by Ian Fox
They both laughed.
“It was a nightmare where I was,” Emely said with a sigh. “Nuns never swear, never argue, and any hint of perversity is totally out of the question. A boy once dropped a condom into my bag without my noticing. In the evening, one of the nuns examined my room. When she touched the rubber with her fingers and screwed up her face, I knew I was in trouble.”
“So what happened?” John asked with great interest.
“I was forced to pray for several hours. The other nuns heard about it and they spent another month giving me accusing looks.”
“Hard to believe.”
“Yes, it is. When I left the Catholic orphanage, I felt the happiest, freest person on earth. I traveled on the subway, enjoying the thought that I could do anything I wanted. It isn’t that I didn’t love the sisters who took care of me, on the contrary. They gave me a lot of love in their own special way and I’m very grateful for it. But life in a Catholic boarding school is very limited and disciplined. Unless you choose it voluntarily, it can be a bit of a nightmare.” Emely smiled and John noticed her perfectly white teeth.
She’s so beautiful, he thought, and then he shook his head as if to try to get rid of such thoughts.
They spent another hour and a half in convivial conversation and then John accompanied her to her room. Emely was slightly dizzy from the wine, so she went straight to bed and closed her heavy eyelids. After what felt like only five minutes’ sleep, she was woken by the sharp sound of the alarm, signifying that John was going out.
*
The delicious dinner in Emely’s pleasant company had filled John with renewed energy. Sleep was the last thing on his mind. He thought about Miriam, the redhead he had gone with a week earlier. It was not often that he slept with the same woman, but she was special, kissing him all over with her moist, hot tongue and caressing him with her skillful fingers. The harder he penetrated her, the louder she screamed with pleasure.
Still driving, he called her on his cell phone, excitedly anticipating her voice. But the phone kept ringing without an answer and he was about to cut the line.
“Hello.”
“Hi, it’s John.”
“John … which John?”
He was disappointed.
“Oh, John, we were together last week, weren’t we?”
“Yes, I thought maybe we could get together again in about half an hour.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m very busy. Got a client coming in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll pay three times the normal price.”
There was a short silence at the other end.
“OK, but in an hour.”
“Great,” he said.
The tall streetlights flew by him like sparks pointing the way into the city. He was impatient; the belt on his pants was digging into his stomach because of all the food and he had to undo it.
Half an hour later he sat in one of the bars in town and ordered a double whiskey with ice. He was thinking about the pleasant dinner with Emely and decided to invite her again. In fact he had never had such a relaxed and direct conversation with a woman. He felt truly great and kept pouring the whiskey into his mouth to try and quench the burning thirst. There were two girls there, chatting to each other, and he kept looking toward them. What he really wanted to do was throw a bunch of banknotes on the table and propose some sex games, but chose to order another whiskey instead. He was feeling so horny that if Miriam had said two hours, he wouldn’t have been able to wait.
*
When he appeared at the door of her apartment, she threw herself into his arms and stuck her moist tongue into his mouth. He lifted her long legs and wrapped them around his waist while she put her arms around his neck. He carried her to the bedroom with ease and laid her on the red water bed. Like a wild dog he bit into her loose silky top, next to her navel, and pulled it up to her neck so that her full breasts could sway freely. He attacked them with his tongue while taking off her panties with a single pull of his left hand.
“You seem very impatient today,” she whispered, and bit his ear.
He was too busy undoing his pants to be able to answer.
“The damn button,” he said.
“Slow down, there’s no rush.”
When he finally penetrated her, he felt great relief and groaned with pleasure. Miriam also exclaimed, turning him on even more. Their movements increased in pace and intensity. The sounds of the water sloshing in the bed reverberated around the room. It seemed as if they were on a ship in a storm. She was screaming and he was the captain saving the ship. Unless he used all his strength, they would sink. He moved faster and was about to save them. Only a little bit longer.
She, on the other hand, felt nothing. John was her fourth client that day, but she knew that she had to do her best with every one of them if she wanted them to come back.
“You’ll become an actress,” her mother told her once.
In a sense, she did become an actress, she thought with bitterness while glancing to her right, at the clock. He’d been at it for over half an hour, whereas last time he had come much sooner. She screamed louder and stroked his neck and shoulders in the hope that he’d soon get off her.
But for John, things were not going as smoothly as usual. Covered in sweat, he was struggling with that big storm and was continually about to climax. Just a little longer. Hang on in there for just a little longer. His thoughts began to wander. Never before had he experienced anything like this. If he closed his eyes, the horrible pictures of Emely in that coffin appeared in his head. For a moment he thought that her dead body, covered in soil, lay beneath him. He opened his eyes and drove away those dark thoughts. He dug his fingers into Miriam’s thick red hair and kissed her on the mouth. When he closed his eyes again, he saw Emely with soil in her mouth and it was her he was kissing.
Resigned to defeat, he finally gave up and wiped the sweat off his forehead, lying helplessly on his back. But Miriam didn’t want to waste any time, grabbed his penis, and set out to bring him to a climax with her mouth. She struggled for more than half an hour, meanwhile looking at the clock at least four times, when he finally began to writhe spasmodically.
“You seemed very horny at first, but it’s clear you came here with your head full of problems.”
John buttoned up his pants, still breathing deeply. “I must have had too much to drink.” He looked around the room, thinking he must have forgotten something, and then said, “Well, it’s best if I go home.”
He kissed her goodbye and threw a bunch of fifty-dollar bills on the bed. On the way home he berated himself. How humiliating. It must never happen again.
When he got back home, he quickly downed another three whiskeys before going to bed. As he was falling asleep, he thought once more about the nice evening with Emely and then he was gone.
*
The following day was successful, businesswise. Share prices were fluctuating like never before. John was exceptionally excited while Emely carefully studied the various graphs. She explained why she thought that the price of certain securities would either rise or fall and John listened with great interest. She also told him that the fluctuations in the price could not be predicted.
“The person able to do that would be the richest person in the world. However, there are certain rules of probability that have proved useful through the years. There are over fifty of these rules, but they’re only used on the stock markets in developed, democratic countries. If you wanted to trade in the shares of an Indian company, the rules would not apply.”
Emely showed him the charts and told him her forecasts for some prices. John wrote it all down in a notebook in the hope of being able to use the knowledge sometime.
“But of course you must also follow all the current developments,” she instructed him.
Every day they first looked in various newspapers and some specialized financial weeklies. If an article referred to Emely’s disappearance or her company, John filtered it out
in time.
“Every positive report on a specific company raises the value of its shares. Finding infected meat means a fall in the price of the shares of all meat factories. And then a rise when the situation settles down again. There are various financial instruments with which one can benefit from both the falls and rises of specific securities. So we can turn a profit by making use of options even when the share price is falling. There are what’s known as put options and call options ….” she told him.
John had to take deep breaths, realizing he was overwhelmed by all the information. He suggested they take a short break and have a coffee, and he rushed to the kitchen, made coffee, and brought some cookies.
They were eating cookies and sipping coffee when the alarm went off, announcing someone’s arrival. John got so scared that his plate of cookies fell on the floor and the coffee spilled all over his pants.
“Ronald!” he said through his teeth and ran out, only to return and look at Emely with a finger to his lips.
When she nodded, he quickly shut the door and double-locked it. He ran to the living room and lay on the couch in front of the television.
“How are you?” Ronald asked him excitedly as he walked in.
John stretched out lazily on the wide sofa as if to indicate he had just woken up.
“Can’t complain. And you, what’s brought you here?”
Ronald smiled and sat on the sofa opposite.
“Well, I got a bit worried. You never call these days, I can’t get you at home, and they told me at work that you quit.”
John thought about what to say. He kept listening, hoping that Emely wouldn’t do something stupid.
“Don’t worry, big brother, I’ve never been better. I was getting sick of the job and luckily I have enough savings so that I don’t need to look for another one just yet.” He forced himself to yawn and stretch again. “In fact, I’ve been thinking of maybe renting my apartment out and staying here for a few months.”
“What, live like a hermit in this scary house without any contact with anyone? And without any income.”
“I could easily live off the rent from my apartment. I have hardly any expenses and live modestly.”
Ronald looked at the bottle of champagne and the still unopened black caviar. “If that’s what you think. But it does seem a bit strange to me, so don’t blame me for feeling concerned.” His face took on a mild, understanding expression. “Are you sure that what we did in the woods didn’t affect you? Maybe you started hating other people and now are hiding yourself away. See, John, I love you very much and I worry about you. What if we found you a therapist?”
“No, no. Don’t worry, I told you I’m good. Besides, it’s not true I hate people. I go to town nearly every night and have a beer or two.”
“But that’s not the same. You should be with your family, you know what I mean. One has to talk to someone every so often.”
“I’m telling you I’m fine, never been better.”
“If you say so.” Ronald leaned back, watching him. “I must say you do look better, somehow. Maybe all this fresh air really is doing you good. And you haven’t let yourself go. You obviously get shaved and dress nicely, except for that stain on your pants. Oh, that’ll be it, you’re in love. I can see it in your eyes. Come on, admit it.”
“Oh, Ronald, you know me, never ever been in love.”
“I know, but you’re different this time. I can see a change in you. Obviously you’ve fallen in love with some girl from town.”
“No, I haven’t. Please, don’t just draw conclusions. I’m fine. Life in the countryside does me good.” John’s statements were accompanied by nervous gesticulations.
“OK, if you say so.” Ronald got up and began walking toward the door. He wasn’t happy with what he had achieved and had hoped to persuade his brother to return to a normal life. “You must promise you’ll call me sometime.”
“I promise.”
Ronald looked at the cell phone invoice that lay on top of a large porcelain figurine of a woman next to the door. “What, a bill for two hundred and fifty dollars for your cell phone? Didn’t you say you were living modestly?”
“Oh, yeah, that phone keeps tempting me. In fact, I’ll cancel it.”
“Aha,” Ronald said. “Bye, then.”
“Bye, Ron.”
John watched him go, while trying to control his anger. Why the hell does he have to meddle in my life? Why doesn’t he just stay with that stupid wife of his and leave me alone? I’ll tell him next time.
He poured some brandy into a glass and drank it in one gulp. Damn idiot!
*
Twenty minutes later John was with Emely again and noticed that she was more uneasy than usual. Emely was indeed afraid that Ronald would find out somehow that she was there and would come to get her. At the thought of seeing him again her hands trembled. She was used to John by now, but the sight of Ronald would probably give her a nervous breakdown.
John said, “Don’t worry, I saw him leave. Very likely he won’t be coming back so soon.” These words were spoken with uncertainty and his face betrayed the fact that he was deep in thought and absentmindedly worrying about the alarm not sensing Ronald’s arrival. You can’t rely on electronic gadgets, he thought. And that damn phone bill. Why did I have to leave it lying around?
He smiled at Emely and said, “There’s really no reason to worry. Whenever he comes again, we’ll both be ready.”
She nodded, but it was clear she wasn’t certain about it either.
*
In the evening, Emely was again invited to the dining room. Like the day before, the table was laid with various dishes and in the center there stood a candleholder with three long silver candles. Everything looked so perfect that it took Emely’s breath away. Napkins shaped into swans adorned the fine porcelain plates and the elegant silver cutlery shone brightly.
“What’s all this, John? The table looks … well … fantastic.”
As if expecting praise, he smiled and walked over to the liquor cabinet. “May I suggest we have a cocktail as an aperitif?”
“Of course, John. I didn’t know you could mix cocktails.”
He nodded proudly. “I know how to make eighty different ones.”
“Oh,” she said, smiling, “you’re full of surprises.” She was deliberately flattering him and she could see he was relaxing gradually. He had been careless a few times now. This could be my way to freedom. She had noticed his excessive spending. If this goes on, all I’ll be doing is paying for his expenses.
“I’ll let you surprise me. You choose,” she said in a friendly voice.
His cheeks turned red and it was clear he was as happy as a child. He took a silver metal shaker, poured into it various liquors, and mixed them by throwing the shaker from one hand to another, like a juggler. Then he crushed some ice and used it to cool two elegant glasses on long stalks. He added ice to the cocktail shaker.
When Emely tried the cocktail, she was surprised. The drink was strong, but its tropical flavor lingered for a while after the smooth liquid had disappeared down her throat. Afterward, a hint of mint appeared in her mouth. She put her hand on her heart and nodded slightly.
“Fantastic flavor.”
She tried it once more while John watched her. He had been attracted to mixing drinks for a long time. When he was twenty-one, he even went to a competition and came in second. Unfortunately, he didn’t have anyone to whom he could offer just the right cocktail at any moment.
“Mmmm, so what is it called?”
John got a little flustered. “It doesn’t really have a name yet. I made it up about a week ago, but completely forgot to call it something.”
“Then let’s call it Emely-John,” she said deliberately.
John’s face became even redder with embarrassment and he looked down.
Emely laughed and raised her glass. “Let’s give a toast to the Emely-John cocktail.”
They clinked glasses and fo
r a moment that seemed dangerously long they looked into each other’s eyes. John was the first to turn away, and he walked into the kitchen, feeling confused. He wandered around for some moments, having forgotten what he had come for. Finally he calmed the storm in his head, picked up a silver tureen, carried it to the dining room, and served the hot beef consommé.
“It smells very good,” Emely had to admit, and waited for him to sit down.
“You traded very profitably today.”
“We traded,” she said. “But I have to warn you that sooner or later we’ll experience a loss. And not a small one. You can be lucky for a whole week and then suffer a huge loss in a day.”
“Oh?” He looked at her, worried.
“However, through the years I’ve developed a sixth sense and it has often saved me from such losses. When there’s a big panic on the stock exchange, those who withdraw first are the ones who are saved.”
John was visibly relieved. Until then everything had gone perfectly. He didn’t want to even imagine the flow of money getting smaller or losing some of his capital. For the first time in his life he was truly enjoying himself and had no intention of having to think about saving.
The soup was followed by roast pork and vegetables. Emely had to clap her hands at the highly piled-up plates. “Who’s going to eat all this?”
Tasting the delicious dish, she closed her eyes a few times. She had eaten in nearly all the best restaurants in this part of the country in the last few years but had to admit that the food cooked by John surpassed all of them.
“Mmm … I’ve never had such a good roast,” she said a few times. “You should open a restaurant. Have you ever thought about it?”
