Chapter 4
Dillon and Marisol walked along the pier in Sydney as they approached the famous Opera House. With the view of the sails in the distance as they covered the starry horizon, the two lovers held hands as they walked in stride and enjoyed each other’s company. The wooden pier was old, but reminded the area of their colonial heritage, adding to the aura and charm of the city.
“Have you ever wondered why anyone would want to live here?” asked Dillon as they walked along the pier.
Marisol laughed. “Because it’s beautiful?” she asked rhetorically. “Sydney is a fantastic place to live. It has all of the amenities that you can get everywhere else in the world and when most of the world is freezing, like Monaco right now, it’s nice and balmy here.”
Dillon nodded. “Yeah, the weather is much nicer here than in Switzerland or France,” he replied. “But in all honesty, outside of Sydney, why would anyone want to live in Australia?”
“I don’t understand why you’re asking that,” she stated in a befuddled manner. “I think I’ve already answered that question.”
“No, think about it,” he replied. “Why would anyone want to live in a place where the bulk of the flora and fauna want to kill them!”
Marisol laughed as she realized Dillon was joking. “What flora and fauna?”
“Do you think koalas are cute?”
“Of course,” she replied. “They’re adorable and I hope I get to hold one while we’re here.”
“Are you sure you want that?” asked Dillon. “I saw a video online of one eating someone’s face because they hadn’t had any eucalyptus for hours. Those little things are supposedly giant devils.”
Marisol continued to laugh. “You’re making that up!”
“Hey, if it’s on the internet, it has to be true,” continued Dillon playfully. “Besides, look at kangaroos. If one of those kicks you in the head, the force alone would sever it from your shoulders in seconds. How about out in the ocean to your right. There are sharks and stingrays that would happily eat you without thinking twice. Yeah, there are some beautiful sites out there, but this place is deadly and if you walk out into the outback, you’re asking for your life to end.”
“What about all of the snakes and spiders? Are you going to mention how this place is full of the world’s most dangerous species of those?” she continued, goading him on a bit.
“Now that you mention it, I think I might,” he stated sarcastically.
“Please don’t,” she requested with a soft tone. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Dillon laughed. “You don’t have to take my word for it. It’s on the internet.”
Marisol laughed again. “So, then it has to be true?”
“Absolutely,” he continued as they approached a small café on the pier. With only ten tables, the café was one of the top spots for all the locals to eat because most tourists were not patient enough to wait for a table. “Hey there,” said Dillon as he walked up to the hostess standing at the gate. “I have a reservation for Flannigan.”
The hostess, a young girl barely over seventeen, stood still and looked at her clipboard. Her brown hair was restrained in a pony-tail behind her and she wore tightly fitting blue jeans and a pink t-shirt. “I love your jeans,” complimented Marisol as the hostess found their name. “I wish I had your hips so that I could pull off those.”
“What do you mean? You have great hips,” stated the hostess in an awkward tone, clearly not used to talking fashion with a woman from Spain.
“Sometimes, when I wear anything denim, my hips are too large for the tight legged cuts,” replied Marisol. “It’s unfortunate, and why I only have one pair of jeans in my closet that I’m honestly afraid to wear.”
The young girl nodded as she smiled, highlighting her white, straight teeth. “It’s not something that I think about much, but I understand,” she replied. “I have to try on five or six pairs of jeans before I finally settle on one. The struggle is real.”
“It is,” continued Marisol as Dillon looked on with a confused gaze. Marisol turned her head and noticed his blank expression before shaking her head. “He owns seven versions of the same pair of khaki pants,” she said to the hostess, referencing Dillon as she laughed. “I swear to you, I never have to worry about what he’s going to wear because it’s usually the same version of the same thing.”
“I wish my boyfriend was like that,” the young hostess replied. “I swear, he wears pants that are a different color every day and they never match anything else he wears. The other day, he wore pants that were bright red with a shirt that, I kid you not, was highlighter yellow. I joked with him that he could pass for a constable directing traffic because everyone on the roads would see him.”
Marisol laughed. “Oh, I bet that was funny.”
“It was, and it’s not even the worst,” she replied. “But, your table is ready. Let me take you to it. I’ll have you know, our special tonight is swordfish that we purchased at the market this morning. The captain of that ship claims to have caught a few yesterday, so they’re incredibly fresh.”
“Oh, I do enjoy swordfish,” said Dillon as he nodded in approval. “If it’s made right, it’s incredible.”
“Well our executive chef is having a great night, so I’m sure you’ll be impressed,” continued the young girl as she led them to their seat. “Your server will be with you shortly, and if you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you,” replied Marisol as she reached for the glass of water that was already waiting for her at the table, sipping on it before placing it back in front of the plate. “Where did you hear about this place?”
Dillon looked over the small, one page menu for a brief moment before putting it down and smiling at Marisol. “Honestly, Jenkins told me about it,” he replied. “He told me that this is one of his favorite places to eat whenever he has to be in Sydney for business.”
Marisol laughed as she looked up at the front door to see Nathanial Jenkins and his new girlfriend, Alexis Matthews, walk in. “Oh, this could get awkward,” she stated quietly as she stared at the door, prompting Dillon to turn around and sigh.
“You’re absolutely right,” he said. “This sure could.”
Nathanial walked into the restaurant behind the hostess with Alexis closely behind him. He turned to see that Dillon and Marisol were sitting at the table beside them. “What are you doing in Sydney?” he said as he turned his head to look at Dillon with a coy smile. “I thought you’d be in Wellington handling that new company.”
“Well, a lot of what we do is based out of Sydney,” replied Dillon as he remained seated to look up at Nathanial. “Wellington, New Zealand, has a large port and our offices are there, but with Sydney pretty much being the hub for the entire south pacific region, it only makes sense for me to be here from time to time. We’re actually in talks of opening up a satellite office here so that we can have better communication with Alexis, seeing as how she operates now almost exclusively here.”
Alexis grinned as she walked up and shook Marisol’s hand. “Hi, you must be Marisol. I’m Alexis; I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Charmed,” replied Marisol as she looked at Alexis in her eyes. “I’ve heard a great deal about you as well. My boyfriend says you are a very shrewd and savvy administrator. One of the best he has ever had the privilege to work with.”
“I’m still learning my trade but I like to think that I’m getting better at what I do every day,” she replied in a humble tone. “What I do is perceived as boring to most, but I love it and wouldn’t want to do anything else with my life.”
“I understand,” said Marisol as she stood up from the table. “Why don’t the two of you join us? We just got here so there really wouldn’t be much of a wait.” She stepped around the table and walked over to the chair beside Dillon as she motioned at the seat she just vacated and the chair beside it. “We’d love to spend some time with the two of you.”
Alexis looked over at Nathanial and shrugged her shoulders. “Why not?” she asked. “I do enjoy good company.”
“Yeah, why not,” said Nathanial as he pulled out the chair for Alexis. “I wouldn’t mind catching up with Dillon and find out what they have brewing across the ocean from us.”
The two sat down at the table across from Dillon and Marisol as the waiter came up to the table. “Good evening,” he greeted politely. “I see that you two moved over here, so thank you for making my life a bit easier tonight,” he joked. “My name is David and I’ll be your server. I’m sure the lovely lady at the gate told you about our swordfish, but we do have a few other options if you’re looking for something a bit different. Can I get you guys something from the bar?”
“Yes,” stated Alexis without much thought, prompting a quick laugh from Marisol at the speed of her response. I need the biggest glass of Chardonnay you can carry.”
“I can bring you a bottle and a straw,” joked the waiter again, making the rest of the table laugh at Alexis’s expense.
“Tell you what, you can bring me a bottle and a glass,” she replied happily. “The straw is optional.”
The waiter chuckled. “Aye, I love a woman who knows what she wants. Anyone else or are you going to try and fight the bottle from her?”
“May lose a few digits if they try that,” quipped the American as she looked at the one page menu.
“I’ll take an old-fashioned,” stated Dillon as he looked across the table at Nathanial.
“Make that two,” said Nathanial as he nodded. “I could go for some whisky tonight.”
Marisol shook her head. “Clearly, I’m supposed to be the responsible one,” she said coyly.
“We walked here,” stated Dillon plainly. “They don’t arrest people for walking under the influence here.”
“Fair enough,” she replied as she shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the waiter. “Bring me the same bottle of wine you’re bringing her, and I will take a straw.”
“Well how about that then,” replied the waiter with a smile. “Gentlemen, be careful. It’s always a great night when your dates out drink you.”
“That’s every night,” said Nathanial.
The waiter laughed as he turned and walked away, headed to the bar to get their drinks started. “So, a satellite office?” asked Nathanial. “Why would you want to have to come here? No one should want that. This place will kill you!”
“I know!” exclaimed Dillon as both Alexis and Marisol looked on with a sigh. “Everything on this continent will kill you with a crooked smile on its face. It’s not right, the rate in which things here can end your life.”
“Nowhere else in the world is it like that,” continued Nathanial. “I’ve been all over the world, and never, and I mean, never, do I fear for my life more than I do in Australia.”
“I think both of you are a couple of chickens,” quipped Marisol as Alexis giggled. “This place is full of splendor and beauty. So what if there are spiders here that can kill you in three days. At least you will go out with a grand view and wonderful experience.”
Nathanial and Dillon both shook their heads. “I can think of a lot better views I’d rather have than going out from a spider bite,” replied Nathanial as he smiled across the table at Marisol. “I know where these two yanks are from, but you have a beautifully thick Spanish accent. What part of the Iberian are you from?”
Marisol smiled. “You picked up on my accent that quick?”
“I’ve been all over the world and I’ve spoken to many people,” explained Nathanial. “I’ve heard hundreds of dialects and I can typically place the ones that sound the most prominent. Yours is incredibly easy because I’d bet a small fortune you speak Castilian Spanish as your first language.”
She laughed. “You are correct,” she answered quickly. “I am from Valencia.”
“Oh that’s a beautiful place,” continued Nathanial. “It’s probably my second favorite city in Spain.”
“What’s the first?” she asked.
“Barcelona is just splendid to see,” he answered. “There’s something about Catalonia that makes me love that area more and more. Valencia is beautiful and Madrid has its perks, but Barcelona is full of a charm that cannot be matched anywhere on the Iberian.”
Alexis smiled. “I’ve never been to Valencia or Barcelona, but I hear they’re beautiful. I would love to go and see them sometime,” she said as she nudged Nathanial with her elbow.
“Hint received,” he quipped. “Maybe if you can ever get a few days off, we can travel to Spain and we can tour the Mediterranean coast.”
“Yeah, you could always start in Monaco and work your way down to the Straits of the Gibraltar,” said Dillon as he watched the waiter walk up with their drinks. “I’ve made that trip more than once and it’s fascinating. Valencia will give you a great taste of the Spanish culture without having to venture too far into the mainland.”
“I love my country and I love going home, but I hate going to Madrid because of the stressful travel. The clubs are great and the food is terrific, but if you decide to go to Madrid, make sure you walk everywhere. Driving is not advised.”
“Yeah, driving in Madrid is like driving in New York City,” Nathanial said as the waiter placed an old fashioned in front of him. “You will get where you want to go faster on foot.”
“It’s the truth,” confirmed Marisol. “Honestly, if you get stressed out in crowds, Madrid is not for you.”
“I’m from New York City. Crowds definitely don’t bother me,” affirmed Alexis. “If anything, growing up there taught me how to handle crowds better. I always know where to look for exits and how to get a drink. Hell, you know who your friends really are when you actually lose them in a crowd.”
“Oh I love New York though. The fact that every borough is a different sub-culture within its own unique culture is fascinating. I don’t think I could ever live there, but I do love how it is and how so many different cultures thrive there.”
A large smile came over Alexis’s face as she thought about her home town. “Yeah, it’s the melting pot of the world,” she confirmed. “I love the fact that when I’m home, if I want to experience Italian culture, I can go to Little Italy. If I want to experience Irish culture, I can head to any number of Irish pubs. It’s incredible.”
Marisol smiled as the waiter placed both bottles of Chardonnay in two separate chillers beside the table and placed a glass in front of each lady. “Oh, can’t forget these,” he said as he pulled two straws out of his pocket and placed them on the table. “I’d hate for you ladies to be deprived of your utensils.”
The table erupted in laughter as the waiter hovered over them with a smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, are we all going to be having the swordfish this evening? I truly recommend it.” With a quick glance at each other from across the table and everyone nodding in affirmation, the waiter bowed his head and walked away from the table to put the orders in so that they could continue their conversation.
“Dillon, aren’t you living in Monaco?” asked Nathanial. “Why on Earth would you ever want to leave Monte Carlo? They have racing, gambling, water sports, and a pretty decent soccer team in a great stadium. Why on Earth would you ever decide to leave the principality?”
Dillon smiled as he sipped on his drink. “Well, unfortunately Nathanial, there is a lot more to the world than what is just in the very small nation,” he explained as he placed his drink back on the table. “While yes, there are a lot of things there that I love to do, especially the gambling part, there are other things that I love to experience.”
“Yeah, I understand that, but what does Sydney have to offer you that you couldn’t get back home in the states?” prodded Nathanial. “I’m being serious. What drives you to want to be in Sydney?”
“Honestly, the business opportunities are what drives me to be here,” he explained. “I can make more money in this quarter of the world than I can in the states, Europe, or anywhere else for that matter. The prospect of making millions of dollars a month is what drives me to want to be in Sydney more and not just in Wellington. So, in terms of amenities or other things that Sydney has to offer, honestly, I could get them elsewhere. However, nowhere else has the opportunities that this part of the world has for me. So I will deal with the snakes, spiders, and other things so that I can live the life I want to live and be around the people that I want to be around. I can be a playboy and I can date a beautiful woman from Spain because of who I am,” he paused as he turned to look at Marisol, who glared at him with an awkward look. “I’m not saying you’re dating me because of who I am, but if I weren’t in the position that I am in, there is no way your father would’ve introduced me to you. I wouldn’t know you if I wasn’t involved in what I was involved in.”
Marisol nodded. “Good recovery,” she quipped as she dropped the straw in her glass of wine to cut the mood and invoke a laugh from the table. “What, I was serious about wanting a straw.”
Alexis, grinning from ear to ear, opened the paper around her straw and dropped it in the glass. “I’ll try anything once,” she remarked as she drank the white wine from the straw. “It creates a much different experience.”
“Yes, that it does,” continued Marisol. “What about you, Alexis. How are you liking Sydney versus New York City?”
“Well, I haven’t been here long enough to really draw my own conclusions, but so far, it’s been fun,” she said with a friendly smile across her face. “I suppose the thing that I like the most about it is that there is always something to do here, which is the same as New York City, but it’s easier to get around. Here, if I get a taxi, I can get to the other end of the city in a reasonable amount of time, whereas, in New York, it can take hours. I enjoy the nightlife and bar scene, even though I’ve only been able to really go out once.”
Marisol nodded as she continued to sip her wine from the straw. “Why’s that?”
“I work entirely too damn much,” she replied. “I get up, facilitate deals and manage logistics. Then I come home, eat dinner, and go to bed. It’s a never-ending cycle that will probably wear me out before I’m forty.”
“Oh, give yourself some credit,” exclaimed Nathanial. “You working as hard as you do saved a dying company. Without you, both Dillon and I would be out a whole lot of money.”
“An insane amount of money,” confirmed Dillon.
“Your dedication is what saved an entire company and helped stabilize a region that could’ve went into economic chaos,” continued Nathanial. “I owe you more than just dinner and a good cuddle when we get back to the apartment. I owe you everything. I could’ve went belly up in a professional sense.”
Alexis shook her head. “But you didn’t and you haven’t lost anymore money than you would’ve,” she said humbly. “In all seriousness, the only thing that I did was create channels for you to get more product. Then help you get it out without spending a great deal of capital. Frankly, the only company that I really helped was the Americans. They’re the ones who are really profiting from this.”
“You’re being incredibly too modest,” said Dillon as he looked over at Marisol. “The work that you and Hannah do is second to none and we’re lucky to have you on our team.”
Marisol and Alexis, with the aid of the straw, had already finished their first glass of wine and were in the process of pouring the second glass when the waiter brought out a small basket of bread. “Our compliments, guys,” he said as he dropped it off. “Your food is in and will be out shortly but here is something for you to snack on while you wait.”
“Thank you,” said Dillon as the waiter walked away.
“Yes, thank you,” followed Nathanial. “So, Dillon, you want to be in Sydney?”
Dillon smiled as Nathanial continued to prod on the conversation. “Yes, I do,” he replied. “I feel like it’s the best move for me to make in terms of operating the business and helping to sustain profits, while maintaining accountability. From Sydney, I can operate everything in Wellington as well as help out the Australian company where needed.”
“Why do you want to help?” asked Nathanial. “During all of our talks of bankruptcy, you were never around to lend a hand and now suddenly you want to be involved. What’s changed?”
The conversation became a bit awkward as both girls were drinking their wine innocently through their straws. “Nathanial, I don’t think this is the place for us to have this conversation.”
“Yes, it is,” continued Nathanial. “I’ve heard rumors that you’re going to attempt to buy out enough of my shares to make me a minority owner in the company that I just helped get back up off the ground. Is that true?”
“Nathanial, this isn’t…”
“Is that true?” he asked in an affirmative tone.
“Yes, but…” confirmed Dillon before Nathanial cut him off.
“That will not happen,” stated Nathanial as he started to grow angrier. “I will not allow myself to become a minority owner when I had to help save it from the brink of collapse.”
Dillon breathed slowly as he looked across the table at Nathanial as he fumed. He reached forward and grabbed his drink, bringing it up to his lips and sipped on it slowly before setting it back down as both women looked on with a concerned gaze. “What would Robert say,” Dillon thought to himself as he left his hand on his glass and looked Nathanial right in the eye. He breathed slowly, yet loud enough for Nathanial to hear him as he formed his words carefully. “Nathanial, you didn’t save your company. The woman sitting to your right and her best friend did.”
Alexis’s eyes opened wide as she was just brought into the conversation that she wasn’t prepared to have. “Besides, this isn’t my decision nor was it my idea,” he continued, still talking slowly, in an attempt to calm Nathanial down. “This idea was created by Robert Acostis and Sulagna Patel.”
Nathanial shook his head. “Sulagna Patel is in on this idea?” he questioned defiantly. “I don’t believe you!”
“Believe it,” said Alexis as she looked down at the table with Nathanial immediately turning to look at her. She looked up at Marisol who had a concerned look on her face while Dillon looked at her with a confused stare. “Hannah told me earlier today what was going on and I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m sorry,” she said as she turned her head to look at Nathanial. “I told Hannah that you would not sell your company unless there was a deal on the table that would make you triple the amount of money you would’ve made ahead of time.”
Nathanial nodded in anger as he seethed in his corner of the table. “Please don’t be angry,” continued Alexis. “Nothing is done yet.”
“You’re damn right nothing is done!” shouted Nathanial angrily. “Nothing will be done either!”
“Please calm down,” motioned Dillon from across the table. “Look, you’re not being screwed over or taken out. We will make sure you are heavily compensated and you will still be involved.”
Nathanial shook his head as he picked up his old fashioned and turned it up, taking the rest of the drink down before placing his glass back on the table. “This is an absolute mutiny,” he said with a defiant look in his eyes.
Dillon reached across the table and placed his hand on Nathanial’s arm. “No, it’s not,” he said calmly. “It’s business and you’re going to be incredibly wealthy because of it.”
“I don’t think you fully understand what I’m going through,” remarked Nathanial as he removed Dillon’s hand from his arm. “I was prepared to lose the company that the bulk of my money was sunk in and then, it was resuscitated. Then, by an absolute stroke of luck, it was brought back to flourish. I experienced every single emotion that one man could deal with during this and I will be damned if it will all be in vain.”
“But it won’t be,” continued Dillon. “You’re going to walk away with a sizeable fortune.”
“You don’t know that,” answered Nathanial. “The consortium excels in making deals for people that screw others over.”
“But I’m the one who would have to make the move so the buck stops with me,” Dillon stated emphatically as he looked Nathanial in the eyes. “Nathanial, answer this question for me. Have I ever screwed you over?”
Nathanial paused as he looked straight ahead at Dillon. “No,” he said softly. “You have always been fair with me.”
“Right, and that will not change,” confirmed Dillon. “I give you my word. You will be fairly compensated. Now, let me ask a second question, and I want you to give this some great thought. What would it take for you to sell enough of your shares to make me the majority shareholder?”
Nathanial leaned back in his chair and calmed down as the waiter walked back to the table. “Is everything alright? Can I get you another drink?”
“Absolutely,” replied Nathanial quickly.
“Make that two,” followed Dillon as the waiter nodded and walked off. “Look, you and I both know that if the consortium wants something, they will get it. This sale will happen. However, I want you to tell me what you want from me so that you can walk away feeling you were treated fairly. That’s what I want out of all of this.” Dillon paused while he let Nathanial think about his options. “Nathanial, I’m going to make money no matter what I do, so that’s not what this is about. I told Sulagna and Robert that I would not be a part of any deal that sees you being bullied or treated unfairly. I will not stand for that now or ever. So, with that being said, name your price and maybe we can figure something out.”
Nathanial smirked as he shook his head. “I knew this day would come,” he said solemnly. “I honestly thought they would at least wait a few months to push me out.”
Alexis reached over to pat Nathanial on his shoulder before he shrugged it away, shaking his head without looking over at her. “Alexis, why don’t we go freshen up before dinner,” said Marisol as she looked at the two men at the table.
“I think that’s a great idea,” she replied as they stood up and walked away. A few steps from the table was the entrance to the small, two-person lavatory where both women walked in to find it empty. “What just happened?” asked Alexis as they both stood in front of the mirror. In a small panic, Alexis looked in the mirror to make sure her eyes were still looking presentable and that she hadn’t started to tear up.
Marisol, being as prepared as she typically was, reached into her small hand bag and pulled out a small packet of tissues. “Hold still,” she said as she put one in her hand and held it up to Alexis’s eyes. With a few quick dabs of the tissue, she was able salvage Alexis’s eye makeup before she could do any damage. “I’m impressed. You held back your tears very well.”
“Putting on eye makeup a second time is a bitch,” she responded as Marisol finished the touch up. “I think I had maybe one tear from each eye and it still did a bit of damage.”
“It’s nothing I cannot fix,” replied Marisol. “How long have you known about the takeover?”
“I told you at the table. I found out this morning.”
“No, you didn’t,” accused Marisol. “When did you really find out?”
Alexis looked at Marisol softly as she shook her head. “Sulagna told me something like this could happen a few days after Hannah and I took over. Once Robert Acostis and Dillon took over the New Zealand company and made their way into the consortium, I had a feeling that the next step was going to be ousting Nathanial. I promise that I didn’t know officially until this morning. However, I knew that this was a possibility and the second I knew that Dillon Flannigan, a minority owner in the Australian Oil and Trade Refiners, was being made an owner and the acting president of the New Zealand Company, I knew the possibility of Nathanial being removed was very possible. The bylaws of Nathanial’s company state that any sale to an outsider has to be approved by the board, but any sale to someone who already has stake in the company can go through without any red tape.”
She paused for a minute as everything came together. “It all makes sense now,” she said as she looked at Marisol. “Sulagna had no use for Robert Acostis or the company in New Zealand, but because Dillon has a stake in Nathanial’s company, she allowed them in so that she could use him as leverage. Robert had to have known this, which is why he brought him along. This is one giant professional game of chess that Dillon doesn’t realize he’s playing.”
“What do you mean?” asked Marisol with an incredibly confused look on her face. “I don’t understand. Is he being used?”
“Yes, but to his benefit and he doesn’t even realize it,” she continued to explain. “Honestly, there is another piece that would have to be put into place, but I don’t suppose that it would be much of a problem. Sulagna and Robert would have to convince Jacoby Burgess to get on board with this plan. And honestly, I’m almost positive that is possible.”
“I think anyone would jump on the opportunity to make more money,” Marisol said as she patted Alexis on the shoulder.
Alexis nodded. “I know he would,” she stated confidently. “Jacoby is incredibly gifted at what he does.”
Chapter 5
Sulagna Patel looked at herself in the mirror as she prepared for the night. “He would want me to do this,” she said to herself as she unpinned her earrings and placed them in her ear. She looked down at the dresser where her belongings were resting, noticing a picture of she and her daughter was nestled in the bottom of her jewelry box. As a soft smile crept over her face, she remembered the day that picture was taken.
She reached over for her tablet and set it on the dresser, propping it up on its stand and opening it. With a few clicks, her tablet was buzzing and her daughter appeared in front of her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Just because I call you on the tablet does not mean that anything is wrong,” defended Sulagna. “I just wanted to talk to my daughter for a few minutes.”
Mina laughed as she looked away from the screen before turning back to look at her mother. “What are you all dressed up for? Aren’t you in Sydney?”
“Yes, I am still in Sydney,” she replied softly. “And if you must know, I have accepted an invitation to attend dinner tonight with Jacoby Burgess at his home.”
“What!?” squealed Mina. “Are you kidding me? You’re actually going to go out with another man?”
Sulagna looked panicked. “I mean, yes, is that ok?”
Mina smiled. “Of course it is,” she replied. “Why would it not be ok?”
“Well, your father passed away six months ago and I thought that perhaps it was a bit too soon,” she explained. “I didn’t want to upset you with that news.”
Mina continued to laugh. “Mom, it’s sweet that you would worry about me, but please don’t. I’m incredibly happy that you’re going out with another man tonight. Maybe it will end well for you?” she asked playfully.
“Mina Patel!” scolded Sulagna.
“What? A girl has needs too.”
Sulagna shook her head in disbelief. “I’m also going to be talking to him about the plan that we have in motion regarding the acquisition of Nathanial’s shares in his company. This meeting is also for business, not just pleasure.”
Mina nodded. “Of course,” she said. “I spoke with Hannah and Dillon earlier and they’re both prepared for what all is going on. I also got a text from Dillon a few minutes ago saying that he was surprised at a restaurant in Sydney by Nathanial and Alexis. With that being said, Nathanial could be abreast of everything before the night is over and you could be in for a very awkward phone call.”
“I’m not in Sydney for phone calls,” explained Sulagna. “I will meet with Nathanial tomorrow to explain our position and to make sure the transition goes smoothly.”
“What transition?” asked Mina. “As little as he did before, what makes you think there will be any need for him to do anything now? Jenkins is useless now just as he has been for the past few years.”
Sulagna shook her head. “Mina, we always try to treat people with dignity, no matter their short comings.”
“Yeah, and in business, he has plenty of short comings,” quipped Mina. “I’ll make sure everything is running smooth here in Wellington. Don’t worry about me and have fun tonight. Even if it’s just for business, you deserve to have a good time.”
“Thank you, Mina.”
“I love you, mom. Have fun.”
Sulagna ended the conversation with her daughter so that she could continue to get ready. She walked over to the closet and grabbed the turquoise dress that she picked out earlier and slipped it on before walking over to the other side of the room and putting on the black shoes she wore earlier in the day. With beautiful gold studs in her ears and a golden pendant around her neck, Sulagna looked elegant and ready for the night’s dinner. She grabbed her belongings and walked downstairs to find a taxi waiting for her. She stepped in the back, giving the man the address before taking off toward Jacoby’s penthouse, which fortunately, was only a few blocks over.
After a quick, five-minute trek through the city, Sulagna arrived at Jacoby’s apartment building. She walked up a small flight of stairs to find the doorman waiting on her, where she immediately introduced herself before being allowed to walk in. “You look beautiful, ma’am,” said the polite doorman as he turned his key in the slot by the elevator to open it for her and allow her access to Jacoby’s penthouse.
“Thank you,” she replied as she stepped on the elevator with the doors closing behind her. She looked around the plain elevator as soft music played overhead. Without a stop, she arrived at the top floor of the building within a minute; stepping straight off into the foyer of Jacoby’s penthouse apartment. She walked in and immediately took in the scenery. The room was dark, possessing a warm ambience as she walked slowly along the walnut hardwood floors. She turned her head and admired the artwork on the cream-colored walls, noticing the painted images of women and children filling the space, providing an aura of comfort.
She walked through the foyer and entered the living room, noticing the same ambience about it and how it connected to a small eating area where the table was already set for the two of them. “He went all out,” she thought to herself as she continued to analyze his dwellings. The kitchen was right behind the table, connecting seamlessly to living room.
“I see you found my domicile,” announced Jacoby as he walked in from a hallway. “Did the doorman give you any grief?”
“Men don’t give me grief, Jacoby,” she said with a stern, yet somewhat playful look. “They allow me to do what I want, when I want.”
Jacoby chuckled. “Is that how your marriage was so successful?” he joked.
“I’m sure that’s how your marriage was,” she retorted quickly. “It is always in a man’s best interest to allow the woman to control things.”
“I don’t know how I feel about being controlled,” he replied playfully. “In all seriousness, how was trip here? Did you find it ok?”
Sulagna smiled. “I gave the driver the address from my phone and he brought be right here. There was nothing difficult about it.”
Jacoby nodded. “Fair enough,” he replied. “I can give you the grand tour if you’d like, but this is pretty much it. There are three bedrooms behind me but everything in my penthouse is pretty much up here.”
“I love how open it is,” she said.
“Aye, that was a must for me,” he replied. “I love how everything out here connects. There is a space to eat, a space to entertain and a space to cook, but there aren’t any transition points. There are no doors or walls separating the area, which ultimately, I love.”
Sulagna nodded. “It’s also very warm in here. I love the dark colors and the ambience.”
Jacoby smirked. “Thanks, that was another thing that I really wanted to have. I prefer, if at all possible, to live in a cave. I think better, sleep better, and ultimately just live better if I’m in a dark, warm setting.”
“That’s good to know,” she continued. “So, you summoned me here to feed me?” joked Sulagna as she looked around the apartment.
“I did, and if you’d like to have a seat, I’ll bring it right to you,” replied Jacoby. “It just finished.”
The two sat in the dining room of Jacoby’s penthouse and looked over the food he prepared: baked chicken with a lemon Alfredo sauce served on a bed of angel hair pasta with steamed asparagus. As she stared at the beauty in front of her, admiring Jacoby’s handwork in the kitchen and how he was able to prepare a dish so magnificent in such a short time, her thoughts continued to dwell on what she was doing there. “Am I disgracing the memory of my husband?” she thought to herself as she still examined the food in front of her. With her mind wandering, she did her best to suppress it. Appearing to be invested in Jacoby and why she chose to come to eat with him. Her mission was simple: ensure that he was on board with the takeover. Though torn, thinking about what she needed to do and say kept her motivated as well as driven.
“Is it ok?” asked Jacoby as he noticed Sulagna staring at the food. “I can always call in something if this isn’t up to par.”
“Oh no,” she replied, shaking her head out of her trance. “This is beautiful. I was simply amazed at how perfect this looks.”
Jacoby grinned as he poured a glass of red wine and placed it in front of his plate. “Red?” he asked as he held the bottle out and offered it to Sulagna, who nodded softly. He reached over and poured the wine into the glass in front of her plate before placing the cork back in it. “I remember at one time you preferred red, but your husband and daughter both preferred white. How awkward did that make wine purchases at your home?”
“It wasn’t awkward at all,” she replied with a cheeky smile on her face. “I bought all of the wine.”
“Hah!” he laughed. “You’re a woman who knows how to get what she wants,” he stated with a coy smile before sitting down in the chair adjacent to Sulagna. “Have you always been this way?”
Sulagna reached forward and grabbed her wine. “Honestly, ever since I could remember,” she said as she brought the glass up to her lips and sipped on it. “When I was a child in Delhi, my father encouraged me to speak my mind and my grandfather demanded it. He lived through the end of the colonial periods in India when they drove out England, so he instilled in my father the need to stand up for oneself when oppressed. My father, never oppressed by a foreign country, encouraged me to be my own woman and forge my own path. You see, the caste system in India is a real thing, and, though my family’s status allowed us to operate in the upper echelon, the Brahman caste, my father felt that the system was archaic and hampered the human spirit.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jacoby. “I thought the caste system was a product of the Hindu religion?”
“It is,” she replied as she reached for the fork resting beside her plate. “It centers on the concept of reincarnation and how if one lives a good life, they will be reborn in an elevated class. My father, against the wishes of his family and my mother, turned his back on the Hindu religion and converted the entire family to Catholicism, something that I still practice to this day. We started giving to the community, especially to those who were less fortunate than us. My father was an engineer, responsible for building and designing roads and buildings. He amassed a fortune through hard work, determination, and always making sure that he was prepared; something that he instilled in me. However, with the caste system in India, no matter how hard you work or how determined you are, you can never escape that rung on the ladder.”
“To counter that though, no matter how poorly you perform, you will never be relegated,” quipped Jacoby, using a football reference to pique Sulagna’s interest. “One could say that the caste system is like a football league where there are no penalties for poor performance.”
Sulagna took a bite of the chicken as she listened to Jacoby’s remarks. “Right, but there is also no reward for exemplary performance either,” she replied, swallowing the small bite before answering him. “The entire point of the caste system is to reward people for their work at the end of their lives. Many of my best employees were supposedly of a lower caste and I helped to elevate them to a life that was better than those above them. However, because of their beliefs, they were always stuck in that caste, even though they had bettered themselves right then. It’s a faulty system and one that really should be adjusted.”
“But you would have to adjust the teachings of an entire religion,” stated Jacoby. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
“It probably isn’t, but, if there is a will, there is a way,” smiled Sulagna. “When people are involved, anything can happen.”
Jacoby laughed as he started to eat, slicing into his food while Sulagna continued to eat. “So how did your late husband handle your definitive attitude?”
Sulagna smiled at the reference of Amin, conjuring up fond memories of him again. “Honestly, we were very similar in that we both knew how to go out and get what we wanted, something that, fortunately, our daughter also possesses. He was in medicine and loved saving lives. He lived to enrich his patients’ quality of life instead of just prolonging it. Amin wanted to change the world by fighting the diseases that crippled it. He cared deeply for all the people he came into contact with, not just his patients or his family. Amin pushed me to become a better person just as, I hope, I pushed him as well.”
“When it came to what Amin wanted, especially for his family or for his patients, he would not waiver or compromise,” continued Sulagna as she sipped on her wine. “He was just as stubborn as I am for the most part, especially when it came to our daughter. Mina had to have the best of everything. She had to have the best education and be surrounded by the best people. I had to dial Amin back slightly when it came to Mina’s friends, because unfortunately, no amount of influence we have would have impacted our daughter and her decision making when it came to them. I strove to empower Mina to make great decisions while Amin struggled a bit with this. He wanted the best for his daughter but he didn’t want to let her fail, which fortunately, I was able to convince him was acceptable.”
Jacoby chuckled as he swallowed a large bite. “I understand that completely,” he stated as he took a sip of his wine. “Annette was a wonderful woman, but when it came to our children, she was the ultimate micro-manager. She tried to regiment every second of their days to ensure that they achieved maximum productivity.”
“So, she treated child rearing like a business?”
“Isn’t it?” rhetorically asked Jacoby. “When you really get down to it, what’s so different about running a business and raising a child? You have to schedule them, train them, analyze their performance, set standards, and hold them to it. Raising a child is just like running a business because it is success oriented.”
Sulagna thought for a moment while she chewed. “You can’t fire a child,” she replied quickly. “No matter how they perform, you cannot terminate them.”
“Well no, you can’t, but that really is one of the few differences,” continued Jacoby. “I mean, you don’t even have to like them, just like employees. Everything is about results and performance and when it comes down to it, children are like employees who have really good contracts.”
She laughed as she took another bite, looking down to see her plate was already halfway empty. “There’s more in the kitchen if you’d like for me to get you some,” said Jacoby with a sense of satisfaction. “I’d hate for my good cooking to go to waste.”
“It’s fantastic,” she replied politely. “I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this plate, much less another helping; but thank you.” She paused briefly as she grabbed another bite and placed it in her mouth. “So how long did it take you to really realize that your wife was gone?”
Jacoby nodded slowly as he listened to Sulagna, clearly bothered but knowing she meant well. “It took a good year before I quit coming home and thinking she’d be here.”
“It took a year?”
“Yes,” he continued. “The way that I’ve always worked, I would take time away from home because of work, but whenever I came home, I knew she’d be here waiting on me. I always thought I’d walk in, discover a great smell from the kitchen, then find her waiting on me to give me a warm embrace and telling me that she loves me. After about a year, I finally stopped coming home and thinking she would be here. I finally reached a point where I knew she was gone.”
Sulagna shook her head. “I guess we all process grief differently,” she said as she sipped on her wine. “I knew the day after the funeral that Amin was gone. It was a very difficult period of days, and while I still dwell on the memories of him, I’ve already gotten to a point where I feel that I’m over his loss.”
“Are you ever really over the loss?” asked Jacoby. “To this day, I still miss Annette.”
“Of course I still miss him, but, he was sick for so long, I feel like I prepared myself for him to leave me,” she explained. “As difficult as it was, I knew it was going to be tough so I prepared myself for it. Unfortunately, there is no amount of preparation that makes losing a loved one easier, but I feel I did the best that I could. My mind still wanders and I still miss him, but I feel I’ve done the best that I can to keep my mind right and move on past his loss.”
“My mind is always dwelling on Annette,” said Jacoby as a small smile crept over his face. “I always think back about how she interacted with our children and how great of a mother she was to them. How lucky they were to have her in their lives.”
Sulagna smiled while looking across the table. “I suppose both of our late spouses were great for our children.”
“I guess so,” answered Jacoby. “I mean, Annette and I had a wonderful relationship and I will always love her, but I feel that she would want me to be happy. I feel like, after two and a half years, it’s time to start moving on.” He paused briefly as he looked at Sulagna as her mind started to wander a bit and her eyes looked away. “Dealing with grief is not something that comes easy and it is different for everyone.”
“I know,” replied Sulagna. “Everything that I have read says that everyone deals with grief differently and that there are no two similar instances or scenarios. As much as I wish that there were a sure-fire solution, I’m afraid that is impossible.”
Jacoby nodded. “Do you like to have quick results?”
“I prefer a more proven method,” she continued. “I’ve always been one to ensure that the path is, not only well traveled, but verified repeatedly before traversing. It’s always served me well, except for in this instance when I really want to ensure my grief is kept to a minimum.”
“Again, I understand,” said Jacoby in a comforting tone as he pushed himself away from the table. “Can I get you anything else?” he asked as he reached down to grab Sulagna’s empty plate. “I have a lot more where this came from. Unfortunately, I never learned how to cook for two people.”
“No, I’m full, but thank you,” she said with a warm smile. “Dinner was fabulous. I don’t think I have had a meal like that in a long time. Do get me the recipe so that I might try to copy it sometime for when my daughter comes to visit.”
He smiled as he walked around a column and into the kitchen, looking over a counter at Sulagna. “I can do that,” he said as he placed both of their plates in the sink and started to wash them by hand. “Do you cook for your daughter often?”
“Whenever I can,” she answered politely. “I love my daughter and I talk to her every day, though there are times when we go weeks without seeing each other in person, especially now that she is in Wellington.”
“Ah yes. She moved to the land of the kiwis. How has that been for her?”
Sulagna reached forward and grabbed her wine, sipping from the glass slowly before answering Jacoby. “She loves it, especially, and I didn’t see this coming, working with Robert Acostis.”
“She likes working with that asshole?” remarked Jacoby crudely as he placed the dishes in the drying rack beside the sink. “I can think of hundreds of words that describe Robert Acostis and all of them are similar to what I just referred to him as.”
“Well, he is an ass, but he is a very smart one,” she said, defending him lightly. “Robert is, without question, one of the shrewdest businessmen I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He is a stalwart in corporate acquisitions and, to my surprise, someone whom I will always love to have on my team.”
Jacoby walked around the column to sit down beside Sulagna at the table. “Really?” he asked rhetorically. “I honestly thought you didn’t have much to say about him other than he resembled a leach instead of a professional.”
“Keeping in mind that he is very good at flipping businesses, he sold me on some of the ideas that are going on right now involving the south pacific and more specifically, the company that you are an owner of,” she explained as she the subject changed to become a lot more professional. “When I allowed for the admission of his company, there were several caveats that had to be dealt with. For one, I wanted to make sure that Dillon Flannigan was a vital part of it and that Robert had no intentions of selling it for a quick profit. As I’m sure you’re aware, Dillon has become the President of that company and Robert has signed an agreement that he will not sell any of his shares to anyone outside of the consortium for the next ten years. With that being said, I had other dealings working behind the scenes.”
Jacoby leaned forward and reached for his wine, sipping from the glass as he listened in with a curious intent. “Like what?”
Sulagna grinned as she tilted her head to the side. “Jacoby, I need you to take this part very seriously and not get your feelings hurt. The past three years have been…”
“I know, Sulagna,” he said in a calm tone. “These past three years have been terrible for me personally and professionally. I, unfortunately, was not in a state to help my company at all and pretty much left Nathanial to screw everything up.”
“And that he did,” she responded with a soft hint of sarcasm. “He left the company to a man who swindled you and ran it into the ground. It’s not your fault at all that your company almost went into bankruptcy.”
Jacoby motioned with his arms, as he tried to defend Nathanial. “Sulagna, I honestly believe that I could have done much more than what I actually did. I just, well, I couldn’t manage to figure out how to get over my grief and get out of whatever funk I was in.” He paused while he looked down at the table in shook his head. “Yes, I agree that Nathanial Jenkins is an absolute buffoon, but I still feel that I could have done more to save the company. The blame is still partially on me.”
“We’re not saying that you are completely not reproachable, but what I am saying, personally, is that the decisions that were made were not your fault,” she explained. “Yes, you had a responsibility to your company, your employees, and your shareholders, but in reality, none of the decisions that were made were yours. They were all made as a result of Nathanial Jenkins. Because of this, the consortium feels that he needs to step aside.”
“So you want him to resign?”
“We want him to sell his shares to Dillon Flannigan so that he can have the majority stake in the company,” she explained.
“So, who all isn’t on board with this plan?” he asked as he slowly pushed himself away from the table to grab some more wine. “I mean, I don’t have much of a say regarding this deal, so my opinion is absolutely irrelevant.”
Sulagna stood up and grabbed her wine glass to meet Jacoby in the kitchen, walking around the counter and onto the tile floor. “That’s not true,” she said as she placed her glass close to the bottle. “You will have to run the day to day operations of the Australian company, just as you have done over the past few months. You will have to resume the role of being the fantastic businessman that is hungry and won’t stop at nothing to get what he wants.”
Jacoby smiled as he noticed Sulagna was standing close to him. “So, you want me to go get what I want?”
“Yes, that’s what I want you to do.”
Jacoby leaned in and kissed Sulagna on the lips as he held a glass of wine in his left hand and the bottle in his right. With their lips touching, Sulagna wrapped her left arm around his waist and pulled herself in closer to him. He lifted his head and looked down slightly at Sulagna, who was a few inches shorter than him. “Do you still want me to get what I want?” he asked with a seductive look in his eyes.
Sulagna turned around and placed her glass of wine on the counter before placing both of her arms around his neck, bringing her body in close to his. “I think we both might want the same thing,” she quipped as she leaned in to kiss him. Jacoby stepped forward with Sulagna’s arms around his neck, their lips touching, to place the bottle of wine and his glass on the counter beside hers so that he could place his hands on her waist, pulling her to him. He moved his hands up and down the small of her back, massaging the muscles between her shoulder blades before working his way down to her butt. With a light moan, Sulagna moved as close to him as she could, pressing her hot core against his crotch to feel it starting to grow. She let go of her grip around his neck and began moving with him to the couch.
She turned around to face him once their feet touched the rug in the center of the living room. She immediately reached up to pull the straps off both of her shoulders, allowing her turquoise dress to fall innocently to the ground. She stood in front of him wearing a white bra with lace around the top and the straps with matching bikini cut panties that fit snugly across her hips. With a seductive grin across her face, she waited patiently as Jacoby came closer, placing his arms around her hips, drawing her forward. They immediately locked in a passionate embrace as she wrapped her arms around his neck again, placing her half-naked body against his before running her hands down across the sides of his neck and down to his chest to start unbuttoning his shirt. As she started at the top, working her way down, she pulled the shirt out of his pants and opened it to reveal his bare chest.
Jacoby brought his hands up to the middle of Sulagna’s back, unhooking her bra while she moved her hands down to his pants to unclasp his belt and remove his dark slacks. Within seconds, her bra and his pants were on the floor. She placed both of her dark hands on his shoulders and pushed him down on the couch before straddling his legs, pressing her bare breasts against his chest. Her lips touched his as they continued to kiss enthusiastically in the dark living room while their hands wandered all over each other’s bodies. “Are you alright?” asked Sulagna as she began kissing his neck. “I’m not rushing you, am I?”
“Absolutely not,” replied Jacoby in a sense of ecstasy. “I’ve been needing this for quite some time and honestly, I’ve been wanting you for a long while.”
“Well I’m happy I can oblige,” she said playfully as she reached down in between her legs and placed her right hand on his crotch, still feeling his boxer briefs. She reached into the slit to pull out his throbbing cock so that she could commence stroking it softly with the tips of her fingers as she kissed his neck. She worked her hand slowly around the tip of his cock as her lips worked their way down to his shoulders and then back up to his cheeks and lips. After moments of teasing him, he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up placing her beside him on the couch. He settled in between her legs to fervently kiss her while he moved his cock around on top of her white panties.
His kisses slowly worked their way down her chest, stopping at her breasts to lick her nipples, causing her to moan with each flick of his tongue. He moved his right hand down to her panties and pushed them aside so his hand could explore her small bush, before moving lower through her slick folds. Her back arched as he penetrated her with his fingers and his mouth continued to work on her breasts, putting her in a state of euphoria as he focused on all her more sensitive areas. He continued to lick her nipples and finger her deeply before pulling his body down further and removing his hand from inside of her panties so that he could pull them off and toss them to the side. Jacoby looked down at her cunny, noticing how it was perfectly trimmed and very well kept up. He kissed his way down before spreading her lips and using the same motion on her clitoris that he used on her nipples.
She moaned passionately as he continued to lick her clit, flicking his tongue up and down as he slowly inserted his two fingers back into her wet pussy. Using his left hand to keep her lips open, he flicked his tongue with precision as the muscles in her stomach started to flex. “More,” she moaned as he continued, bringing her closer to the brink of orgasm. His fingers pulsated inside of her, moving in and out in a steady rhythm while his tongue continued to move in sweeping circles. Quickly the muscles in her vagina began to tense until they all contracted simultaneously and she let out a passionate scream. “Oh, my god!” she screamed as she climaxed with Jacoby still moving his fingers and tongue in a perfect rhythm. She placed her hand on his head and pressed it firmly into her pussy as she continued to climax, holding the moment as long as she could until she finally released him.
“Was that acceptable?” he asked sarcastically, looking on at Sulagna as she stared at him with a devilish intent. She leaned up on the couch, grabbing him by his shirt, pulling him on top of her. Their lips immediately locked as she reached down to grab his underwear so she could remove them. She pulled them down slightly and Jacoby did the rest, allowing Sulagna to grab his cock. Pulling him forward slightly by his cock, she placed it against her soaking wet cunny, rubbing the tip of it against her lips before pushing the head in. She fell backwards as she held onto his shirt, pulling him down with her and allowing him to shove his throbbing cock further inside of her. As she pulled her hips up, the shaft moved into her pussy as he fell on top of her body.
Jacoby thrust his hips with force as Sulagna kept her hips up, allowing him to pound her as she felt his cock moving inside of her. With each forceful thrust, Sulagna let out a small moan as he continued to build closer to climax. He thrust his hips repeatedly as his shaft moved inside of her, felling the inside of her center rub against his shaft. He moaned slightly as he started to feel his cock tingle, knowing that he was moving closer to orgasm. “Do it,” she said as she looked him in the eyes. “I want to feel you erupt inside of me.”
He smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck with his cock starting to throb. He started to thrust harder as he got closer until he finally came, emitting a large amount of cum inside of her wet pussy. With a loud moan from both of them, he continued to thrust as he climaxed, riding it out until the very end. After a while, he pulled out, breathing heavily as he looked at Sulagna and smiled. “That was incredible,” he said as he fell back into the arm of the couch. “I don’t think I could ask for an experience that good again.”
Sulagna laughed as she remained on her back, looking across her naked body at Jacoby leaning against the arm of the couch. “Oh, we’re going to try again,” she said with a foreshadowing tone. “This was not a one night stand or a friends with benefits situation. Tomorrow night, you’re taking me out for a real date in Sydney.”
“Yes ma’am,” replied Jacoby. “I would want nothing more than to show you a great time.”
“I look forward to it,” she said. “I absolutely look forward to it.”