C.J. showed up at the estate early the next morning and marveled at how it looked what with the landscaping that they'd been busting their butts doing for the past month. Her rose gardens were nearly finished and she'd be starting on the next thatches of color that would expand past it toward the orchard filled with peach, plum and fig trees. Somehow she knew it'd all work when it came together even though Carlos came up to them with changes in the plans nearly every day. Whoever this Gunthor guy was, he seemed somewhat indecisive.
He was a major player in the business arena, his conglomerated experiencing tremendous growth in the past several years. She'd been reading up on him online. He had offices all over the world, hundreds of employees on the books and a wife and children holed up on some estate on an island off of Greece. Must be nice she thought, but the company's portfolio in the import/export business was very impressive…that which she did know.
She was certainly sharp enough to know that Gunthor's business empire was like an iceberg, meaning that only parts of it were visible above the surface. Most of it was hidden away beneath it, in clandestine fashion. She'd learned that from some of the jobs that she and Matt had taken with federal agencies including that very last one.
Matt arrived a few minutes after she did and they just nodded at each other. Not much need to say much of anything after what happened the other night. She started off wanting to kill him for breaking inside her house only to find out a window had been open probably by her. Then she'd wound up taking him in her bed not for sex but to help sleep. As much as she hated to admit it after everything that happened, she still slept much better wrapped up in his arms.
She didn't have any dreams either.
But she still had to keep him at arm's length…she was trying damn hard to work out her issues with Miranda but the more she tried, the deeper they penetrated into what had happened, the more she fought back without meaning it. She wanted so much after all to put that last assignment behind him and for Matt to stop serving as a reminder…alas, easier said than done.
He's removed his shirt again when it'd gotten so damn hot and the ocean breeze did nothing but add to it. His body looked as good as it felt underneath her fingers when she'd been running them over every inch of it, following up with her mouth, taking in the tanginess of him and hearing his groans. She sighed picking up the shovel and going out to dig some more, turn over the old earth before fertilizing it for the next rows of flowers.
Carlos walked over to her. She looked up at him, beads of sweat already forming on her face and sighed.
"More changes…"
He shook his head.
"No…Gunthor will be arriving later this afternoon…to look at what you've done."
She tried to keep the surprise off of her face. She was beginning to think he'd never show up until the eve of his big gala.
"Really…I hope to meet him at last."
Carlos smiled.
"Oh I'm sure you will. He's eager to meet you…and Matt too."
She nodded.
"I should have the soil prepped by the end of the day," she said, "Still waiting on some of the starter plants."
"That'll be fine," Carlos said, "I'm sure he'll be pleased. He'll be here helping with the planning of the party. He's coming off a rigorous business schedule and needs time to relax."
"Will he be bringing family?"
Carlos just paused a long moment.
"No…they keep to the island estate," he said, "The children follow busy regimens for personal development."
"I see….well it'll be nice to meet him still. I look forward to it."
Carlos left her and she continued working and then looked over and saw Matt working on the project he'd started after completing the lagoon. It looked to be a gazebo that would be next to a fountain still to be built.
She left to walk over to check out his work. He rubbed his forehead with his shirt and just stood there looking magnificent without it.
"So how's it going on your end?"
He sighed.
"God, finally got the lagoon finished," he said, "but Carlos just told me boss man is showing up today."
"Yeah…finally," C.J. said, "I can't believe it after all this time…I thought we'd never meet the mystery man."
"Very successful businessman," Matt said, "all over the world…did you see the write-ups on that guy?"
So she hadn't been the only one up doing research on him.
"Yeah but I don't know…how much of it do you think is legit?"
Matt sighed.
"I don't know and we're off the clock remember?"
Yeah she remembered that and that it'd been quite a while for her. But still, unanswered questions about Gunthor nagged at her. Blame it on the day job, she thought as she went to fetch a water bottle from Matt' ice chest.
"So you locking up your place up at night?"
She put the water bottle down and looked straight at him.
"I always do that Houston…that window..I must have just forgotten."
His face grew serious.
"You can't do that C.J.…even if we're not working the trade, we've still got a very dangerous man hunting you."
She sighed, rubbing her arms.
"Like I can forget Houston? I never get to forget about it. Remember that…"
She started to walk away and he followed her to grab her arm but she shook his grip off.
"That's not what I meant C.J.," he said, "I just want you to be careful and stay safe."
"Neither of us are really safe Houston," she said, "He could come after you too…"
Matt looked doubtful.
"I don't think I have what he wants but you do."
A well of bitterness clogged her throat and she struggled to swallow it. Did he have to remind her of what…but then reason caught up and she realized that wasn't what he'd done.
"Rodrigo's no doubt been busy even if he's gone ghost on Brock and his guys," Matt said, "I just hope that doesn't mean he's close."
C.J. always assumed he was that already and kept her guard up. She had no desire to be in his clutches again. She'd die before that happened and she'd kill too.
She was more certain of that than anything else in her life right now.
Gunthor sat in the back of his limo leaving San Francisco heading to his estate. Carlos had assured him that the renovations were on schedule. He hoped so, because that would just leave them to be finished so he could plan his gala.
He had been most displeased with Rodrigo for losing his prize but knew he owed him because a year or so earlier, he'd been in the same circumstances. It's been his turn to lose one of the women he'd put up for sale to pay off a debt. A pretty little number with a body made for doing only one thing, he'd made sure of that himself.
He glanced at his phone and saw that Milan had called him. God, he hated him but had to work with him because he'd become Rodrigo's right hand man since the former one had been shot to death, probably by Milan. Assorted members of Rodrigo's band of lieutenants had died. The former assistant who had become his lover had been executed for betraying him along with her contact with the feds. That's what had after all, brought this lovely creature he'd acquired into his world in the first place.
The photo of her could never do her justice. He couldn't wait to see the real thing and his body tightened as he thought of everything he wanted to do to her.
He picked up the phone and called Milan.
"What's up…must be something important if you're wasting my time."
"Rodrigo's men will be at your disposal if you need them."
Gunthor chuckled.
"You can't be serious…if it weren't for me, your boss would still be sifting haystacks for needles out there. I told you I will handle it from here out and I will most enjoy myself in the process…now is that all?"
He just wanted to dismiss Rodrigo's underling and get on with his party planning. He had looked forward to his brief vacation from his exhaustive work schedule. It'd been a tough couple of years, a betrayal here, a merger there and a trail of dead bodies, some of which would never be found. But then that was the price of doing business and rising up as quickly as he did.
"Yes…except that Rodrigo and I will be at your gala and look forward to seeing what you've had done with the place."
"You should be…my new whore's working on it right now with her former lover," he said, "They will be my special guests of course."
"I thought you'd just kill him."
"Oh I will…but not before he'll watch me auction off her to my guests to enjoy for the rest of the night…by the hour."
Milan paused.
"You've got no mercy do you…"
"Of course not…we both know it's wasted in this line of work."
Milan left him and Gunthor clicked off his phone with a smile. Soon enough he'd be at his estate and the games would begin.