Damon
Waking up in a cold sweat, out of breath, and nearly falling out of my bed, I grasp the certified letter off the nightstand and read it once more.
Lieutenant Commander Damon Saunders,
Your presence is required at the Lanesborough Hotel in London, England at noon on May 25th. You will report to suite 407. A private jet will be sent to you at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, where you are currently stationed. You will be met at the Heathrow Airport by a driver who will have a sign with your name on it. Go with him. He will bring you to me. Accommodations for the period of five nights have been purchased, along with all the meals for that duration of time.
Do not underestimate my ability to find you wherever you are, anywhere around the globe. I will speak to you, no matter what you may want.
This doesn’t have to be unpleasant. It’s all up to you and how you decide to accept the consequences of your actions.
Yours in sincerity,
Livacious Tillman
“Who the hell could this be?” I ask myself as I put the letter back down and get out of bed. “I need a drink.” Laughing, I realize just how much I’ve been talking to myself since the letter arrived three days ago.
There are three days until I need to depart fromFlorida, making my way to London on a jet I have no idea who’s sent to fetch me. I know I should blow the whole thing off. The idea that anybody could find me anywhere in the world is insane after all.
But there’s just enough crap in that letter to make me think I should go. The consequences thing has me curious. I’ve done some major shit in my life. A career in the Navy has seen to that.
I’ve been on a Seal Team for the last six years, and I’ve done more in those years than my entire life put together.
But who could hold me responsible for anything I did with the Seals? And why would they only target me? And why the hell is London the place I have to go to?
The last time I was in London was about five years ago. I took a short R&R after one bitch of a mission had me nearly wiped out. I’d started out messing with random chicks, then settled into a five-night sex-fest with one woman. She was nuts!
She would only tell me her name. Her first name was Jennie, and she told me nothing more than that. It was all about the sex. And that was cool with me. I wasn’t into having a relationship at that time, and she didn’t seem to be about that either.
Maybe it’s her who’s wanting a rendezvous?
“Nah, can’t be,” I say to myself. “I didn’t give her more than my first name either.”
With nothing more than one tap on the door, my buddy, Jim, opens it and has a piece of paper in his hand, waving it at me. “You have an order to make a phone call, my friend. And who is Liv Tillman?” He’s fully dressed in his uniform and I’m still in nothing but my skivvies. An eternity in the service has left us both none too shy about the lack of clothing on my part.
“An order?” I ask as I take the note out of his hand and read it out loud. “Mr. Saunders.” I stop and look at Jim. “Mister? What a jerk.”
“Sounds like he’s one for sure,” he comments.
“Wait, he?” I ask as I look at the name on the note. “The certified letter was signed by a Livacious, but this one says Liv. Liv sounds like a girl’s name, doesn’t it?”
“Might be,” Jim agrees. “Either way, major asshole for not calling you by your rank. You’ve worked hard as hell to get to where you are. You deserve to be called by your title, not a minor title, like mister. And who is this person anyway? They have no problem ordering you around. Not cool!”
“Not at all,” I agree, then keep reading the note, “Mr. Saunders, you’ve yet to respond to my certified letter. I was expecting a prompt response from you. You are expected in London in no less than three days, and I need to know if I’m wasting my time with trying to talk to you civilly or not. Please give me a call as soon as you get this message. I can be reached at 44-20-9024-5462. I expect your call shortly. Liv.”
Jim grins as he slaps his own ass. “Well, you better pull that cell out and give the lady a call, Lieutenant. You don’t want to get into trouble with little Liv, now do ya?”
Taking out my cell, I decide to call this bossy person in front of a witness. “I am going to make this call. And you’re going to listen to every word we exchange. I’m beginning to worry this might be a scam of some kind.”
“Sounds like one. Who’s this pushy in real life?” Jim asks as he takes a seat on my unmade bed.
“I’m about to find out. I’ll bet you a hundred dollars I get some kind of a recording or end up talking to some call service.” I dial the number and wait.
There’s a series of beeps then the sound of ringing. “Hello?” An American-accented female voice answers.
“Hi, I’m Lieutenant Commander Damon Saunders. You’ve sent me a note …”
“Oh, yes! Mr. Saunders …”
With a quick interruption, I correct the misinformed woman, “No, not Mister. Lieutenant Commander Saunders is what you may call me.”
“That’s a mouthful, but if you insist. Lieutenant Commander Saunders, will you be coming to London as I’ve directed you to?”
“And why should I?” I ask as I give Jim a nod and puff out my chest.
“Because you have one of two choices. Meet me in London as I’ve asked or meet me in court. It’s your choice. I do have to tell you that you’ll like coming to London so much better. But it’s all up to you.”
“And why would I be meeting you in court, Liv?”
“Liv? I prefer Miss Tillman if you’ll be so kind as to comply with my wishes, Lieutenant Commander Saunders.”
Jim rolls his eyes and says, “She’s only doing that because you did it first.”
With a nod, I agree with him. But I don’t give two shits why she’s doing it. I just want to get to the bottom of things. “Okay, Miss Tillman, why would you be meeting me in court?”
“That’s confidential. I can’t speak about this over any phone line,” she quips. “So, will you be coming or not? I really must know.”
“Does this have anything to do with the military?” I ask her, as I’m stumped about what she could possibly want with me.
“No,” comes her quick answer. “It’s purely personal.”
“And you don’t want to give me even the slightest hint as to what you want from me?” I ask, then think for a second. “Is this about sex?”
“God, no! Mister, I mean, Lieutenant Commander …”
“You know what, just call me Damon. This whole thing is stupid, Liv. Now tell me what you want, or I won’t be coming.” I’ve put my foot down and now let’s see what this woman does.
“You’d be a fool not to, Damon.”
My name sounds good coming out of her mouth. She has a slight Southern accent, and her voice lilts a bit. I wonder what the hell this chic looks like. She sounds young. “How old are you, Liv?”
“Not that it matters one iota, but I’m twenty-six. And you, Damon, are ten years older than I am.”
“And how do you know that?” I ask her as I lean back on my desk, crossing my legs at the ankles.
“I know more about you than you do, Damon. Come to London. Please.” She waits a moment, then adds, “It is in your best interest. I can assure you, you’ll be surprised.”
“Pleasantly?” I ask her as Jim looks at me and gives me a wink.
“I hope so.”
Looking at Jim, I see him nodding and tend to agree with the man who’s been my right hand since I enlisted in the Navy when I was fresh out of high school.
“I’ll be there. And I’ll meet you exactly where you told me to. Liv?”
“Yes?”
“Where are you from?”
“Atlanta. That’s my home base.”
“And you’re in London just for me?”
“I am.”
The mystery is killing me. Why in the hell would a young woman from Atlanta go to London and want me to meet her there? It makes no sense at all. Me going makes no sense at all.
But I sure as hell am going to do it anyway!