Forever (61 page)

Fifteen minutes before quitting time, Lia
fielded the fifty- somethingth phone call of the day. After
listening a moment, she said, 'Monica, it's for you.'

'Who is it?' Stephanie mouthed.

But Lia, grinning from ear to ear, only
shook her head.

Sighing, Stephanie picked up her extension.
'Monica Williams,' she said.

'How are things going, Ms Williams?' It was
Eduardo.

Simply hearing his voice made her heart give
a leap. 'Fine,' she laughed, 'if you count no major disasters as a
good day!'

He laughed also. 'Then I would say you've
had a splendid day! Well? Are we still having dinner tonight? Or
are you too tired?'

'Truthfully, I'm still jetlagged, but I
would love to have dinner,' she said.

'Good! I will pick you up at your apartment
at seven.'

'Seven o'clock it is!'

Stephanie was humming to herself as she hung
up.

'You look very happy,' Lia observed slyly
from across the room.

'And you,' Stephanie reproved gently, 'are
altogether too observant.'

Stephanie said to Lia, it's past quitting
time. If you like, my driver can drop you off on my way home.'

Lia Cardoso looked up from the stacks of
printout on her desk and shook her head. 'Thank you, but no. I want
to get this filing out of the way. You go on ahead.'

Stephanie hesitated. 'You know, it might not
be such a bad idea if I stayed and helped you. As unfamiliar as I
am with everything -'

'Please. I really don't mind. And besides, I
will get it done faster by myself.'

'Well, if you're sure . . .'Stephanie said
dubiously.

'Absolutely.' Lia smiled. 'Now go home. I'll
see you in the morning.'

'All right then. Good night, Lia.'

'
Boa noite
, Ms Williams.'

Lia waited exactly ten minutes to make
certain Stephanie was not returning. Then she opened the middle
drawer of her desk, removed the false bottom, and rewound the
microcassette of the voice-activated tape recorder which was hooked
up to Stephanie's telephone line. After listening to all the calls,
she picked up her telephone and dialed a series of memorised
digits.

A moment later, Colonel Valerio came on the
line.

'This is Lia Cardoso,' she began softly, and
gave him a play-by-play rundown of Stephanie's first day at work.
She ended by saying, '
Senhor
de Veiga invited Ms Williams to
dinner. He will pick her up at her apartment at seven o'clock. He
did not say where they would dine.'

'Very well. Continue to keep your eyes and
ears open. I'll expect you to report in every day.'

After she hung up, Lia reset the recorder,
replaced the false bottom in the drawer, and went home, secure in
the knowledge that her two incomes made her the highest paid
administrative assistant in all Rio.

Stephanie wore a long-sleeved mini shift
with horizontal tortoiseshell stripes in pink and peach sequins and
sheer dark stockings and moderate black heels with straps around
the ankles. She didn't wear a single piece of jewellery, not even a
watch, and with her dark severe bangs and brightly applied makeup,
Eduardo couldn't remember the last time a woman had looked quite so
appealing.

And judging from the craned necks all
around, apparently neither could the rest of the diners. Not that
they weren't used to beautiful women, perfect bodies, and expensive
clothes and jewels at the Petronius restaurant in Ipanema - it was
just that Stephanie's very simplicity and her elegant carriage made
her stand out in the crowd.

The maitre d' led them proudly to the choice
table by the wall of windows overlooking the beach, and they were
barely seated when a bottle of Dom Perignon, compliments of the
management, was brought over by a captain in formal attire.

'I'm impressed!' Stephanie whispered across
the table. 'You must be a big shot to have them falling all over
themselves like this!'

'Me?' Eduardo held her gaze and shook his
head. 'I come here all the time, and I have never been treated like
this!' He smiled, it is not me who is causing the sensation,
Monica. It is you!'

She laughed happily. 'I knew this dress was
cut too high!' Eyes sparkling, she looked around. Without being
told, she could tell that this had to be one of the most expensive
restaurants in town. It had that indefinable air of elegant
perfection - the staff in formal attire, fresh flowers in lavish
arrangements, flickering candles on every table, and air perfumed
with the unmistakable rich fragrance which can only come from
French cuisine.

They ordered and went through the motions of
eating, but their appetites were only for each other. Sublime
though the food was, neither of them could have recalled a single
dish afterwards.

The concerned staff chalked up their
appetites to amor.

By the time dessert arrived, Stephanie and
Eduardo had given up all pretence of eating and simply stared at
each other, communicating their thoughts and wants and needs
without words. Eduardo reached across the table and took her hand
and felt the heat of her flesh and the tensing of her tendons.

I think we should go now, his eyes said.

She nodded imperceptibly. I do too! her eyes
replied.

Eduardo paid the cheque and tipped royally.
Outside, the sky was black velvet and the wind had picked up and
the southern stars were staging a show.

'Just for you,' he murmured huskily.

'For usV she corrected him, her eyes bright
and dark at the same time, is it far to your apartment?'

'Only eight blocks in that direction.'
Eduardo gestured down the beach with his chin. 'We can walk.'

'Yes! Let's!'

He took off his jacket and draped it over
her shoulders, and they dashed hand-in-hand across the Avenida
Viera Souto like the young lovers they were. Once on the other
side, Stephanie held onto him as she took off her shoes and
stockings, and then he held onto her while he took off his shoes
and socks and rolled up his trouser legs. Then, shoes in hand, they
slipped their arms around each other's waists and walked across the
sand to the edge of the surf.

The salt air was heady, the water cold and
tingly. Except for occasional couples, they had the beach to
themselves. On their left, the row of highrises glittered like
jewels, and up ahead. Sugar Loaf was drenched with floodlights.

it's magic!' she whispered, pressing herself
closer to him.

A larger wave dashed up, crashed against
their calves, and made lacy phosphorescent swirls. 'Yes,' he said,
'magic.' He turned her to face him. 'Monica.'

They kissed, without grappling or groping,
just standing there, suspended in time, in space, their arms
loosely looped around each other, their lips touching and pecking,
nibbling and tasting.

After a while, she drew her head back.
'Mmm,' she murmured, and intertwined her fingers in his and rested
her head on his shoulder as they continued walking down the beach.
They didn't speak until they reached his apartment.

It was at the top of the tallest building,
penthouse and villa combined, a two-storey, L-shaped structure with
richly planted, cantilevered decks and walls of glass seemingly
suspended above its own big rooftop pool. And the Atlantic was its
front yard.

'Drink?' he asked as they came in.

She shook her head, put her arms around his
neck, and pulled his head down to hers. For a while, their lips did
all the talking, and then their hands joined in the
conversation.

Slowly, teasingly, he unzipped the sequined
shift and stepped back. It fell away like a glittering husk, and
she drew a deep breath as her breasts leapt free, full and strong
and proud, her nipples suddenly erect and jutting forward in the
cool air.

'Eduardo!' she whispered. She could feel her
legs trembling, the wetness of her loins. Then, unable to contain
herself, she attacked his shirt, tore frantically at the buttons,
and raked her fingernails across his chest.

Suddenly his strong hands clamped around her
wrists, and her talons stilled. 'Not so fast!' he whispered, his
eyes wide. 'There is no rush . . .'

She stared at him as though hypnotised.
'No,' she repeated hoarsely, 'there is no rush . . .'

But her body belied her words. Never had she
felt so aroused! Never had she spasmed so! And never had restraint
been so difficult!

He smiled in understanding and reached out,
his fingers featherlight as he traced the line of her cheekbones,
the curve of her strong jaw. Then, cupping her face between his
palms, his thumbs caressed the flushed smoothness of her
cheeks.

'E . . . ed . . . uard . . . do . . .' she
gasped.

'Ssssh

His thumbs smoothed back her cheeks, stroked
the corners of her mouth. Almost chastely, he kissed her forehead,
the tip of her nose, each eyelid in turn.

Her breasts heaved. This was driving her to
madness! Utter madness! Why didn't he get on with -

His fingers abruptly entwined her hair and
cruelly now, he pulled her head back. Her lips parted and her
shriek became a cry as he brought his mouth down on hers.

Savage was his hunger, and savage was hers.
Gone now was any vestige of restraint. He thrust a hand between her
legs and her body arched as she tugged off his shirt and slammed
her hips against his.

He was already hard. She could feel the
trapped bulging ridge of his penis straining his trousers.

It took only seconds until he too was naked.
His phallus slapped up against his belly and his testicles hung
like luscious ripe fruits. A single vein pulsed along the length of
the shaft.

For a moment they both stood there,
breathing deeply, eyeing each other like sexual combatants. Then
slowly, she sank down on a large ottoman, and lay there invitingly,
legs spread wide, eyes glittering expectantly.

With excruciating slowness, he straddled her
and his chest hovered over her breasts. Then he grabbed hold of her
hips and lowered himself inside her.

She cried out at the quick sharp pain, and
then a strange wild kind of wonder came into her eyes.' Yes!' she
whispered. 'Eduardo -yes! Yes!'

He started slowly, pushing himself in and
then moving slowly half out, in again and half out again,
penetrating every silky smooth secret at the heart of her
womanhood. He could feel her tight muscles as he penetrated more
deeply, could feel the temperature inside her rise.

Slowly, he rotated himself inside her, then
rocked against her, then rotated some more. And then when he could
stand it no longer he rammed with primal ardour.

Her whispers turned into moans and the moans
into screams as he began to ride her. Wildly she tossed her head
from side to side, scissored her legs around his buttocks, and
writhed and bucked in time to meet his every thrust.

Her arms tightened around him and she drew
his head down to her breasts. 'Love me!' she moaned into his ear as
he nibbled and sucked and thrust.'Oh, Eduardo! Love me! Love
me!'

Her hips rose greedily to meet him, to
impale deeply upon his dagger of flesh. Faster, faster, he slammed
into her, harder, harder!

'I can't stand it oh Eduardo I can't bear it
I can't -'

Then her movements became even more frenetic
and purposeful and she was a volcano, a burning bed of hot coals,
erupting and exploding and pouring fiery lava.

And then the explosions which had racked her
now rose up inside him in a torrent, and his own hot thick strength
burst forth to merge with the flood of her juices.

'Monica!' he screamed, and his face
contorted as he held on for dear life.

Then they collapsed, clinging to each other,
their eyes glazed, their breathing raw and heavy. Slowly, the
battering storms within them began to subside, like a great
powerful flood receding, and they lay quietly, their breathing
slowly returning to normal.

After a while, she raised her head and
looked at him. 'Wow!' she whispered. She contracted her vaginal
muscles and smiled. She could feel him still inside her. Still
warm. Still large. Still hard.

'That,' he murmured, 'wasn't at all bad for
an appetiser . . .'

'Colonel - this is Astrid Bezerra.'

It was the next morning. 'Yes, Ms Bezerra.
Do you have anything to report?'

'Ms Williams just left for the office. Last
night, she came home from work at six-fifteen, showered and
changed, and went to dinner with
Senhor
de Veiga at seven.
She did not return until nearly two o'clock in the morning. She
neither received nor made any telephone calls.' 'I see.'

'I shall call again tomorrow.' 'Yes. You do
that.' 'Good-bye -' she began. But he had already hung up.

Ilha da Borboleta, Brazil

The next day, Colonel Valerio made one of
his surprise inspections of the security compound. A third of his
men were on guard duty around the island, another third were in the
rec room or asleep in their bunks in the dormitory, and a last
third were honing up on hand-to-hand combat Skills on the drill
field with Duane Waingrow, his second-in-command.

Hands resting on his hips, Colonel Valerio
stopped at the edge of the field to watch. Only the matt-black
insignia on his collar and his ubiquitous mirrored aviator shades
set him apart. Like the rest of the men, he was wearing standard
grey-green camouflage fatigues, combat boots, web belt, soft cap
and Cutter's insect repellent. Since he wasn't expecting to run
into his employers, he was chewing a wad of gum - a privilege he
accorded himself as commander-in-chief, but an infraction for which
his men would have pulled one week of K.P. and another of guard
duty.