The Trade (22 page)

"Thanks mom,” Jay said. He hung up the phone,
walked over to his mom and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"New Years is for lovers,” she teased,
spanking his behind. Jay went red in the face so fast he felt the
blood surge through his cheeks and into his forehead.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"A mother always knows."

Fourteen hours later, at 11:30 pm, Jay
Calloway was deposited at the end of the gravel driveway of Angus
MacKenzie and Tonia Taggert by the car service he'd hired at La
Guardia. He figured the "trip from Hell" was over. He was in for a
big surprise.

I wonder who belongs to all these cars? It
looks like there's a party going on or something.

The house was lustrous with white and gold
Christmas lights. New Year's Eve candles burnt in the windows and
in globes all down the driveway. Jay was too tired from the trip to
truly appreciate the beauty of it all. He exited the car, and
walked past car after car, including a sedan with Virginia
plates.

Must be friends over
, Jay thought.

He walked up to the front door.

"Well here goes,” he said. As Jay lifted his
hand to rap on the door, the inner door of the foyer swung open.
Jay Calloway stood face to face with Angus MacKenzie.

"Jay. So glad you could make it. Tonia said
you'd be here around now,” Angus greeted him warmly. Jay could see
the flush of several glasses of champagne in Angus' face. Jay was
dumbfounded.

I can't believe he's here
, Jay
thought.

"Come in and join the party Jay,” Angus said.
He led Jay in through the front door and they were no sooner than
through the foyer when a uniformed servant took Jay's coat and
another servant presented Jay with a glass of champagne. Angus
pulled a glass from the tray for himself.

"To your new job and to the New Year,” Angus
MacKenzie toasted. It was all a bit too much for Jay.

I can't believe he knows I just got
promoted, he can't pay that close of attention to all 45,000
MacKenzie Lazarus employees
, Jay thought.

"Happy New Year Sir,” Jay stammered out.

"Jay, when we're at my house and you're
Tonia's guest you can call me Angus alright?" he said in his Oxford
accent.

"Alright sir, uh, Angus,” Jay replied
awkwardly. The two men walked further into the house and as they
did the sound of laughter and clinking glasses tinkled out to greet
them.

"Maybe you would like to freshen up before
you join the party?" Angus MacKenzie asked.

"Yes. That'd be nice,” Jay answered.

"There's a guest room at the top of the
stairs and to the right. Some of my son's clothes are in there. Why
don't you get a quick shower and try some of his stuff on. See if
you can join us by midnight alright?"

"Yes. S... Angus,” Jay answered.

Jay walked up the stairs and found the guest
room.

"Holy Cow,” Jay muttered as he perused the
clothes in the closet of Angus MacKenzie's son. Polo by Ralph
Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Tio Casmo, these were the names that leapt
off the racks in the cedar scented closet. Images of Jay Gatsby and
flying silk shirts came to mind. Jay picked an outfit and laid it
on the king-sized bed. He stepped back to look at the clothes and
caught a reflection of himself in the mirror.

"Son you need a shower,” Jay said to himself,
mimicking Angus’ accent.

Jay walked into the bathroom.

"Oh my God,” Jay gasped. The room was
opulent.

Their guest bathroom is bigger than my whole
apartment.

Deep green Kohler fixtures and ebony inlaid
tile seemed to draw Jay into the room. He undressed and bent over
the tub, adjusting the water for the shower. When it was just right
he stepped in. The warm softened water soaked luxuriously through
him. He laid his head back in the delight that only a long hot
shower can bring after 12 hours of travel.

Jay found himself thinking back to Maria in
the shower, and then almost immediately to Tonia at the beach. “Uh
oh,” he cursed. He flipped the hot water off and withstood 20
seconds of cold water stinging him. "Cold shower, cold shower,” he
repeated.

"Towel,” he shivered out loud as he stepped
from the shower. Warm thick towels seemed to have materialized
while he was in the shower. Jay toweled off, combed his wet hair
and went back into the bedroom to dress. The expensive clothes were
almost a perfect fit. The grey flannel slacks, white button down
oxford shirt, and blue wool blazer had been professionally
tailored. Except for a little tightness in the waist the clothes
could have been his.

"Looking good,” Jay said to himself. He
headed down to the party. It was 11:55. Jay walked into the large
ballroom just off the bottom of the grand staircase. Happy voices
and joyful smiles greeted him at each turn. Jay shook hands and
smiled and raised a champagne toast from a silver platter.

Where is she
? he thought. Jay's eyes
continued to roam around the glamorous party. "She has to be here
someplace,” Jay whispered.

"Pardon me?” a chic looking woman asked.

"I'm sorry. I was talking to myself,” Jay
said.

"That's especially tragic on New Year's Eve
when you could be talking to me,” the pretty woman teased. Jay
looked at her more closely. Her skin was pulled tight on her face,
the result of one too many facelifts. Also, her skin had the
unnatural glow of too many hours in a tanning salon and not enough
hours out of doors. Jay excused himself politely and kept looking
for Tonia. It was 11:58.

I've got two minutes to find her
.

On a large screen television the lighted ball
on Times Square started its descent towards the screaming throng.
In the MacKenzie's ballroom people grabbed for drinks and jockeyed
for position to get next to the person they most wanted to kiss at
midnight. As the crowd paired off, Jay finally caught site of his
beloved Tonia.

"Oh my God!" Jay exclaimed, stunned by her
beauty on this enchanted night.

Tonia Taggert was miraculously radiant in a
white lace dress that stopped well short of her knees. Her
shoulders were bare, as was most of her back. Tonia's wonderfully
toned body and clear healthy skin glowed in the crystal chandelier
light of the room. A triple string of flawless pearls lay
languorously around her neck. They dropped down to within a few
inches of her breasts, which were just barely restrained by the
diaphanous lace of her dress. Jay made his way slowly towards
her.

"Five, four, three, TWO, ONE, HAPPY NEW
YEAR!" the crowd exulted. Jay was within five feet of her, his
hands had begun to reach out towards her and his lips had begun to
lift up at the corners in the expectant smile of the summoned,
reunited lover.

Angus MacKenzie took one step towards Tonia
and swept her up in his arms planting a huge Happy New Year's kiss
on Tonia's ruby mouth. Angus' hands worked on her bare back. Jay's
eyes flew open wide, his mouth hung open in slack-jawed shock.
Jay's eyes slowly fell from his love. His mouth pulled straight
back in a grimace usually seen only on those most recently kicked
in the groin.

He spun on his heel so Tonia wouldn't see the
pain in his face. As Jay turned he caught sight of a man ducking
quickly out of sight.

Who the hell is that
? Jay thought. His
pain was quickly transformed to anger.

"They wouldn't possibly have followed me in
here?” Jay thought.

Just at that moment, the woman who had
propositioned him stepped in front of him, wrapped one arm around
his shoulders and another around his lower back, pulled him towards
her, and began a lengthy, invasive kiss. Her hand squeezed his butt
as her tongue forced its way into his mouth.

Jay fought the kiss, then gave in, hoping she
would go away.

“
Now was that so terrible?”
she asked.

“
I’ll be right back,” Jay
lied. He crossed the room in long powerful strides just in time to
see the figure exit through the front doors. Jay broke into a
controlled indoors run, skidding to a stop just short of the open
doors. He arrived just in time to see the sedan with Virginia
plates spin gravel from under its wheels and fishtail out the
drive. For an instant the light spilled out of the door fell full
on the face of the escaping man.

"Stan?" Jay called out loud. The sedan passed
out of the cone of light and sped away down the drive.

"Who was that?" Tonia asked. She had somehow
appeared at his elbow. After the night on the rooftop, and then
Angus’ possessive kiss, Jay thought he would never be this close to
her again.

"I'm not sure. I don't know. Did you know
everyone at the party?" Jay asked.

"No,” Tonia answered. She looked into his
eyes and Jay forgot all about the mini chase. “But I know that
cougar you were making out with…”

“
That’s not my fault. She
sexually assaulted me, there are at least a hundred
witnesses.”

"Sure, sure. Whatever. I missed you,” Tonia
said. Her well-manicured hand ran up his forearm. Jay felt the
tingle of excitement dance up and down his spine.

"I missed you too,” Jay said. His eyes stole
a glance over her bare shoulders. He saw no-one. He leaned in for a
kiss. Tonia turned away from him.

"Not here,” she said. "Later. I'll come to
you tonight.”

"How?" Jay asked.

"You're staying over in the guest room.
Didn't Angus tell you?"

"Staying over?"

"Yes.”

"Oh,” Jay said. He thought for a moment to
protest but then consciously surrendered to her.

"Whatever you say,” he said tiredly and
obediently.

"Now come into the party and let me introduce
you around. If you're ever going to have Angus' job there's some
people you need to meet.”

"Angus' job?” Jay asked but Tonia was already
leading him down the hall back to the party. Two hours later Jay
had glad-handed or kissed the ass of half a dozen top executives at
MacKenzie Lazarus. Angus was with them most of the time. By
two-thirty Jay was almost out on his feet and at three he was in
bed sound asleep still dressed in the new clothes while the party
went on below.

Tonia slipped in to his room at four. She
brushed the hair away from his forehead and brushed an angel's kiss
across his lips. He stirred but did not wake.

"I really am afraid I’m falling in love with
you,” she whispered. “My damn assignment. My beautiful, wonderful,
tortured assignment.”

"That went well I thought," Angus MacKenzie
said to Tonia Taggert.

"Very well,” an exhausted Tonia answered.
Angus rolled over to her side of the bed and kissed her. An earthy
grunt escaped his large drunken mouth. Tonia lay back and he took
her. His pushing was careless, rough, and over quickly. It was
anything but a fairy tale. He rolled off and instantly fell
asleep.

Tonia got up quietly and went to the
bathroom. She washed herself and rinsed out her mouth.

"I'm sorry Jay. I'm so sorry,” she whispered
to the mirror. "I never knew it would be like this.” A tear ran
down her cheek. She choked back a second tear and returned to
bed.

Chapter

"Welcome aboard,” Hal Kreitzer said to Jay
Calloway.

"Thank you,” Jay answered. "Let's see if I
can start earning the $50,000 signing bonus okay?"

"That's what I heard about you,” Hal said.
"All work and no play.”

"No play?” Jay asked, wondering just how
many, if any, of his secrets Hal knew.

"Yeah. No friends at work, 12 hours of work a
day, an hour of jogging every day. My kind of worker,” Hal said.
"Let me get you started then.” Hal led Jay to his new office on the
20
^th
floor. The view was breathtaking. Jay could see
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. As he watched, the Staten
Island Ferry made its stately procession across New York harbor.
Jay took it all in for 30 seconds then took a deep dismissive
breath and dug into his work.

Hal drifted out of the office and down the
hall.

"Get a life son,” Hal muttered to himself
when he was out of earshot. "But after we're done with you.” Hal
laughed to himself.

Chapter

Two months later, Jay stood at a small podium
in front of a small crowd.

"So with this new multiprocessing hardware
and the fiber optic link with the data centers, as far as we can
tell we'll have a 15% to 25% advantage over Gershwitz Brothers in
the European market and a 25% to 50% advantage over our closest
competitor in Central America,” Jay announced to the assembled
crowd.

"We go live in Mexico tomorrow and Panama
next week. We'll be ready to go into any other country down there
on two weeks’ notice based on executive management direction.” Jay
nodded at Angus MacKenzie as he spoke the last words. A year in the
big city and he'd learned exactly how to kiss ass in the most
effective yet inconspicuous manner.

"Any questions?" Jay asked.

"Is all this legal?" someone asked from the
back of the room. A few heads turned towards the voice but most
stayed riveted on Jay at the podium. Jay's eyes fixed the
questioner for a brief soul-searching moment then broke and scanned
the room. A smile crossed his face slowly. It was an ugly smile, a
smile that his friends and family would not have recognized, but a
smile that Michael Milliken and Al Capone would know in an
instant.

"I imagine that's a matter for our lawyers
and the government isn't it?" Jay replied. Nervous chuckles and
then knowing laughter spread through the room. The meeting
broke.

Hal Kreitzer saddled up beside Jay to share
in the credit for the system Jay and his team had implemented in
two and a half months.

"How'd you do it?" a suit asked Hal.

"It was easy, really,” Hal started. "We just
took existing technology, blended it together with the latest
research from our partners at several Ivy League schools, and then
kicked ass programming 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.