual. After the preliminary small talk, Blaine got down to business. She had learned by now that with Julian it was all business unless they were alone and unless he signaled differently. She was always very careful to remain formal, especially when others were present. Her personal relationship with him was one of the few secrets she kept from Vince.

“So Mr. Chow, what can iOpia, Inc. do for you today?”

Her demeanor did reveal her personal feelings. Julian nodded at Lia who dutifully reached into her briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to him. He briefly glanced at it and then looked at Blaine without expression.

Damn! I can never read him.
Without removing his gaze from Blaine, he slid the paper across the table to her. Blaine returned his gaze. She only broke eye contact when she looked down to scan the paper before her. Without a word, she gently pushed the paper across the table to Vince and again resumed eye contact with Julian.

“Well Miss Anderson can you deliver? Before you answer, it is important for you to know that I would like it in one delivery by this time next year. Otherwise, it is of no meaning to me and there will be no deal.”

Vince listened to Julian’s requirements. He then stared at the piece of paper and tried to absorb the contents. The extent of the list was mind boggling, and the rareness of some of the requests was overwhelming.
This request is total insanity, no one could do this ever, much less within a year. What the hell?

“One drop of all the merchandise, Miss Anderson. $10 million in cash. As always, half now, and the other half upon delivery. If you cannot deliver within the timeframe or as I have requested, you will reimburse me the $5 million deposit with interest. Please consider this carefully. If you do not believe you can accept these terms, I will take my business elsewhere.” As he spoke he remained calm and unemotional.

This is a dare. Holy crap! He is challenging me!
Blaine looked at Julian and smiled, “Mr. Chow, we accept your offer and your terms. It is not a problem. However, we would like a bonus for early delivery.”

Vince looked up from the paper and became fully engaged in the exchange between Julian and Blaine.
Early delivery? Has she lost her mind? I know she is competitive, but this is going too far!

Vince opened his mouth to protest, when Julian nodded his head, “Yes, Miss Anderson, I will add an additional $2 million for delivery if you are able to do so in less than a year.”

Vince looked first at Julian and then at Blaine. He shook his head completely stunned.
Surely this conversation is not really happening. I am dreaming. Please, please let this just be a bad dream.

Blaine smiled at Julian. Vince’s eyes widened,
Shit, this isn’t a dream. I know that smile. Blaine has her prey in sight.

Before he could speak, Blaine said, “Make it $5 million and we will have your request to you within one week.”

A week? I have to stop her! She has lost her mind!
He kicked Blaine under the table. The kick surprised her and for the first time she lost her professional demeanor as she winced and jumped. She looked at Vince in surprise.

Julian sensed that the partners were not in total agreement, “Perhaps, we should step out and allow you two to discuss the terms of this agreement. Or if you prefer, you may call me tomorrow to accept or to renegotiate.”

As Julian rose from his chair, Blaine placed her hand on Vince’s, signaling to him that she was absolutely certain of what she was doing. In a calm, matter-of-fact voice she said, “Mr. Chow. My partner and I do not need to confer. I am confident we can and we will deliver your order within the week with the terms described.”

Julian paused and sat back down. He folded his hands in a tent under his chin as she had seen him do so many times and sat in silence for a moment watching Blaine.

Finally, he spoke, “Miss Anderson, if you deliver within the next seven days, I will pay the $5 million bonus. If you do not, I will discount the price by the same amount.” He couldn’t contain the little smile that crossed his face as he upped the ante on the table. Julian loved competition, especially with his pupil and lover.

Blaine returned his smile, also enjoying the competition. The fact that he had just upped the ante was not lost on her. “Mr. Chow, it is always a pleasure doing business with you. We will see you in seven days.” She bowed her head to him with the sly smile of a winner. He bowed his head in return.
Challenge accepted!

Vince just stared at Blaine totally stunned stunned.
Why the hell did I go into business with a woman? Aren’t gay men hard enough to deal without getting estrogen involved?

He snapped back to the present as Julian extended his hand to Blaine. They shook hands to seal the deal. As always, there would be no written contract.

After Julian and his entourage left, Vince realized he was not feeling well. His nerves had gotten the better of him and his stomach.

“Blaine, we have to talk. Seriously you have stressed me to the point I am sick!” As he exited the conference room to head to the bathroom, he gave strict instructions to Blaine, “Stay put! I will be back. We will talk about this. You just broke a major rule! I do NOT agree with this transaction!”

Blaine laughed at him and waited. After all, she could afford to. It seemed the blind date with Bob just paid off. In fact, it now seemed like one of the most fun dates she had ever had. Almost as much fun as it would be to tell Vince what she had planned for them in the next couple of days.

She glanced at the list on the paper again and smiled to herself,
So when did Julian start collecting cars?

“
So are you going to ignore me forever?
Seriously, we have a job to do and you are acting like a total diva.”

Vince refused to answer or to even look at Blaine. He continued driving as he stared straight ahead. They had rented a two-tiered covered car carrier that Blaine had arranged through a previous client. It could hold six cars. The truck had a magnetic sign on each side touting the ‘Zia Antique & Art Gallery, New Mexico’ complete with a Zia logo.

“Seriously, Vince, I was going to tell you, but we just hadn’t had time. How was I to know that Eric would get sick and then that Chow would show up and drop such a thing in our lap? I promise it is all here—you saw the pictures.” Blaine pleaded.

They continued to drive in silence until they arrived at the gate. The security officer on duty stepped out. Vince looked at Blaine and with sarcasm dripping from his voice asked, “Well? I am sure you have a plan for this too.”

“I do indeed,” she said as she got out of the truck. She was wearing a tight-fitting delivery uniform. As she walked around the front of the truck to meet the guard, she reached up and lowered the zipper so that her cleavage was in full view.

“Hey, we are here to deliver some antiques to the Fred Hunter residence, 125 Sycamore Circle.” She said as she flashed a smile at the guard. The smile was lost on the guard who was instead admiring her cleavage
.
He caught himself and looked down at his clipboard to check the list.

“I don’t see a delivery marked for today,” he said puzzled. “I will need to give the Hunters a call.”

Holy crap! I was afraid you would say that!
“Well, sugar, you can sure try to do that, but they are out of the country. We are supposed to have this ready and set up by the time they get back. I sure would hate to hear what they have to say when it is not done.”

The guard, obviously familiar with the Hunters’, particularly Charlotte’s fury, hesitated. Blaine sensed his hesitation.

“I mean we have driven this truck all the way here from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Oh well, guess we will just have to charge them double delivery charges since we will have to come back twice. I am sure it is no big deal though. They are rich, right?” Blaine paused and twirled a piece of hair in her fingers.

She sighed loudly and continued, “Mrs. Hunter was sure looking forward to having these things set up when she got back from fly fishing in Argentina. When they were in Santa Fe she just went gaga over this stuff.”

Her familiarity with the Hunters’ schedule swayed the guard as did the beautiful woman standing before him, twirling her hair. His eyes narrowed as he thought to himself
I mean after all they are sitting here in a clearly marked truck. They know the address, they know the schedule, they know the Hunters’ first name. Fake?”
He looked back at Blaine who flashed him a smile,
Hmmm, it doesn’t seem so, but . . .

Blaine interrupted his thoughts and pressed the issue “We don’t mind coming back if you will just please explain to the Hunters why we weren’t able to make the delivery. I mean it is probably just a mistake on the list, and I sure wouldn’t want you to get in trouble. But, we don’t want to get in trouble either.”

“Hey Mitch,” she yelled at Vince.

It took him a moment to realize he that he was now ‘Mitch.’ He rolled down the window, “Yea, what do you need? Are we gonna deliver or not?”

Blaine replied, “Doesn’t look like it. They forgot to put us on the security list. When do you think we can make it back? Two, three weeks?”

“At least that, maybe longer. I would have to check with the boss,” the pseudo Mitch answered.

“Wow!” Blaine said as she shook her head and twirled her hair, “Guess that will just have to work,” she sighed as she glanced at the guard’s nametag. “So Gary, right, it’s Gary?” she asked.

Gary nodded in agreement not sure where to look— at her piercing blue eyes or at that wonderful cleavage. He chose the eyes.

“Will you just make a note that you weren’t able to let us in and that we will TRY and make it back in a month or so? I am sure they will understand.” She gave the guard a sympathetic look as she shrugged and started to walk back to the truck.

It worked. The guard hesitated. The situation was not feeling good to him yet he knew Mrs. Hunter had a temper.
I don’t want to get in trouble with her.
He finally relented, “Look, you guys go on in. Seems legit to me. How long do you think it will take?”

Blaine replied, “Oh, not sure . . . Mrs. Hunter is such a perfectionist that we want everything set up just right. Mitch, what do you think? Three, four hours tops?”

The pseudo Mitch nodded in agreement while secretly wanting to strangle the real Blaine.

“Okay, that sounds about right to me.” The guard said. “I will be off duty then, but I will let the other guy know our deal, okay?”

“That’s perfect,” Blaine purred.

“And I assume they gave you the code to their private gate, right? I can’t give you that.” He said suddenly becoming concerned again.

“Oh Gary, of course. We have all the paperwork. Mrs. Hunter gave us detailed directions. You know how she is,” she replied laughingly.

“Yea. Good. Okay. Four hours then.”

“Four hours, Gary. Thank you again.” Blaine gushed as she walked back around the truck and climbed back in the passenger seat.

As they pulled away, she looked over at Vince. He still refused to acknowledge her.
Really? I pull that off and he is still ignoring me? Holy crap.

Vince pulled up to the gate of the Hunters’ home. Without a word, Vince reached behind the seat and pulled out his laptop. He pegged away at the keyboard while Blaine held her breath. She kept looking past him down the street to be sure that her friend, Gary, hadn’t decided to check on them after all. After about five minutes, the security gate swung open, inviting the Zia Antique and Art truck to come in.

Blaine whistled, “Well done, Mr. Marcellias, as always, well done.”

Vince looked straight ahead and pulled the truck into the circular drive. The house and the surroundings were just as Blaine had described them—hidden from the road and from the neighbors. This meant that they too would be completely hidden.