Forever (60 page)

Clutching the railing, she leaned over and
looked straight down. Eduardo was standing directly below her, the
wind ruffling his hair as he gazed out at the ocean, drink in
hand.

Eduardo. So handsome. So thoughtful. So
irresistible.

His proximity alone made her feel a physical
impact.

The tour completed, Stephanie thanked Astrid
and complimented her on her housekeeping.

i will now unpack your luggage,' Astrid
said, getting busy.

Stephanie went downstairs and joined Eduardo
on the lower terrace. She came up silently behind him. 'I really
don't know what to say.'

He turned around and leaned casually back
against the railing. 'Why should it be necessary to say
anything?'

'Why?' She gestured towards the terrace
doors, indicating the apartment. 'Because the place is so big and
lavish. But I won't need a full-time housekeeper -'

'Ahh,' he grinned. 'Actually you will. Your
position at Grupo da Veiga will require you to do a certain amount
of business entertaining. That is where Astrid comes in. She is
very experienced at helping give cocktail parties and planning
sit-down dinners. In time, I think you will find her
indispensable.' He raised one dark eyebrow in amusement. 'You must
learn to trust me, Monica.'

'I do. But. . . this place!' She lifted her
hands and then let them drop, it must be outrageously
expensive.'

He laughed, if it makes you feel any better,
it can be deducted from your salary.'

'Yes, but can I afford it?' She blushed
slightly and looked away. Then she took a deep breath, raised her
head, and stared at him. 'I don't mean to sound mercenary, Eduardo,
but I don't even know what my salary will be ... or what position I
will fill. For that matter, I really don't know anything!'

He nodded. 'I remember you telling me that
you produced television commercials.'

'Yes,' Stephanie said, and thought: Oh, God.
Here I go again. How much larger is this web of lies going to have
to get? And how much longer before it all begins to unravel? How I
wish I could tell him the truth, open my heart all the way, expose
my secrets. I hate lies. . . I loath them!

'Grupo da Veiga,' Eduardo explained,
'consists of several individual industries. Unlike most of our
competitors, we do not hire outside advertising agencies; we have
an in-house division which produces all print and moving picture
ads. That is where you will work.' He paused. 'Does an annual
starting salary of one hundred and fifty thousand American dollars
sound satisfactory?'

'So much!' Her eyes widened in surprise.
'And what do I have to do for that?'

'You will be vice president in charge of
moving picture advertising.' A slight grin began to form on his
lips. 'But you will not be required to make love to me if you do
not wish to do so.'

Her eyes gleamed like polished mirrors. 'And
if I wish to?' she asked huskily, holding his gaze.

His grin widened. 'I would consider that to
be a fringe benefit for us both.'

She could feel a strong current of heat
surging up inside her, and her mind flashed to an image of his
thrusting muscular naked body. Her voice quavered as she struggled
to veer the conversation back to business. 'How do you know I'm
worth a hundred and fifty thousand a year?' she asked.

He smiled. 'I am a firm believer in the
sink-or-swim theory. Talent has a habit of rising to the top.'

'And if I sink?'

'You won't.'

'But if I do?'

Without taking his eyes off her, he put his
glass on the ledge and pulled her close, in that case,' he said
softly, 'we will have to find something else for you to do.'

Pressing her hips against his, she stared at
him with a feverish intensity. 'Like what?' Her voice was
hushed.

'Like this?' he murmured, and kissed her
deeply.

Her mouth met his with a hunger all its own,
two electric currents meeting. He reached for her breasts, but her
hand caught his and held it. After a moment, she pulled away and
shook her head. 'No, Eduardo,' she whispered huskily. 'Not now.
Astrid is unpacking my bags, and I'll feel self-conscious, not
being alone. Besides, it's been a very long day, and I need to get
settled in.'

Eduardo smiled. 'Do not worry. You relax and
get familiar with your apartment. What if I call you tomorrow and
we have dinner after work?'

Her eyes brightened as she smiled. 'Sure!
I'd like that.'

'And perhaps we can go to my apartment
afterwards? It is only three blocks down the beach from here, and
we will be alone.'

Her smile widened. 'I think I'd like that
even better,' she said softly.

'Until tomorrow, then.' He kissed her
lightly on the cheek, strode across the terrace, went inside, and
was gone.

Stephanie stared after him for a while.
Suddenly the terrace felt big and empty, and she already regretted
Eduardo's leaving. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she
opened them, she turned around and watched the hypnotic rollers
curling in from the ocean to expend their strength up on the beach.
She couldn't imagine a more beautiful or romantic place ... or one
more ideally suited for sharing with that someone special.

She heard footsteps approach on the
terracotta tiles behind her. Quickly she turned around.

It was Astrid, carrying a silver tray.
Regarding Stephanie inscrutably, she said, 'I thought you might be
thirsty, but I did not know what you like. I brought you a choice
of Coca-Cola, ice water, and hot coffee.'

I would have liked Eduardo better, Stephanie
thought. But aloud, she said, 'Thank you. You are most thoughtful.
I think I'll have the ice water up in my room.' The jet lag was
fast catching up with her. Suddenly she felt ready to drop.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Grupo da Veiga was located in a
pink-and-white mansion in the heart of the downtown 'Centro'
district. Casual passers-by and tourists often mistook it for a
consulate or a museum.

Only a polished brass plaque by the front
gate attested to its commercial function:

GRUPO DA VEIGA S.A.

The security precautions were awesome. Armed
guards were posted at the front gate, and two more stood to either
side of the baronially scaled front doors. Stephanie suspected
there were more guards inside.

Entering the building, she felt as if she'd
stepped into another world. The foyer was palatial and contained
priceless art and museum-quality furnishings. In the centre of the
room, a beautiful receptionist presided over a gleaming tulipwood
bureau plat, its surface bare save for a multilined telephone.

After Stephanie had introduced herself, the
receptionist smiled and replied in perfect English, 'I am pleased
to make your acquaintance, Ms Williams. Senhor de Veiga is
expecting you.' She gestured towards a grouping of antique chairs.
'Please, have a seat?'

As the receptionist picked up the phone,
Stephanie sat on one of the tapestried fauteuils

After a few minutes, she saw Eduardo coming
down the curving staircase. Rising to her feet and going to meet
him halfway, she thought, He looks somehow different... I wonder
why . . .

And then she realised what it was: this was
the first time she'd seen him dressed for business, and his clothes
certainly reinforced his already potent aura of power. Everything
he wore seemed designed for one precise purpose: to exude
confidence, authority, and raw power.

'Monica.' With a smile, he took her hands in
his and held them longer than was necessary. Her answering smile
proved that she was as overjoyed at seeing him as he was at seeing
her.

Then grinning disarmingly, he let go of her
fingers and clapped his hands together in a business-like fashion.
'Now then,' he said. 'Are you ready for the grand tour?'

Stephanie's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
'Am I ever! To tell you the truth, I can't wait!'

'Good. Then we will begin at once. Oh, and
before anyone else gets the chance to say it, may I be the very
first to welcome you aboard Grupo da Veiga?'

Astrid had waited until Stephanie had gone
to work before placing the telephone call.

'Ms Williams went to bed early and fell
asleep immediately,' she reported. 'She neither received nor made
any telephone calls, was up by six this morning, went jogging along
the beach, showered, and had a breakfast of coffee, pineapple
juice, and yoghurt before leaving for work.'

Colonel Valerio said, 'Report in again
tomorrow.' And promptly hung up.

Astrid stared at the dead receiver in her
hand. And a nice day to you, too!

The tour lasted the better part of an
hour-and-a-half, and Stephanie soon learned that the Rio branch of
Grupo da Veiga was much larger than she had imagined.

Their first stop was at the metallurgical
division, where Eduardo introduced Stephanie to the various
employees. Then it was on to the chemical division, and the
engineering department.

And so it went, from one division to the
next. In the florestais section, Stephanie became acquainted with
products relating to lumber and pulp and paper, while in the
minerais department, glass showcases displayed samples of the
various ores and precious and semi-precious stones the company was
mining.

But what fascinated Stephanie most was the
genetics division, where actual samples of genetically engineered
fruits, vegetables, and flowers were on display.

She had a sudden thought. 'Eduardo?' she
asked softly. 'Who is in charge of the genetic programme?'

'Dr Vassiltchikov.'

Stephanie nodded. I was afraid of that, she
thought. God help us.

'But enough of this,' Eduardo said. 'As you
have probably noticed, I am leaving your department for last.'

The advertising section was located on the
second floor and consisted of an enfilade of nine high-ceilinged
rooms. The windows overlooked the quiet, manicured park, and except
for the highrises poking up beyond the trees, it wasn't difficult
to imagine oneself far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

When Eduardo showed Stephanie in, the entire
staff gathered in the outermost office to meet her. Eduardo made
the introductions.

'. . . This is Rubens Montenegro . . .
Senhor
Montenegro is in charge of this entire department.
You will report directly to him . . .'

A tall, middle-aged aesthete with ia trim
grey beard and a professional manner.

And '. . . Karolyn Gatto.
Senhora
Gatto is your counterpart for all print advertising. You will be
working together quite closely on most campaigns . . .'

An earnest woman with grey hair wearing a
high-necked blouse, grey suit, and no jewellery.

'And Lia Cardoso, your personal assistant.
Senhorita
Cardoso speaks fluent English and is an excellent
interpreter . . .'

A perky young pixie with wide blue eyes,
brown hair in a feather cut, and a bright ready smile.

And '. . . Amadeu Ricupero . . . Aloisio
Fortes . . . Maurfcio Carneiro . . .'

Stephanie shook hands with everyone.

Eduardo looked at his watch and said, 'I
have some meetings scheduled.
Senhorita
Cardoso will show
you to your office, and Senhor Montenegro will fill you in on your
work.'

And he was gone.

'You look slightly confused,' Lia laughed.
'I would be, too, meeting so many people at once. Come, I will show
you your office.'

Stephanie was grateful to escape the
appraising eyes. She followed Lia through the carpeted rooms, each
of which was furnished with modern high-tech office furniture.

'Here we are,' Lia stepped aside and let
Stephanie enter first.

It was a large office, with modern Italian
furniture, the yin to the grand, old-fashioned architecture's yang.
There were several large-screen TV sets hooked up to video
recorders. A large ceiling fan stirred the air with cool gentle
currents, and the view out through the floor-to-ceiling windows was
lovely.

Lia said, 'That is your desk over by the
windows, and the drawing board and that computer are yours also.
This desk here, by the door, is mine.'

Stephanie looked around. 'It's very
nice.'

'I hope you don't mind having to share it
with me,' Lia said, 'but until the new addition is built, I'm
afraid we'll be a little cramped for space.'

'I don't mind at all,' Stephanie assured her
warmly. 'I think we'll get along splendidly!'

'Super!' Lia nodded exuberantly. 'I think so
too!'

Stephanie walked over to her desk. So far,
so good, she thought, trailing her fingertips across the polished
rosewood surface. Thanks to Eduardo's tour, she had an overall
picture of how the Rio branch functioned. She had her own desk in a
large spacious office and her own bilingual assistant. Now all I
need to do is figure out my job. Other than knowing it was moving
picture advertising as opposed to print ads, she still had no idea
what her duties entailed. God, she prayed silently, look out for me
so I don't fall flat on my face. I don't know Adam from
advertising!

That first day flew by in a blur. There were
invoices from television stations to sort through, new ad videos to
sit through and critique, a lunch meeting with a video producer,
storyboards of ads-in-the- works to approve. Stephanie found it
fascinating, and was grateful for Lia's knowledge and constant good
humour. 'Quite honestly,' she told her, 'I don't know what I would
do without you.'

Lia laughed. 'Oh, you'd make do,' she said.
'Look how you immediately saw how to cut that video-ad by twenty
seconds without losing its impact. You've saved the company a
million dollars already, and this is only your first day on the
job! I think you're a natural!'